CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

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.

AN

So, I've received some interest in you wanting to know the origins and meanings behind the names of the twins and I thought I'd give you a quick explanation. I've spent a lot of time carefully choosing the names because they will give some insight into the personalities of the children.

Erasmus – This is a traditional English name that means beloved and to love fiercely.

Eleanor – This is also a traditional English name and it means to be as bright as the sun. This can either be seen as being bubbly, joyful and optimistic or being intelligent. And since we don't know Jane's middle or surname –other than Volturi, of course- I thought it would be the icing on the cake to have Hermione name her daughter after her, signifying how close they'd become and how close they were as a family.

Page count: 16

Wednesday 1st November 2000

"Shhh!"

Hermione's mouth pulled into a smile and she bit her lip to stop herself from laughing when she felt the mattress shift as weight was added to it.

"You'll wake your mama," Demetri said quietly, and despite not looking at her husband as her head was buried beneath the covers of her blanket, she knew he had a smile on his face; she could hear it in his voice.

Giggles sounded and the mattress moved once more as a second and third weight were added.

"We not being loud, Papa," a small voice protested, Hermione being able to hear the frown and she bit her lip harder.

"On the count of three," Alec instructed. "I want you to count for me, ready? Teddy, you go first."

"One," their oldest child started confidentially

"Ras?" Alec prompted.

"Two," their second oldest –by thirteen minutes- said, not sounding as confident as Teddy.

"Well done, Ellie, what comes after two?" He asked their youngest child and only daughter.

"Six!" She squealed happily. Both Alec and Demetri chuckled at her.

"Close enough," Demetri said. "Okay, go," he stage whispered.

Giggles and squeals of laughter rang out and though Hermione had expected it, it didn't stop her from letting out a shriek as the cold morning air hit her skin when the blanket was suddenly pulled away from her, and it didn't stop her from laughing loudly when three toddlers pounced on her, their little hands ticking her ribs, and it only grew worse when Alec and Demetri appeared on either side of her, holding her arms and legs down so she couldn't fight them off. With tears of laughter leaking from her eyes, through her blurred vision she saw Erasmus had climbed on her stomach and was reaching to tickle beneath her arms whilst Teddy was on her right and Eleanor on her left.

Hermione's tears of laughter were suddenly mixed with tears of joy. Her life since moving to Volterra had been nothing but eventful, but she'd never felt more at home, she'd never felt more loved, she'd never felt such happiness and peace.

Two years after the birth of the twins flew by for Hermione and her family. Teddy was now two-and-a-half-years-old and a little terror but she'd expected nothing less with his Marauders' genes. For safety reasons and as a precaution, the children were never left alone to wander the castle and they always had at least one trusted member of Hermione's 'inner circle' with them, which meant her husbands, Jane, Felix or Marcus.

With Felix being the most to enjoy a practical joke and he was the most mischievous, when Teddy was with him they could always be found whispering between each other and a few days later, something would happen whether it being muggle in nature, or magical and that only happened because Fred and George sent monthly 'pranking packages' to the castle, specifically for Felix as they'd struck up an immediate friendship when they'd met at her wedding.

The twins were just two months shy of turning two-years-old and Hermione dreaded the idea of having three two-year-olds, knowing the terrible two's phase would be a nightmare for her, but saying that, her children were more often than not quite well behaved. They fought over toys and such but that's to be expected with siblings, but they were generally well-behaved.

Whilst the twins were similar in appearance, they most certainly weren't in personality. Erasmus was much like his father; he was the quietest of her children and had been even as a baby. He was also the most affectionate, especially compared to his siblings. Where Teddy and Eleanor only liked a cuddle when they were upset or tired, Erasmus was usually the first to give out a hug or a sloppy kiss to the cheek, and he was definitely a mummy's boy. He liked to sit, looking at the pictures in books and he liked to be read to, and he quite enjoyed drawing, which was one of his father's talents, too. Hermione had an entire wall filled with framed portraits her talented husband had drawn over the years.

