CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
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: 10
Thursday 6th August 1998
When Hermione landed in her rooms, she wasn't sure what to do with herself. Demetri had told her to be ready to take a trip, so she assumed that meant grab a jacket and run a brush through her hair, which she did, but she still had twenty-seven minutes left to wait. Wanting to kill some time, she brushed her teeth before moving around the bathroom, picking up a discarded towel, one of Alec's shirts and a pair of her jeans before putting them in the laundry basket in the corner of the room.
She then made her way out of the bathroom and proceeded to tidy the room, sending the few books that littered the bedside table back to her library, banishing empty potion vials back to her potions lab and putting the old blanket back into the kitten's bed, seeing as they'd dragged it out and across the floor when playing. Once finished and having nothing left to tidy, she made her way to her vanity and sat on the stool, spending some time reorganising the contents sat on the surface.
And before she could start pacing or cleaning Teddy's nursery –which really didn't need cleaning- Demetri arrived with Teddy perched on his hip and tugging at his Guard robes as he giggled to himself. A smile lit his face when he saw her and his eyes scanned the room.
"Where is your bag?" He asked her.
"Bag?" She questioned in confusion.
"I did say to ready for a trip," he said amusedly.
"I assumed that meant find a jacket for later," she frowned.
He shook his head at her. "No, I wish to show you something, we'll be leaving the castle grounds."
A smile lit her face, finally, she would have a chance to see some of Volterra; she hadn't left the castle grounds since her arrival, only to visit England. She'd barely seen outside of the castle walls.
"Where are you taking me?"
"It's a surprise, I have a few things I need to collect and when I get back, we'll be going. Alec will be watching Teddy for the time being. You'll need to pack an overnight bag." Her smile fell a little. "I know you don't wish to leave Teddy, but you and I both know he'll be perfectly safe here," he said softly.
"I...I've never left him before," she said quietly, worry and fear creeping into her voice.
Demetri stepped closer to her and held her gaze.
"Teddy will be perfectly safe. Alec, Lord Marcus, Jane and Felix have all agreed to watch over him. They know what he needs and they know how to keep him safe, healthy and entertained. I have cleared our leaving the castle with the Lords, and they have been very generous. You know they do not wish for you to leave the castle in order to keep you within the safety of its walls. It took some convincing but they have agreed to a short leave of absence."
Hermione bit her lip, knowing it was likely they wouldn't get a chance such as this again for a long time. Despite her fears and worries of leaving Teddy, she knew he would be well taken care of. Both Alec and Marcus were more than accustomed to caring for him, and both Jane and Felix had protected him when she hadn't been able to. Despite her not being with him, he would be safe.
"Okay," she agreed and a relieved smile crossed his face.
"I'll be back momentarily," he spoke, bending down to give her a chaste kiss and handing Teddy over to her.
Hermione placed Teddy on the bed, surrounded him with magic and a few protective spells to stop him from falling and she summoned an overnight bag. She wasn't sure what Demetri had planned but she knew she would be gone from the castle for the night, so she made sure to pack her toothbrush and some toothpaste, as well as her hairbrush. She wasn't sure if where they were going would have a shower or bath, but she packed her wash products anyway. Being unsure of how the weather would be the following day, Hermione made sure to pack a summer dress, a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, her converse and some pyjamas. Just as she was double-checking she hadn't missed anything, Alec entered the room.
"He will be fine, Hermione," he said knowingly, seeing the way she was looking at Teddy who was occupying himself by playing with his hands and feet and laughing to himself.
"I know, but this will be the first time I've left him," she replied, leaning back into Alec when he perched himself on the edge of the bed behind her.
"Lord Marcus and I know what we are doing and Jane and Felix will keep him safe."
"I know," she sighed, taking comfort in his presence. "Do you know where Demetri is taking me?"
"No, he did not tell the Lords either, but I am sure Lord Aro is aware of his plans. You will be back before you know it. Whilst I admit I am jealous the he will be getting some time alone with you, I know it is only fair as I have had you to myself lately. I wish for you to enjoy yourself. Don't be worrying about Teddy or me, we will both be safely tucked away within these rooms."
