CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
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
Thursday 30th July 1998
Hermione stared at the front door of Grimmauld Place, just taking in her surroundings and reminding herself that, yes, she really was at one of the places she used to call home before it had been taken away from her.
She took a deep breath and walked up the steps, taking out her wand and pressing the tip against the door in a coded password. She smiled to herself and chuckled; Harry hadn't changed the passcode like she'd told him to.
The door swung open and she stepped inside, seeing that it was exactly the way she'd remembered it being; only now it had been cleaned up from the Death Eater's raid. She easily navigated her way to the living room, deciding to check there first. She quietly tiptoed past Mrs. Black's portrait, not wanting to alert her to her presence and when she reached the living room, she stood in the doorway and a wide smile pulled at her mouth. Harry was sat on the couch with one foot resting on the floor and the other propped up on the coffee table whilst he had a butterbeer in one hand and a book in the other.
"Hello, Harry," Hermione greeted softly.
Harry dropped his book on the ground along with the bottle of butterbeer and it smashed against the floor. He sprung up from the couch and stared at her with wide eyes.
"Didn't I tell you to change the passcode on the door, honestly, any old riff-raff can get in," she said amusedly.
"Hermione?" He questioned in surprise.
"Happy day before your birthday, Harry," she smiled.
"Hermione!" His voice rose before he dashed around the couch and over to her, pulling her into a hug and squishing Teddy between them. The little wizard laughed and Harry jumped back immediately. "Merlin, he's gotten so big!" He said surprised, staring at him with wide eyes. He blinked when Teddy's hair turned blue, staying for a few seconds and then it returned to blonde.
Hermione chuckled at him.
"Children do tend to do that," she replied before shuffling Teddy in her hold, intending to deposit him in Harry's arms.
"Oh no," he said, stepping back, shuffling on his feet awkwardly and holding his hands up.
She snorted. "You're not going to drop him, Harry. Stop being a baby and hold your Godson." Before he could protest again, Hermione handed Teddy off to Harry and she quickly vacated the room, leaving Harry and Teddy alone as she needed to use the bathroom.
Once she returned, she found Harry sitting on the couch with Teddy on his knee, staring at the giggling child as his hair flashed from blonde to blue.
"He didn't do that before," Harry spoke, sounding surprised.
She chuckled and moved to sit on the couch beside him. "No, it's becoming a more regular occurrence as he ages. A few weeks ago his hair would only flash blue, now it'll stay a few seconds longer."
Harry shuffled on the couch to face her. "What are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you."
"It's your birthday, you didn't honestly think I was going to miss that, did you?" She arched an eyebrow. "Besides, I missed you."
"You did?" He frowned.
"Of course I did, you idiot, you're my little brother."
"Why didn't you answer my owls?"
"Owls?" She questioned, confusion in her tone and a little crease in her brow.
"Well yeah, I sent you one every week but you never replied to any of them."
"Harry, I haven't received any mail," she told him truthfully.
"How's that possible? Owls can always find their way."
She bit her lip. "It may be due to who I am surrounded by. Owls can behave strangely around other magical creatures. You've seen how Pig was with Sirius, he hated him. The owl could have been spooked by the Coven and therefore not delivered the letters. I bet if I were to leave the castle, I would be able to find the letters in a pile somewhere. We'll have to set up a drop off point and I'll collect any mail from there. I can have it alert me to when something has been delivered and I can send any replies from there, too. There's no point in purchasing an owl if it's going to behave in a similar manner. Anyway, enough about owls; how are you? The others? What have I missed?"
He lifted his hand and ran it through his shaggy hair. Hermione noticed he was in desperate need of a haircut.
"Everyone's doing well. Just picking up the pieces and learning to move on, I suppose," he shrugged. "You haven't missed as much as you'd think. Hogwarts is being rebuilt and although McGonagall, the professors and the volunteers are doing a good job, it's still not going to be ready for at least half a year."
Hermione felt a pang of sadness in her chest and she flinched as memories of littered bodies and rubble flickered through her mind. A giggle from Teddy brought her back to the present and she quickly filled her thoughts with her Godson and her two favourite vampires.
"Hogsmeade's almost fully repaired and Diagon Alley's back to its regular crowded self. Charlie's gone back to Romania and Bill and Fleur are somewhere in Russia, doing a bit of freelancing for the Russian Gringotts Branch. Percy's back at the Ministry, working as Kingsley's Undersecretary and helping to put the Ministry to rights. As far as I'm aware, all trials have been conducted and sentences have been given. The majority received life in Azkaban, they're trying to find a way to better guard Azkaban without the use of dementors."
Hermione was surprised by that news since Kingsley hadn't mentioned it to her. She made a mental note to look through her library and see if there was anything that would be useful.
