CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
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: 9
Sunday 2nd August 1998
"Take care of yourself, yeah?"
Hermione smiled at Ron as she stood with him and Harry by the fireplace, so she could floo to the Ministry where Kingsley would be waiting for her along with her port-key back to Volterra.
"I will, not that I need to with Alec and Demetri watching my every move to make sure I don't stub my toe," she replied, and whilst Harry laughed, Ron's eyes tightened slightly at the mention of the two vampires, but he was getting better.
Over the last three days, Hermione had spent an entire day with Ginny, half a day with the twins at their shop, half a day with the Weasleys at the Burrow, she'd spent a few hours with Kingsley in his office going over their plans to change the laws regarding magical beings, and the remainder of her time she spent with Harry and Ron. Everything was back to the way it used to be, only now without the threat of war and death and she was glad she had the chance to return and see her friends and family. She was glad she'd had the opportunity to repair her friendship with Ron. Despite what Alec and Demetri thought about him not being worthy of her friendship and loyalty, Ron was such a big part of her life and to lose him would be like losing a part of herself.
"You are going to visit again, aren't you?" Harry checked.
Ron rolled his eyes. "Of course she is," he said. "It's 'Mione, she can't leave us unsupervised for too long, who knows what would happen?"
"Very funny, Ronald," Hermione said. "And of course I'm going to visit, I've got a lot that I need to get done before I can find the time to though, I should definitely be down around Christmas, and Ron's birthday, of course."
"Of course," they both said with a nod of the head, making her lip twitch.
"I better be off, Kingsley's expecting me any minute now. I'm going to miss you."
"You'll be back before you know it," Harry said. "And we'll owl as promised; just let us know when you've set up the drop-off point."
"You'll both write?" She questioned.
"You know I won't," Ron shrugged, sticking his hand in his pockets. She glared at him and he sighed and chuckled, shaking his head. "But I'll make an effort to."
"Good, now, give me a hug," she said, making them laugh at her sad tone.
She hugged them both tightly before taking Teddy from Harry and stepping into the fireplace.
"Be careful," she reminded them.
"You're the one surrounded by vampires," Ron spoke, that same bitter tone making an appearance as it always did.
"And yet, I am the most protected person in the world," she replied before the flames surrounded her and she was gone from their view.
Harry smacked Ron upside the head.
"Ow! What the bloody hell was that for?" Ron grouched.
"For winding her up. Leave her alone, it's not her fault and it's not theirs either. I don't care what they are, as long as they protect her, keep her safe and make her happy, they're good in my books. You and I both know they're good for her. I haven't seen her this happy in years, now back off, and the next time she visits, you better have sorted out your attitude towards them, she may bring them with her. The only reason she didn't this time was that she didn't want any arguments and she didn't want you to assume she was their prisoner who had no freedom. She has more freedom than the Guards themselves. You have until Christmas to pull yourself together, or I swear to Merlin, I'll let the twins know about the diary you keep."
"You wouldn't dare," Ron challenged.
"I would and we both know it."
~000~000~000~
The Ministry
"Hermione, are you all set?"
Hermione smiled at Kingsley as he greeted her when she stepped out of the fireplace.
"Yes, I have everything."
"Will you be visiting again?"
"Yes, likely sometime near Christmas, I have a lot to do before I can even think about coming back for a visit. And before I go, Harry mentioned that you were looking for a way to better guard the prisoners of Azkaban without the use of dementors."
"Yes, results have unfortunately been slow," he replied.
"I'll schedule some time to do some research, I have an entire library at my disposal and if I find anything useful or that may be considered for extra research, I'll send it to you and your Curse Breakers and Unspeakables can have a look and see what they think."
"That would be appreciated, thank you, Hermione."
"You know how much I love a good research project," she said with a small smile.
He chuckled. "Yes, I do. Now, let's get you back to those vampires of yours, I'm sure you've missed them."
~000~000~000~
Volterra
Hermione landed smoothly on her feet hidden from view from potential passersby and near the entrance to the secret tunnel. Teddy was making whining noises and Hermione quickly shuffled him in her arms, burying his head against her neck and shushing him.
He had been fussy the last couple of days and she suspected it had to do with him missing Alec and Demetri and she couldn't blame him. They'd been a constant in their lives, particularly Teddy who was too young to remember Remus and Tonks, but at his age now, he was able to recognise faces and smells, and she, Alec and Demetri would be the ones he was most familiar with. For two of those three to no longer be with him must've been upsetting for him.