"I'll try to, but even knowing how safe the castle is, even knowing that my wards will protect you from anyone that wishes you or Teddy harm, you won't be in my line of sight and that's when I worry."
He chuckled at her before placing a kiss to her cheek, and they both turned towards the door when Demetri stepped into the room, carrying only a black backpack.
"All set?"
"Yes, I'll just use the bathroom and we can go," she answered, standing up and going into the bathroom.
When she returned, Demetri was speaking to Teddy as he bounced him on his lap and the little wizard giggled and laughed happily. Hearing her footsteps, he stood and handed Teddy over to Alec, buzzing sounds reaching her ears meaning she was unable to understand their conversation. Before Hermione even had the chance to say her goodbyes to Teddy and Alec, she found her breath leaving her and her surroundings blurred until she felt the evening sun warming her skin and she was placed back on her feet, feeling dizzy.
"I really hate that," she muttered, keeping her eyes closed until the dizzy spell passed.
Opening her eyes, she realised she was stood in a courtyard she hadn't seen before and before her was a car. She had no idea what it was but she did recognise the badge, identifying it as a Porsche. If you asked Hermione, she thought that it looked strange and small, as though it would be far too cramped inside. Knowing Demetri and how much he loved driving at high speeds, she knew the car in front of her was likely a model of sports car, and whilst it was strange, she couldn't deny that it was well looked after. The silver paint shined in the sunshine, the windows gleamed and there was not a single speck of dirt or dust.
Demetri moved to the back of the car and placed the backpack and her bag into the boot before returning to her, taking her hand in his and leading her over to the car. He opened the door for her and helped her into her seat before closing the door and quickly making his way around the car and getting himself comfortable in the driver's side.
"I take it this is yours," she mused as she made sure her seatbelt was securely fastened.
"One of them," he nodded.
"One of them? Just how many cars do you have?" She asked surprised.
"Five," he answered
"Why do you possibly need five cars?" She arched an eyebrow.
"I didn't need them when I purchased them, I wanted them," he shrugged and she rolled her eyes.
Hermione turned to look out the window as he started the ignition and made his way out of the courtyard, and in barely no time at all, they had left Volterra altogether and Hermione watched as they passed fields upon fields and trees upon trees, the roads quiet and the only sounds heard being that of the car engine and the birds hidden in the trees.
"Where are we going?"
"I want to show you something."
"And that would be?"
"It's a surprise." She scowled at him and he chuckled. "We'll be there in an hour."
Hearing that, Hermione shuffled in her seat and made herself more comfortable for the long drive.
~000~000~000~
With Alec keeping her up the last few nights and the Invigoration Draught having worn off hours ago, Hermione had fallen asleep during the journey and she didn't wake until they arrived at their destination with Demetri gently coaxing her from sleep when it appeared she didn't wish to wake.
He helped her out of the car and with both her bag and his own in his hand, he took her hand in his free one and led her down a cobbled pathway until the small residence came into view and Hermione felt a gasp leave her lips.
It was a cottage. It was small and looked to only have one floor to the building. Vines and ivy had grown over the stone bricks and a small chimney sat on the roof. There weren't many windows leading to the assumption the cottage would only have a small number of rooms, likely the essentials of a kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom. Behind the little cottage, Hermione spotted a small lake with a worn-down pier and a small rowboat tied securely to one of the posts.
She turned her head to see Demetri smiling and looking pleased with her reaction and without speaking, he led the way, dropping her hand to remove a key from his robes and opening the door for her, stepping back to let her enter first.
Hermione stepped into the cottage, seeing the kitchen and living room to be open planned. The cottage didn't have much colour, in fact, everything seemed natural and rustic with colours of brown and cream. The living room consisted of only a brown leather couch, a dark wooden coffee table and a large TV which sat on the wall with a small wood burner beneath it. The kitchen had dark countertops with lighter cupboard doors and drawers. A white fridge-freezer sat in the corner with the white oven positioned in the centre of the countertops. In the centre of the kitchen sat a small dark wooden table with two matching chairs.