Eleanor was the complete opposite. She was vibrant and loud and once she'd started babbling she never stopped and that continued onto talking, too. She even talked in her sleep and whilst Hermione couldn't hear it, her husbands could and she'd often wake in the middle of the night to their chuckles of amusement. Where Erasmus liked to be indoors, reading and drawing, Eleanor was much happier when she was given free run of the castle, darting down the corridors and ducking into rooms with her vampire babysitters chasing after her at a human speed, letting her think she was faster than them. And she just loved being outdoors and that was evident from the moment she'd started crawling. In fact, she loved it so much that before she was even walking and not long after Teddy had started walking, as a gift, the Lords had a playground built out in the gardens, complete with every playing apparatus a child could wish for and Hermione would be lying if she didn't admit to having a turn on the swings every once in a while as well.

Her children were happy, they were safe and they were growing up far too fast for her liking. She just wanted them to stay babies forever but she knew that wasn't possible. They didn't have favourites in the Coven, her children loved everyone. They had her, they called Demetri 'Papa', Alec was 'Daddy,' Jane and Felix were both referred to as 'Aunt' and 'Uncle' and they called Marcus 'Grandpa' despite him not looking old enough to be one. The day Teddy had said it first she'd been present and Marcus had looked as though he wanted to cry.

She had no problem with her children calling him that either. Marcus was one of her most trusted friends in Volterra and since arriving, dare she say it, he treated her as if she were his daughter and he was certainly as protective as a father was over his daughter. And after losing two fathers in her life, it was nice to have someone she could count on.

Both Aro and Caius had taken to the children, too, especially when they'd started talking and they'd learned how funny young children were with the things they said, especially as they had no filter and just said what they wanted to without fear. Whilst she trusted them not to harm her children, she didn't trust Caius not to teach them bad words when she wasn't around. The Coven and Guard had grown fond of her children but she'd suspected they would. The children were full of life and innocence. They were pure and hadn't been corrupted by the opinions of the outside world and they felt no hatred for anything that was different.

For them, it was normal that their family had red eyes and cold skin and whilst they could understand that they and Hermione were different, they were too young to understand why. To them, it was the norm and it always would be and because of that, Hermione knew her children would never be prejudice against vampires or any other creature or being if she got her way, she just had to keep an eye on Caius knowing of his hatred for werewolves and his willingness to tell anyone who listened.

Whilst in the chamber room and during meetings the Coven was expected to attend, the Lords requested the children be present, too. Not only because it would mean they'd be left without a guard as Hermione had to be in attendance, but because they were members of the Coven and their little robes and cloaks gifted by the Lords only proved that. They were still far too young to understand what was being said and most of the time they sat in the corner of the room, quietly playing or they'd play tag and chase each other about the room, darting between Coven members and hiding beneath their cloaks, giggling and laughing. If this meant the meetings were often interrupted and delayed, no one complained because the sound of the children's laughter and the sight of their smiles always warmed their cold, dead hearts.

They truly had brought life to the Coven and if anything, Hermione thought they were closer. Even those she was friendly with, everyone would be sure to keep an eye on the children and there was always someone posted at the doors that led to the other side of the castle where the 'prisoners' resided, not wanting the children to wander off and find themselves in danger. In fact, when in the meetings in the chamber room, whoever was stood the closest to Heidi tended to be on guard, and Alec, Demetri, Jane and Felix always seemed to keep her in their line of sight just to be cautious.

In the two years since the incident of Heidi trying to harm Hermione and the vampire receiving her punishment, it was clear that she'd lost favour with the Lords and some of the Guard had distanced themselves from her as well. Hermione thought she'd learned her lesson because, in the time that had passed, she barely looked at her or her children, which was just fine with her. Jane must've done a number on her and scared her so badly that she dared not look at her.