Once he'd quietened, she quickly made her way towards the entrance of the tunnel, only for Demetri to come into view. Their eyes locked immediately and a wide smile broke out on her face, seeing Demetri's dazzling smile greet her and his red eyes, bright and sparkling. She all but ran to him and he took her in his arms immediately, holding her as tightly as he could without hurting her.
"I missed you," she sighed, feeling peace wash over her as his scent of pine and apples surrounded her and the feeling of the soft fabric of his Guard robes beneath her cheek was like a soft pillow.
"And I have missed you, glykó sýntrofo," he replied.
He slowly released her from his arms, his eyes sweeping over her for any sign of illness, distress, or that something had gone wrong whilst she'd been away. Apparently seeing none and being happy with his findings, he pushed her curls away from her face, his cold fingers lightly skimming her cheek and her eyes fluttered closed, only to open when she felt his cool lips place a gentle kiss to her forehead, soon followed by a chaste kiss on the lips.
"You are well?"
She nodded with a smile. "Perfect," she answered honestly before looking down to Teddy when he made another whining sound.
"Is he due a feed? Is he not well? It is time for a nap?" Demetri asked her and she couldn't help the smile that was plastered on her face.
"He is fine, Demetri, I believe he just misses you. He has been fussy the last couple of days."
To prove her suspicions, Demetri took Teddy from her and within moments of him being held in his arms, Teddy soon quieted down and fisted the fabric of his Guard robes in his hands.
"Where is Alec?" She asked him and he took his eyes away from Teddy, yet the smile remained on his face.
He offered her his arm and she slipped hers through his, her hand resting in the crook of his elbow as he guided them through the tunnel lit only by torches held on the walls. Despite the light, it was still difficult for her to see where she was walking and she wandlessly and non-verbally cast a Lumos, the small ball of light floating in front of her and lighting up the tunnel. Demetri smiled at the display; she was getting stronger by the day.
"Alec was sent out on Volturi business the day after you left, along with Jane and Felix. They are due back either tonight or tomorrow morning."
"Nothing too serious I hope," she replied, doing her best to keep the worry out of her voice but apparently she failed as Demetri chuckled at her.
"He will be fine, glykó sýntrofo, there is not a lot that can get past him. And as for the situation, he has been dispatched to remind a few no-mad vampires that they, just as everyone else, are expected to follow the laws or punishment is given."
She nodded. "Speaking of laws, I was able to speak with Kingsley and he thinks we may be able to start changing the laws regarding vampire kind sometime around April next year."
"Why wait?" He asked curiously.
"I've yet to finish reading up on the current laws, despite the fact that I began doing so months ago, and I still have another three boxes filled with case files and records that I must go through. Then I must alter the already existing laws to benefit your kind, scrap the ones that are unable to be made positive and create new laws that allow your kind to have basic human rights. Then we must petition the Wizengamot, present our changes as well as evidence that the laws will be beneficial for both wizarding and vampire kind, and then it must be put to a vote; majority rules. The next step is to start putting the laws into action and ensuring that there are no loopholes, but before we can do any of this, Kingsley must first complete his task of ridding the Ministry of those that are corrupt, and he needs to figure out a way of convincing the heirs to take their seats on the Wizengamot and side with us. With the right incentive it can be done, we just have to figure out what that may be."
"You've been quite busy, Miss. Granger," Aro spoke, as they stepped into the chamber and she saw only he, Marcus and Caius present.
"My Lords," she greeted with a bow of her head, and Demetri did the same.
"Hermione, I trust you enjoyed your visitation," Marcus spoke up, his eyes automatically falling to Teddy and without a word, Demetri walked away from her and over to the dais, handing Teddy over to Marcus before returning to her side.
"I did, thank you."
"Have issues been resolved?" Aro asked her.
"They have, yes, I believe my friends and family are finally of the understanding that I left because I could not stay and that I am happy where I am. They did not offer argument when it came time for my leaving, they only wished to hear that I would be visiting again."
"Did you make arrangements on a date?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"No, I only assured them that I would return for a visit, possibly around Christmas."
"And what you said regarding your talks with the Minister?" Aro asked her.
Hermione stepped away from Demetri and made her way up the dais, stopping before Aro and offering him her hand, showing him only what she wanted him to see. Everything else about her trip to England was personal and he needed no knowledge of it. He nodded and she stepped back from him, making her way back to Demetri.