"The twins are back at their shop. They had the place open within in a week and as expected, their shop's the loudest, brightest and busiest."
She snorted. "You don't have to tell me that; my eyes are still hurting from their colour choices."
He laughed and shuffled to get more comfortable. "Arthur's returned to the Ministry, Molly and Ginny to the Burrow, and Ron and I have now officially joined the Auror training programme."
"That's brilliant, Harry," she beamed. "I'm so proud of you."
He flushed under her praise and cleared his throat.
"So, what's happened since you've been gone? How are you doing?" He asked, worry creeping into his voice.
She smiled at him and he noticed that it was a true Hermione smile; one with her eyes shining and her nose scrunching up slightly. He hadn't seen that smile since they were children.
"I'm doing wonderfully," she said honestly. "I'm eating regular meals and putting on weight, the memories aren't as overpowering and I'm finally sleeping. I think I'm finally at peace."
"And this wouldn't have something to do with two particular vampires, would it?" He asked. She flushed bright red and he snorted. "I thought it might. How serious is it?"
She looked down at her lap, biting her lip and fiddling with her fingers.
"You know I'd never judge you, Hermione. You're not stupid. I know you wouldn't do something unless you were sure it was safe and the right thing to do."
"Thanks, Harry," she replied, looking up at him when his hand moved to grip one of hers.
"Now, tell me, how serious is it and do I need to brush up on my vampire arse-kicking skills?"
She couldn't help herself, she laughed loudly and shoved him playfully.
"As much as I love you, Harry, Alec would have you immobilised before you could blink."
"Then I guess I need to take another shot at Occlumency."
She shook her head and then sighed. "Things between us are both complicated and simple." He raised an eyebrow in silent questioning. "The shortened version is that I've discovered that I am the vampire mate to both Alec and Demetri."
Harry choked on his breath and Hermione summoned a glass from the kitchen and filled it with water before giving it to Harry. He downed half of the glass before looking at her with wide eyes.
"I know, this is why it's both complicated and simple. It's complicated because obviously, they're both one-thousand-year-old vampires, and I'm a human witch, a Sorceress to be more precise. But then it's so simple because things between us are easy. There's no need for words to be spoken. I don't have to guess what they're thinking and feeling because I just know. They don't keep secrets. They do everything in their power to make living at Volterra as comfortable and inviting as possible. They do almost everything for Teddy and I. They spend more time with us than they do completing their responsibilities. They watch over me whilst I sleep and they refuse to allow my sleep to be interrupted, so they see to Teddy when he wakes during the night for a bottle. They're kind and thoughtful, caring and loving, affectionate and suffocating. But it's a good kind of suffocating if that makes sense. I know that no matter where I am in the castle, they're not too far away. I know that I can rely on them, that they will protect Teddy and me whether I want them to or not. They're both so different. Alec's quiet and reserved; he's smart and nerdy like me. Demetri's charismatic and charming. He's loud and funny. And I've long since come to realise that I need both of them in my life, and Teddy has wonderful role models."
"You love them, don't you?"
"Yes," she replied, looking away from him.
"That's nothing for you to be ashamed of, Hermione," Harry said, once more reaching out to squeeze her hand. "You love who you love, and that can't be helped. Normally I would be worried and dead set against this, but I've seen how they are with you. From the moment they set foot into headquarters they watched your every move. They followed you, protected you; defended you. I half expected one of them to kill Ron every time he started an argument with you."
"They would've if they thought it wouldn't upset or anger me," she said with her mouth twitching into a small smile.
"That's my point; they'd kill anyone that even dared to hurt you and I'm not the only one that saw that. Everyone did, it was why so many people were worried about their behaviour, but now I understand it. If you love them, then you love them and if you're happy, then I'm happy for you. I'm not going to pretend I understand the way your relationship works, and to be honest, I don't want to, but if you're happy, then that's all that matters. The war's over and we all deserve a better life. But if they hurt you; I'm setting their sparkly arses on fire."
"Thank you," she said quietly. "When did you get so smart?" She teased.
He snorted and ran his hand through his hair. "We went through a war, Hermione, I had to grow up at some point. Besides, I've spent almost a decade with you; your genius was bound to rub off on me." She chuckled. "So, you're happy?"
"Very happy, moving to Volterra is one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. I said my magic was guiding me there, now I know why. I needed to be with Alec and Demetri, and since moving to Volterra, things have gotten better. My nightmares have finally stopped. Teddy's growing wonderfully and he's doted on by not only Alec and Demetri, but by Alec's twin sister, Jane, Felix who is Demetri's best friend, and Lord Marcus. He's not going to want for anything as the Lord's refuse to allow me to pay for any resources and materials. He'll have access to the best literature and education in both worlds and he's surrounded by people that love and care for him. I've started my Potion's Mastery and I've been given my own potions lab, training room and library."