In the two years that had passed, Jane hadn't changed much but she hadn't expected her to. But what she did know was that there was definitely something going on between her and Snape. They were often seen walking the halls together but otherwise, there was no interaction, especially physical. But Hermione had caught Jane leaving Snape's rooms looking a little rumpled a year ago and in response to her teasing, Jane had tried to use her gift on her. It didn't work. Alec wasn't exactly thrilled with the knowledge that his little sister had a love life, no matter how secretive and private she was and therefore knew he wouldn't learn any disturbing details, but he was just being an overprotective brother. Neither she nor Snape admitted to anything happening between them but they didn't deny it either, and people had learned to stopped talking about it as they never received a response from either of them.

Snape had decided to stay and Hermione had been happy with his decision, thinking that it was the best thing for him. He'd stated he was only staying because he had access to her library and he grouched about not wanting to be called back again if she found herself pregnant. Hermione knew he was lying. He'd stayed not only because he knew it was where he was most at peace, but he'd stayed for Jane, too. He'd been given his own private lab, he'd been moved out of the guest suite and moved to rooms that were closer to Jane (which the Lords swore was a complete coincidence) and he'd taken up the role of managing the potions business that was finally up and running.

After two years, Hermione had finally finished her Potions Masters and whilst she did help Snape brew potions on the side, she was kept busy with doing a double masters in transfiguration and charms, as well as raising her children with her husbands.

She'd finally gotten all of her research done and after months of hard work, she'd managed to finish writing a book that was based solely on the vampire species and every piece of information that was held inside was not only accurate and unbiased, but was gained through her own personal eyewitness accounts and through vampires themselves, and since it had been published, there'd been a decline in vampire based prejudice. It wasn't by much but Hermione hoped that the more people that understood the truth, the decline in such opinions and behaviour would increase.

And with the new laws having now been in effect for just over a year, vampires were free to enter the Wizarding World without facing punishment. For the first few months, she'd received reports of protests and violence against the species but after her book was released that soon changed, too. And the more time that passed, the fewer people that seemed bothered by it, especially when a vampire didn't cause any trouble or try to harm someone.

The world was changing for the better; she was making progress in the mission that was her reason for existing; to better the world.

"Okay, children, I think your mama's had enough," Alec chuckled, both him and Demetri releasing their hold on her.

The children continued to laugh and giggle but they did let up, climbing off her and instead, moving further down the bed to jump up and down on the mattress. Before she could blink both Alec and Demetri were gone from beside her and the children were back on the ground. She knew they'd caught the twins as they both had a habit of jumping off the couches, coffee table and the beds. Thankfully, Teddy was more sensible.

She sat up in bed, her breathing heavy as she tried to calm herself and she reached up to brush away the tears of laughter and happiness from her eyes, but it didn't work when she saw Alec and Demetri chasing their children about the room as they laughed and squealed, trying to outrun them, before they all darted in separate directions and hid behind and under the furniture in the room.

Teddy's bright blue hair was a dead giveaway as he hid beneath the table, Eleanor was hidden behind the couch and her raven black hair was a tangle of ringlets much like her own and it now fell past her shoulders. She knew the child would put up a fight when it came to brushing it so she would have Alec or Demetri do it as the little girl tended to listen to her fathers more than she did her; a daddy's girl if she ever saw one.

Erasmus was hidden behind the curtains and he peaked out behind them to see what was happening before hiding again before he got caught. His hair was also raven black but not as long or as curly as his sister's. His hair covered the tops of his ears and curled at the tips and Hermione knew he was due a haircut and that was something she wasn't looking forward to either, so, she'd have his fathers take care of it.

Squeals sounded when Demetri found Eleanor and he picked her up, throwing her in the air and catching her. Her brothers came out of hiding and ran to Demetri, wrapping themselves around his legs to prevent him from moving but with his vampire strength it didn't bother him and he continued to walk about the room with the two toddlers attached to his legs.

"Are you okay?"

Hermione turned to see Alec approaching the bed, frowning slightly when he noticed her teary eyes.

"Fine, sometimes I get a little overwhelmed," she replied with a smile, her eyes darting over to her husband and children.

Alec climbed onto the bed beside her and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to lean against him and she went without a fight, laying her head against his shoulder.

"I understand," he said softly. "I'm not ashamed to admit that if it were possible, I'd have probably cried once or twice since meeting you."

"I don't believe that," she responded.