"As I've said previously, the laws may start to change in April of next year, but they will not be expected to take full force until the following January. It takes time to ensure that there are no loopholes that can be taken advantage of, and to ensure that everyone is aware of the new law changes. There is also the paperwork side of it, in which everything needs to be correctly filed, copied and stored away in the hall of records, and that is not a place I would like to work. From what Kingsley told me, Britain has the largest hall of records in the world, and there is a magic dampener inside the halls to prevent any possible theft or illegal changes through the aid of magic. It can take hours to retrieve a single file, due to the sheer size of the halls, so having them all filed and stored will take just as long. It is our estimation that the laws will be implemented in April, begin to take effect in January, and be complete by the following April. If everything goes to plan, you may enter the Wizarding World in eighteen months time."
"That is a lot quicker than we anticipated," Caius spoke, looking surprised, whilst Aro looked thoughtful and Marcus didn't take his eyes from Teddy.
"Kingsley and I like to get things done; we're not the type of people that can just wait around for something to happen. If you want something doing properly, the best way is to do it yourself."
Aro raised an eyebrow but did not comment.
"Kingsley has asked me to inform you that once the laws are in place, it would be beneficial if you were to wait another six months before stepping foot in Wizarding Britain."
"And why is that?" Caius drawled.
"Precaution," she answered. "We know there is going to be some backlash when these laws are implemented, we just want to make sure we've given the population enough time to get used to the new laws. Kingsley would like to see how the public will react when a vampire is spotted in Wizarding Britain, as this will allow him to strategise ways to better the safety of not only humans but vampires, too. This may vary from extra security and Aurors patrolling areas with high foot traffic, or even using magic dampening devices in some areas to prevent violence caused by wand magic. We're hoping that two years is enough. In the meantime, I'm going to continue reading over the current laws and legislation, altering and creating new ones, as well as working on my Potions Mastery, which I should be due to finish mid-July of the coming year."
"You told us it would take three years to complete," Marcus spoke, finally turning his eyes away from Teddy.
"No, I said most complete it in three years. I am not most people."
"I am very much aware of that," he replied, his mouth twitching at the corners.
"Once I've completed my Potions Mastery, I plan to take up a Transfiguration and Charms Mastery, followed by an Arithmancy and Ancient Runes Mastery. In five years time, I will be well equipped with the knowledge, understanding and know-how of how to create my own spells and charms."
As if on cue, the three Lords each raised an eyebrow and Hermione had to fight back the sniggers, even Demetri seemed to be amused by the sight as his lip twitched slightly.
"Is that a field that will generate an income?" Aro asked.
Hermione didn't both hiding the fact she rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, people will pay a substantial sum of galleons to have a spell created for them. And if a spell is created and it is added to a wizarding school's curriculum, a sum will be earned for every student and professor that is taught to cast that spell. There are seven billion people in the Muggle World, there is estimated to be around two hundred and fifty million magical folk, not including Muggleborns, or other beings such as vampires, werewolves, veelas, merpeople, I could go on all day. My point is, almost half of that population is children, children that will go to school and learn magic, including a spell that may be of my own creation, generating a large income from that alone, then there will also be the added income of sales from my potion brewing."
They stared at her; even Demetri seemed surprised by what she had divulged.
"Speaking of potions, there is something I require."
"And what may that be?" Aro asked.
"I need a greenhouse and a fairly large one." He raised an eyebrow, silently telling her to explain. "A lot of the potion ingredients I use can be grown by myself, this will not only save money when it comes to the restocking of my supplies, but it will ensure that the ingredients will always be fresh, that I can trust they have been kept in the right conditions and there are no damages, all of which affect the brewing of a potion."
"If you insist that it is what you require, I will have someone look into it."
"Thank you. Is that all, My Lords? Teddy is due a feed."
"For now that is all, Miss. Granger. Later this evening, we require your presence in training room three, on the east side of the castle, but I am sure Demetri will escort you."
Hermione appeared to be confused. "Of course, My Lords, I shall see you then."
Hermione and Demetri both bowed their heads before Hermione retrieved Teddy from Marcus and she and Demetri left the chamber and made their way towards her rooms.
"Do you know what he has planned?" Hermione asked him.
"No," he shook his head. "He has not mentioned anything regarding you since you left. All I was made aware of was that I was to escort you to the chambers once you had returned."
"And so it begins," Hermione sighed.
"And so what begins?" He asked with an arched eyebrow before stepping into Hermione's rooms and closing the door behind them, the kittens stumbling over themselves to greet her whilst Crookshanks was calmer about it.