She turned to Demetri, seeing him watching her carefully.
"Where are we?"
"San Miniato," he answered. "This is my cottage."
That surprised her; Demetri had never once mentioned the cottage before, or even owning any property but then again, she'd imagine he'd want some privacy in his life giving that nothing was secret at the castle. The cottage would allow him to have some privacy and time to himself without others being around.
She raised an eyebrow and gestured to the fridge-freezer and oven, knowing that he would have no need for them.
"I bought the cottage three years ago, the appliances and furniture came with the cottage. I saw no point in removing them and thankfully, I didn't. I assume you haven't yet had dinner." She nodded. "I'll show you the rest of the cottage and we'll get you fed."
He took her hand and led her down a small corridor, showing her the room on the right which was the bathroom. It was small but perfectly sized for the cottage. It had the usual sink with a mirrored cabinet above it, a toilet and a shower cubical in the corner of the room. He pulled her further down the corridor and to the door at the end, which was the bedroom.
It was a decent size and minimalistic. It had the same rustic feel to it with a wooden queen-sized bed in the centre of the room with the headboard against the back wall and the window above it. A bedside table sat on either side of the bed with a lamp sat on the surface, and there was only one chest of drawers in the room and it was pressed against the left wall.
Demetri placed her bag on the bed as she walked around it, her hands trailing the soft fabric of the thick duvet that would keep her warm at night and she knew she was going to need it.
When she noticed that Demetri was no longer in the room, she left and headed down the corridor towards the kitchen and living room. He wasn't there either but she noticed the backpack sat on the table and it looked empty. She made her way to the fridge and opened the door, seeing that several food items and beverages littered the shelves, confirming her suspicions that he had brought food with him, and looking at the amount present, she got the feeling Demetri planned on staying longer than a single night.
She closed the fridge and stepped out of the cottage into the warm evening sunshine and Demetri came into view, carrying a picnic basket. He didn't look surprised to see her, he just took her by the hand and led her away from the cottage and closer to the lake, making sure to pick a spot that would be bathed by sunlight for as long as possible. He spread out a blanket and Hermione sat down, making sure that her dress was laid over her legs and that her modesty was protected.
She peered inside the picnic basket, seeing more food than she could possibly eat by herself but most of it could be placed in the fridge and eaten later. As she chose herself a finger sandwich to nibble on, they both looked out at the lake, appreciating the silence and the calmness of their surroundings.
"How long are we staying? There is far too much food in the fridge for only one night," she finally asked.
"We will be staying until Monday night."
She blinked in surprise, not expecting to be away from Volterra for so long. Bloody hell, how was she going to relax and enjoy herself with Teddy being so far away? She was willing to spend the night from him, but four days? How was she going to do that without worrying herself sick?
"I know that you had not expected to be away from Teddy for so long, and that is why I didn't tell you until after we arrived. I knew you would protest and refuse to leave. He is perfectly safe and will be well taken care of. You deserve to have some time to yourself, away from the castle, away from your research and your lab. You have had a difficult few months and I wanted to give you the chance to relax and not have to worry about anything, including Teddy. I know you love him and he needs you, but you need some time away from him. As you said yourself, you haven't left him since the night of the battle, he's always in the same building as you and you always know where he is and who he is with. He needs time to form stronger attachments to others and he needs a chance to have some independence. If you don't allow him that, then as he grows and ages, he will find it difficult to be separated from you and he will struggle with not knowing how to do things for himself," he said softly, not wanting to upset her.
"You're right, I probably would've put up a fight with leaving him for that long if I had known beforehand, and whilst I'm a little annoyed that you kept it from me until now, I do appreciate and understand that you had the best of intentions. I know it's going to be hard but I'll do my best not to worry and to enjoy the peace and quiet that we aren't given at the castle."