"Our wedding day, you looked so beautiful and happy, and I'd never felt such happiness that I was a little overwhelmed and didn't know what to do with myself. And then Ras and Ellie were born and I'm certain I'd have shed a tear or two if I were able, if not, I'd have probably fainted."

She laughed at him and shook her head. "I'm still surprised Snape didn't, if I'm being honest."

"He'd certainly looked as though he wanted to," he nodded in agreement. "Anyway, the children were up earlier than usual this morning so they've already had breakfast and they wanted to make you breakfast in bed," he said.

Hermione smiled because just as he'd finished speaking, Demetri appeared in the room with a tray in his hands. Teddy was carrying a carton of orange juice, Erasmus an apple and Eleanor had a slice of toast in her hand which was meant for her but she was currently eating it and Hermione laughed.

"Thank you, my little vampires," she smiled at them and her children grinned in response.

"You enjoy your breakfast and we'll get the children ready for the day and drop them off with Lord Marcus, he promised to take them to the playground this morning and Ellie will never forgive him if we make him out to be a liar," Demetri spoke.

Hermione smiled and nodded before she shifted in bed and leaned down, pressing a kiss to each of her children's cheeks. Both Teddy and Eleanor darted off as soon as they could but Erasmus being as affectionate as he was, wrapped his arms around her neck and refused to let go until she picked him up, hugged him and he pressed a sloppy kiss to her cheek.

"I love you, too, Rassy," she laughed, putting him back on his feet and he ran out of the room with Alec following after him and leaving Hermione to her breakfast.

Whilst vampires had super speed on their side they would still struggle to ready and dress three energetic toddlers by themselves, and so Alec left to help Demetri, evening out the playing field as Hermione knew from experience, three toddlers weren't easy, even when she had magic to help her.

Hermione reached for the tray and set it down on her lap, lifting her mug of hot tea and taking a sip, letting out a sigh when it was just to her liking. She put the mug down and picked up her knife and fork, happily tucking into her omelette and sausages. She knew Demetri had been the one to cook her breakfast that morning because Alec tended to make her pancakes and waffles. As neither of them had been able to cook having never had a reason to learn, and now that Hermione had her own kitchen, they'd both asked her to show them the way around the kitchen and teach them a few things.

This made Hermione's life easier as now she wasn't the only cook in the family. Sometimes she'd be in her lab, library or training room and she'd lose track of time and when she did, it meant she didn't have to worry about rushing back to cook the children's lunch or dinner as either Alec or Demetri would do it. Similarly, if either Alec or Demetri were attending to their duties, or one of them had been sent out on a mission (which they both hated when it happened, not wanting to leave their children) she would cook.

She was actually quite pleased with him having cooked her sausages because if she was honest, she'd been craving them since she woke and as she ate at her breakfast, she let one hand fall down and rest against her flat stomach, a smile pulling at her mouth.

She had news to share with her husbands, news she knew would be received very well.

She'd wanted to wait a couple of years before seeing if she were able to do the impossible again and Demetri had been understanding and in the years that had passed, Demetri had never once tried to pressure her into wanting more children sooner than she was ready for. Knowing that her children were getting older and they were growing quickly, especially thanks to the twins' genetics meaning they were physically stronger so they learned to crawl and walk faster than Teddy had, and because their brains were able to process information a lot quicker meaning they were smarter than they should've been at their age, Hermione missed having a baby to coddle and coo over. And as it was, all three of her children were now toilet trained and there were no more nappies that needed changing.

If she were honest, she'd missed being pregnant. She may have complained and frequently done so about being the size of a whale, about her magic going haywire, about everyone treating her like a fragile china doll and about needing the toilet every five minutes, but she really did miss it.

She missed the feeling of having a baby growing and wriggling about inside of her, she missed the feeling of pressing her hands against her stomach and feeling a kick in return. She missed that when she was pregnant, her hair hadn't seemed to be as messy and tangled. She missed being able to eat what she wanted and when she wanted and her husbands being the dears that they were, never refused her anything, not that they did now, but still, that wasn't the point.