"I am not stupid, Demetri," she spoke, sitting down on the bed and placing Teddy on his back until he rolled over and giggled to himself. "I've known since arriving here that Aro has plans for me, though he is unaware of the fact that I am not able to be easily manipulated. If he should want something from me, all he should merely do is ask. If I believe it is acceptable, then I will do it, if not, then I won't. I'm a Sorceress, I must do what my magic tells me to do, I cannot go against it, I would be afraid of the repercussions."
Hermione summoned the items to prepare Teddy's bottle but before she could see to it, Demetri stepped in.
"I'll do it, you've been tending to him by yourself these last few days, I think it only fair that I do my part, too."
Before Hermione could object, he had already prepared the bottle with his vampire speed and sat on the edge of the bed beside her, with Teddy in his arms and feeding him his bottle. Hermione watched him; he looked so calm and peaceful, feeding Teddy his bottle while the little boy held onto his robes and his hair flashed blue.
Hermione flopped back onto the bed and sighed.
"I missed my bed."
~000~000~000~
"Glykó Sýntrofo,"
"Hmmm?" She hummed, slowly peeling open an eye to see Demetri looking down at her amused.
"Your dinner is here."
"Dinner? How long have I been asleep?" She asked, pushing herself up onto her elbows and noticing the tray on the coffee table.
"An hour."
"Why didn't you wake me?" She frowned.
"I did not feel the need to, Teddy finished his bottle and was asleep twenty minutes later; he's in the nursery. Did you sleep whilst you were away?"
She bit her lip, deciding whether or not to lie to him, but immediately went against the thought. "Not as much as I would have liked to," she said honestly.
"Your nightmares returned?"
"Yes," she sighed, getting up to retrieve the tray before sitting back down on the bed, picking up her spoon and taking a sip of the tomato and basil soup. "They weren't as vivid as they once were, but I was still unable to sleep for more than a few hours." He frowned. "It's not your fault. It's no one's fault. Now that I am home, I will easily return to my sleeping pattern."
She fell quiet, focusing her attention on eating her dinner whilst he watched her fondly. When she was done, he took the tray from her, placing it back on the coffee table and within the blink of an eye, he was laid down on the bed beside her, holding an arm out to her. She wasted no time in shuffling closer to him before laying down against him, her head resting on his chest and his arm around her shoulders.
"Get some sleep, I have a feeling you're going to need it."
~000~000~000~
Hermione was woken by the sound of the door opening and she made a little grumbling noise before her eyes opened and she turned her head to see the culprit. Alec stepped into the room and before he could properly close the door behind him, Hermione had darted across the room and wrapped herself around so tightly, that if he were human he wouldn't be able to breathe.
He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face against her curls and breathing in her scent, and she did the same, sandalwood and citrus filling her nostrils and making her dizzy.
"I missed you," she said quietly.
"I missed you, too," he replied.
She pulled back from him, her eyes scanning him for any sign of discomfort or that something may have gone wrong with his mission.
"I am perfectly fine, as are Jane and Felix, there is nothing for you to worry about," he told her.
He pushed her curls away from her face and her eyes fluttered closed when his cold fingers skimmed her throat. She opened her eyes to see him staring at her and she reached up to place a chaste kiss to him lips, seeing a smile grace his face when she pulled back from him.
"How was your visit?" He asked her.
"Eventful," she laughed lightly. "Let's see, made Harry blush and embarrassed him at every opportunity I was given, gate-crashed his birthday party, made up with Ron, went shopping with Ginny in Muggle London, spent time with the twins at their shop and spent every waking moment keeping my eyes on them, as they tried to prank me more times than I can even count." They both snorted. "Received death glares from Mrs. Weasley, was grilled about my life here at Volterra and the twins slipped Flatulence Potions in the food at the Burrow. That day, in particular, was not pleasant," she grimaced.
They both chuckled and shook their heads.
"I am happy that you were able to make amends with your friend," Alec commented.
She snorted at him. "Don't lie, you don't even like him."
"That does not mean I am not happy that you have your friend back in your life," he replied. "And as much as I would like to talk more about your visit, you have been summoned by Lord Aro."
"Of course I have," she sighed, running a hand through her hair.
She slipped her arm through Alec's and Demetri retrieved the slowly awakening Teddy from his nursery, as they left the room and slowly made their way towards their destination.
"Do you know what he has planned?" Hermione asked Alec.
"No," he admitted. "And that is what worries me the most."