He looked relieved by her words and they fell into a comfortable silence as Hermione continued to pick at the food until she was no longer hungry. Demetri packed up the picnic basket and moved it aside and out of the way before they cuddled together on the blanket, Demetri on his back and Hermione's head resting on his chest, she had an arm thrown over his waist and he had an arm wrapped around her, keeping her to him.
"I wanted to talk to you about something," said Demetri, breaking the silence.
"Hmm?" Hermione hummed tiredly, her eyes were closed and in her exhaustion and the warmth of the sun bathing her skin, she could feel herself on the verge of sleep. "Sorry, I'm tired, since discovering that my potions keep me safe, Alec has kept me up the last few nights and I've barely gotten any sleep," she said tiredly.
"I'm curious," he started, his tone of voice changing and she got the feeling they were about to go off topic.
"Yes?"
"How was Alec?"
"Excuse me?" Her voice rose slightly in surprise as she peeled open her eyes and pushed herself up onto her elbow. She arched a questioning eyebrow as he turned his head towards her.
"I didn't mean it like that, well, actually, I did. It's just that... Alec has never been seen with a woman, so there was speculation," he shrugged.
"Well, I'll have you know Alec knew exactly what he was doing and he wore me out doing so." Both of his eyebrows rose high and nearly disappeared into his hair. She erupted into laughter at his expression. "He's told me there were two vampires and he was only with them both a couple of times. When I asked him why, he said that it hadn't felt right and he didn't know why until he met me. His last sexual partner was three centuries ago." Hermione knew he was surprised as he had no reply, he was speechless. "And this brings me to something I wanted to ask you."
He shook his head slightly, clearing his thoughts and shaking off his shock at discovering that Alec was more experienced than anyone had thought him to be.
"And that is?"
"I need to know if you've ever been with a member of the Coven." A look of understanding crossed his face. "If you have, I'll never be able to look them in the eye again and I'll never be able to stop comparing myself to them."
"No one is comparable to you," he said sincerely, raising his hand to push a fallen curl back from her face and she leaned into his cold touch. "No one will ever compare to you, vampire or human. And no, I have never been with a member of the Coven."
A look of relief crossed her face and he felt the way her body relaxed against his.
"Not even Heidi?" She nibbled her lip worriedly. "I've seen the way she looks at you."
"Not even Heidi," he promised, "I'll admit, there was a possibility of it happening between us but then I met you and it never once crossed my mind again. Heidi is a very jealous woman and she doesn't like that I'm no longer interested in her, her gift of beauty or not. It no longer appeals to me as your beauty outshines hers, and should you become one of us, I have no doubt you'll be the most beautiful being in existence."
"You and I both know I have come to terms with the fact that I will someday be one of you and as for your comment, you're biased," she replied.
"Maybe, but I meant every word of it."
"Alec said something similar."
"Then you know it's true," he smiled. "He's a pain in the arse but he's rarely wrong."
She chuckled at him, shaking her head lightly. "Didn't you say you wanted to talk to me about something? I feel we've gone severely off topic."
Hermione felt the change in his body, the way he tensed slightly and when she looked into his ruby eyes, it wasn't quite worry she was seeing, more caution, and he seemed to be thinking of his next words very carefully.
"What are your thoughts on marriage?"
She felt both her eyebrows rise high and she looked away from him towards the lake, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip in thought.
"I am not opposed to it," she finally spoke after a pause of silence and she felt the tension drain from him, relief crossing his face and a joyous smile tugging at his mouth. "I assume you are asking for both you and Alec?"
He nodded in confirmation. "We have spoken and both of us wish to marry you, to make you our wife."
"Oh really? And when do you wish for this to happen?" She asked, partially amused and partially curious.
"Whenever you wish. We have all the time in the world together, but we both wish to do so whilst you are human. Some vampire mates have several weddings over their lives together and whilst we could do that, we wish for you to experience it as a human. We wish for you to experience as much as you can before it is time for your changing."
"And say I wanted to get married in ten year's time?" She asked.
"Then we will happily wait," he said honestly.
"What if I wanted to wait until after I've gone through the transformation?"
"Then we will do so."