She hadn't expected to want another baby so soon and knowing that Demetri was only waiting because she wanted to, and being worried that it might not happen again, she hadn't told him but two months ago she'd stopped taking the Contraception Potion that was meant for him but she'd continued to take Alec's, meaning Demetri would definitely be the father.

It was a couple of weeks ago that she'd started feeling a little off-kilter. Her magic had felt different when casting spells, she grew nauseous whenever she was in her potions lab and she got lightheaded when she stood up too fast. All of those things could be easily explained but it wasn't until the previous day that she knew for certain. The children had been with Alec and Demetri playing out in the garden whilst Hermione prepared dinner. She'd gotten a whiff of the cheese sauce she'd intended to mix with the pasta and she'd darted to the nearest bathroom. Knowing the signs all pointed to one thing, she'd cast the Pregnancy Charm and as she'd both suspected and hoped, it was positive.

"Eleanor, put that down," she heard Alec scold.

Hermione, being done with breakfast, put the tray aside and climbed off the bed, heading out of her room and to the twins' bedroom. As she stepped into the room it was to see Teddy perched on the end of Erasmus' bed as they both looked up at the ceiling, giggling, whilst Demetri and Alec both tried to look stern but were actually failing quite badly given the proud smiles that were pulling at their faces.

"You're both terrible disciplinarians," Hermione said amused and they turned to look at her, innocent smiles crossing their faces and she snorted, not believing it for a moment.

But Hermione had to admit she was proud, too. As she looked up at the ceiling she saw the large teddy that Felix had bought Eleanor for her first birthday, hovering high above their heads and bobbing about gently in the air.

"Ellie, will you please bring it down?" Hermione asked the toddler.

"No," she said, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting. "Bunny fly!"

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose and sent her husbands a glare of warning when they both sniggered.

"Eleanor, please bring Bunny back to the ground. I don't want anyone to get hurt if he should fall. He's quite a bit bigger than you and could hurt you or your brothers."

A frown pulled at her face and she shook her head. Hermione looked up and was just about to bring the large teddy back to the ground herself when it suddenly stopped bobbing about in the air and it was frozen in place, not moving.

She looked down at her youngest son, seeing her husbands once again sharing proud smiles.

"Rassy, did you do that?" She asked.

"Me do it, Mama," he said proudly, giving her a big smile and she chuckled at him.

"Thank you," she replied.

She lifted her own hand and slowly lowered it back down to her side, as she did so the large teddy was lowered to the ground and her daughter didn't look pleased. Hermione stepped further into the room and kneeled down on the ground in front of her, being thankful they'd had carpets installed to not only to keep in the heat but to ensure the ground was softer should the children fall over.

"Ellie, we're very proud that you're getting better at controlling your gift but you have to be careful. If you'd let go of Bunny and one of your brothers had been stood beneath him, they could've gotten hurt. I know sometimes you get angry and upset and can't help it, but when you can, you need to be careful, okay?" She still didn't look pleased, her grass-green eyes narrowed slightly but she slowly nodded. "Good girl, now my little vampires, you need to keep your cloaks on, it's very cold outside today and I'm going to tell Grandpa to bring you back in if you take them off," she said, taking Eleanor's cloak from Demetri when he handed it to her, whilst he moved to fasten Teddy's and Alec moved to do the same to Erasmus. "Okay, you have fun and if you get hungry and want some snacks, there's some fruit in the kitchen. Off you go and be good for you Grandpa and I'll see you at lunchtime."

Hermione pressed a kiss to each of her children's cheeks before Alec picked up Eleanor and Demetri had both Erasmus and Teddy and they were gone in the blink of an eye, their laughter echoing in the empty halls of the castle.

Hermione shook her head and looked about the somewhat messy room. With a simple wave of her hand, the twins' beds were made up neatly, books found their way back onto the bookshelf, toys returned to the toy chest and clothes were sent back to the wardrobe before she turned and headed back to her own room to ready for the day.