He snorted. "No wonder you're so happy."
She swatted at his arm and he laughed at her.
"Our lives really have changed for the better, haven't they?"
"They have, and things can only get better," he nodded in agreement. "I'm proud of you. For your achievements, for finding love, for doing what you want and not allowing others to dictate your decisions; and I'm proud to see that you're turning our Godson into a brilliant wizard. You're a wonderful mum, and don't let anyone tell you differently. Molly can shove her opinions and her wooden spoon where the sun doesn't shine."
Hermione smiled. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you, too. How long are you here for?"
"Only four days, I have to get back as I've got a few potions that are waiting for my attention. I thought if I came now, I could celebrate your birthday with you and Ginny's and Percy's birthdays early."
"Molly's throwing a birthday party for me tonight."
"Well, then, Teddy and I will be glad to gate crash," she replied, reaching over and taking the laughing child from him and sitting him on her lap.
Harry laughed. "It's good to have you back."
"It feels good to be back."
~000~000~000~
"Have you just woke up?" Harry asked amusedly, stepping into Hermione's bedroom whilst running a towel through his damp hair.
Hermione yawned and stretched, being mindful not to wake Teddy who was sleeping beside her and surrounded by pillows.
"Yes," she nodded. "The port-key took a lot out of both of us and since I'm going to be walking into a potentially fatal situation, I thought it best to be well-rested so I'm on top form."
He snorted at her. "When are you not on top form?" She shrugged. "That's what I thought. Now, I want your opinion." He flicked his wand, sending the towel back to the bathroom and then summoning two shirts, one a light blue and one red. "Which one?"
"Red," she said without thought. "It makes your eyes pop, and it's always a colour I've liked on you."
"Oh yeah?" He wriggled his eyebrows before getting hit in the face with the pillow she threw at him. "Shutting up," he said and she snorted.
"So, is there any particular reason you're worrying over clothing choice? It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with a certain, pretty redhead would it?" She asked with a smirk pulling at her mouth. Harry's cheeks tinted pink and he cleared his throat. "So, am I hexing or slapping?"
"Neither."
She cocked an eyebrow. "She's finally forgiven you?"
"Not quite, but we've been out a few times and she's coming 'round. I reckon it'll be a few more weeks before she finally gives in."
"In that case, definitely the red shirt and make sure to wear a pair of jeans that hug your bum."
"Hermione!" He cried, scandalised.
"What?" She asked innocently. "I happen to know Ginny thinks you've got a nice bum, so give her something to look at."
"I'm not a piece of meat to be drooled over!"
"Even if that person's a gorgeous redhead?" He didn't answer. "That's what I thought, now, go and put on some bum hugging jeans."
"What has my life come to?" He muttered before turning around and walking out of the room, leaving behind a sniggering Hermione.
~000~000~000~
"You ready?" Harry asked her, standing beside her in front of the fireplace in the study.
"Not really, but I might as well get this over with," she sighed before looking over Harry's shoulder.
"What're you doing?"
"Looking at your bum."
"What!" He shrieked, spinning around and much to her amusement, putting both of his hands on his bum to protect it from her stare.
"Looking at your bum," she repeated. "I want to see if I need to alter your jeans for a tighter fit. If you want Ginny to be all over you, you need to give her something to look at. And she's right; you do have a nice bum."
"Hermione!"
"Don't be such a prude," she rolled her eyes and he spluttered. "You have a nice bum but Demetri's is nicer. I don't know how many times he's caught me staring at it over the last week. He just laughs at me."
"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione? My sweet, innocent, awkward Hermione."
She snorted. "I'm the new and improved Hermione now. And I wasn't innocent before."
"What? You mean that you're..."
"Not a virgin? No; lost it, fifth year."
"To who?" He demanded, a protective look crossing his face.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Who was it?" He narrowed his eyes.
"Calm down," she rolled her eyes. "Theo Nott."
"Who?" he frowned, not recognising the name.
"Theo Nott. He was in our year at school, rather brilliant, he was only a few points behind me in our overall academic grades. He was a Slytherin." Harry looked to be on the verge of fainting. "Believe it or not, he wasn't blood prejudiced. He kept to himself, he was quiet and shy. His father was Thoros Nott." Harry's eyes bugged out of his head. "I helped him escape from his father before we began hunting for the Horcruxes. Last I heard, he was in Peru visiting his maternal Grandmother, since his father murdered his mother when he was a baby."
Harry blinked slowly.
"Exactly, don't be so judgemental. Now, let's go."
She took his hand and pulled him into the fireplace, the flames smothering them as they were transported to the Burrow, or as Hermione thought of it, the place where she could potentially take her last breath.