"And if I wanted to wed in two week's time?"
A dazzling smile lit his features and she had to shake her head to clear her mind of the haze that swept over her.
"You'd have two very happy vampires on your hands. But I warn you, the Lords are going to want to make a spectacle, they'll want a ball."
"Then I suppose we give them as little notice as possible."
He laughed at her. "That's not going to deter them; you forget, they do not sleep, they will spend their nights and time away from their duties planning a ball in our honour."
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I feel we'll have to compromise, I will handle the wedding and I'll allow the Lords to plan the reception."
"That may work," he nodded in agreement. "Does that mean you wish to go through with this?"
"I feel I must remind you that this is all hypothetical, as you have not officially asked me anything."
His mouth twitched and he shifted until he was lying on his side and propped up by his elbow, facing her.
"Glykó sýntrofo, will you do me the honour of being my wife, my mate and my Sorceress?" He mumbled softly, his eyes locked on hers and refusing to look away.
She felt her mouth twitch, her stomach fluttered and her chest pooled with warmth.
"Should you be doing this without Alec?" She checked.
"Alec will wish to ask you himself, we are both in agreement and he will not be upset."
"In that case, yes, Demetri, I will marry you and be everything that you need me to be."
A breathtaking smile lit his face and he closed the distance between, pressing a kiss to her mouth but she pulled away from him too quickly for his liking.
"I meant it, you know?" He tilted his head in confusion. "I wish to marry in two week's time."
His smile returned and he lifted his hand to push her curls away from her face and she leaned into his touch.
"Might I ask why?" He said curiously.
"I see no point in waiting," she replied. "We may have all the time in the world but my family doesn't and I know they will never forgive me if I don't allow them to witness the wedding. I love both you and Alec and I know you are what I want in life, there is no reason to drag out the engagement, and I can have the wedding planned in as little as a week's time. Weddings are very stressful, I watched my mother and her best friend plan a wedding for nearly two years and I swear, my mother lost weight and her hair started falling out, and she wasn't even the bride. I don't wish to experience that, and as awful as it might sound, I just want to get it over with." He nodded in understanding and not taking offence. "Right now, my life is calm and safe but I get the feeling this is the calm before the storm and something's going to happen. My instincts are never wrong. I wish to be married well before anything may happen."
"With a little help from Jane, we can plan the ceremony between us and I will owl Kingsley and he'll handle the binding and marriage vows. We'll have to have a magical wedding, and this may actually be helpful with our plans to reintegrate vampires into the Wizarding World. Once people discover that I am married and to vampires no less, it may help to persuade them to our way of thinking. Two weeks means that it'll still be summer and we can have the ceremony in the gardens, and I can owl Harry and the Weasleys and it gives them plenty of time to make travel and accommodation arrangements."
"Lord Aro won't be pleased with outsiders being in the castle," he commented, an amused smirk playing at his face.
"It's my wedding, not his. If he wants to have a ball, he'll allow my guests into the castle."
He chuckled at her, shaking his head and watching the way her brow furrowed in concentration.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I'm mentally and roughly planning a wedding ceremony," she replied.
He smiled and leaned closer to her, burying his nose against her neck and breathing in her scent. He felt her shiver as he ran the cold tip of his nose up her throat and he placed a light, soft kiss against her skin, she sighed in response.
"Stop distracting me, I'm planning a wedding," she muttered.
He chuckled at her, the sound moving through her entire body, sending shivers down her spine and goosebumps erupted on her arms.
"I think that can wait for a little while, I have other things in mind."
She bit her lip and her hand clenched around the fabric covering his arm as he nibbled at her neck.
"Care to enlighten me?"
His chuckle was sinful.
"Most certainly," he muttered, a slight growl wrapping around his words and her breath hitched when he carefully dragged his teeth along her jaw. "Did you bring your potions?"
"I may have," she admitted.
He pulled back from her, his red eyes slowly darkening and his gaze predatory and heated.
Somehow she got the feeling Demetri wouldn't be so gentle with her and she honestly didn't care.