The day the twins' gifts had been revealed, no one was as surprised as Hermione and her husbands, especially given their young ages. It was only a few days after the twins' first birthday when it happened. Demetri had put Eleanor down for a nap, Teddy was playing with Alec and the cats on the floor and Hermione was reading to Erasmus as she held him. She'd lost her grip on the book and dropped it to the ground and before Alec could catch it or it hit the floor, it stopped mid-fall, completely frozen in place.

Demetri had walked in at that point and when Hermione had explained to him what had happened and that it wasn't her doing, their eyes had automatically darted to the one-year-old sat on her lap. It'd happened a few more times in the weeks that followed; a dropped toy would freeze mid-fall or a piece of clothing he'd throw across the room would stop in the air. And that's when they'd come to realise his gift was not only manifesting at his young age, but they knew what it was. He could freeze time and space. At the moment, it was only objects that fell to the ground or toys that moved, but as he got older Hermione wouldn't be surprised if he'd be able to freeze running liquids or even animals and people.

Eleanor's gift was revealed days after her brother's. A toy she wanted but couldn't reach would move over to her, a book she wanted would levitate off the shelf or coffee table. If she wanted her bottle all she had to do was look at it and before they knew it, it would be in her hand. Her gift appeared to be telekinesis. Giving her age, she was only capable of moving non-heavy objects like toys and food, but when she got older Hermione was sure she'd be able to do it with things that weighed as much as her fathers could lift, probably even animals and people, too.

Given the twins' young age, they all found it impressive that not only did they have some level of control over their powers, but they were using them more frequently, too. Just like Hermione's magic, their gifts were affected by their emotions but in time they'd learn to control it.

When they'd told the Lords of the news, Aro had been beside himself with happiness, so much so Hermione had threatened to hex him without fear of punishment. And when the Guard had all witnessed their powers for the first, Hermione had honestly never seen so many proud vampires in one single room.

"Hey, what's bothering you?"

Hermione turned to look over her shoulder, smiling when she saw Demetri stood in the doorway of their closet.

"Nothing's bothering me," she answered, reaching up to tug her hair from beneath the cashmere jumper she'd pulled on to go with her boots and jeans.

"Maybe not bothering you per se, but I know you're keeping something from us. What is it?"

She bit her lip and turned around to face him. He raised an eyebrow when he saw her mouth twitching at the corners, wanting to pull into a smile but she was doing her best to stop it from happening.

"I'm pregnant."

"Excuse me," he said, his eyes widening, his folded arms dropping and he stood straight, no longer leaning against the door frame.

She couldn't hold it back anymore and a smile pulled at her mouth. "The twins are almost two and they're growing up so fast, I missed the newborn stage and I wanted another baby. I stopped taking your Contraception Potion two months ago and now I'm pregnant. Surprise!"

"You're pregnant?" He asked quietly.

She nodded, tears filling her eyes. "I'm pregnant," she whispered.

She huffed out a breath when he was suddenly before her, wrapping her up in his arms and hugging her to him tightly, his face buried in her neck and his nose nuzzling at her skin.

"Pregnant witch, can't breathe," she said with a laugh and he loosened his hold only enough that he wasn't hurting her but she wouldn't be able to break free unless he let her go.

"I can't believe it," he whispered.

"I know; I'm a little surprised myself. I mean, I know I came off the potion with the intentions of falling pregnant but I wasn't sure if it would happen again given that the first time was an anomaly. And I'm one hundred percent sure the baby's yours, I was careful and checked I was taking the right potions before I ingested them."

"Do you know how far along you are?" He asked.

"No, that'll be Snape's job. I know I'm far enough along that I've been feeling a little off lately and I had my first case of morning sickness when I was cooking yesterday and I'm not showing yet either, so I'm not sure."

"We'll have to tell the others. God! I think Lords Aro and Marcus will be beside themselves."

She chuckled at him. "Probably," she agreed.

"What's going on in here?"

Demetri reluctantly pulled back from her and she looked to Alec as he stepped into the room, looking at them curiously. Noting Hermione's teary eyes and Demetri's beaming expression, he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm pregnant."

"Excuse me?" He questioned, his eyes wide and his expression just as surprised as Demetri's had been.

"I'm pregnant. The twins are getting older and I wanted another baby, so I came off Demetri's potion two months ago," she explained. "Now, I'm pregnant."

He blinked slowly before a smile pulled at his face and he was pulling her into a hug before she could blink.

"I know three's plenty but if I'm being honest, I wanted another baby, too," he muttered.

Pulling back from her, he reached out and clapped Demetri on the shoulder, sharing a smile. Stepping out of the closet, her vampires followed after her and together they made their way towards Snape's room.

Knocking on the door, Hermione heard a grumble before it was opened, revealing the grumpy Potions Master. He looked to her smile and teary eyes, up to Alec's happy expression and then to Demetri's beaming smile and bright red eyes.

Snape let out a sigh. "Just what we need, another hybrid wandering around," he grumbled, stepping aside to let them enter.

Hermione scoffed. "You love my children and you know it," she said, lightly smacking his arm as she passed him. "And if you marry Jane, they'll be your nephews and niece, too," she said, not seeing his wide-eyed expression, Alec's glare or Demetri's amused smile as she walked straight through his rooms and to the door at the back, knowing it was where he kept his brewed potions.

She hopped up onto the table without being told to and she laid herself down before he'd even stepped into the room.

"Eager, aren't we?" He sneered.

"Yes, now get on with it," she quipped, not allowing his bad mood to bring her down. She was ecstatic. "We both know you've been waiting for this and don't lie, I know you missed doing all the research. They say no pregnancy's the same so this one might be different from my last."

"There's only one way to find out," he replied, pushing up his robe sleeves and pulling his wand from his pocket.

The room was silent for the duration it took Snape to finish with his charms before he stepped back.

"Pregnant, as you already knew," he confirmed. "I'd say you're between nine and ten weeks and if this pregnancy occurs the same as your previous one, I'd say you're due sometime around early May. From the tests I've conducted, I've determined this baby also has twenty-four pairs of chromosomes, in which case, it is highly likely it will be the same as the twins. As I did last time, I'm going to monitor you as a precaution but with your magic and the results I'm seeing, I do think this pregnancy will be the same as the last. I'll make a start on your pre-natal potions and you should start ingesting human blood as you once did."

Hermione grimaced. "That's a part of the pregnancy I definitely didn't miss," she said and her husbands chuckled at her.

"Do you want to know who the father is?" He asked.

"I'm one hundred percent sure it's Demetri but I suppose it doesn't hurt to run the test," she answered.

Snape nodded and he walked over to the other side of the room, collecting the venom samples he had leftover from his experiments. It took only a few minutes for him to cast the charm and a beam of light shot out from her stomach and connected to one of the vials.

"Demetri's the father," Snape confirmed.

Despite Hermione having told him she was sure he was the father, his impossibly wide grin seemed to get bigger at hearing Snape confirm it and he reached over, taking Hermione's hand in his and giving it a squeeze.

With a second wave of his wand, two silver beams of smoke hovered above Hermione's stomach as they twisted into swirls and patterns, though one was a lot bigger and brighter than the other.

"Just the one, this time," he said.

"Thought so," Hermione nodded. "Neither Demetri or I have a history of twins in the family, unlike Alec, but my magic feels a little different. It doesn't feel as volatile or out of control, I figured my magic reacted that way because I was carrying three magical signatures during my pregnancy, whereas now I'm only carrying two."

"That's possible," he nodded. "And I'm sure you know by the colouring of the magical signature, it's a girl."

Hermione didn't know how Demetri was able to smile as wide as he currently was and she felt her face hurting just looking at him.

"Okay, we'll leave you alone but there's a meeting in a little while and we'll have to tell the Lords, so I'll send for you so you can be present for the reveal. In the meantime, don't spoil the surprise."

~000~000~000~

"Are you being serious?!" Hermione's voice rose high as she stepped into the chamber room, Alec and Demetri looking both worried and amused at the sight that met them, whilst the Coven members and Guard that already filled the room winced at her voice echoing in the large room.

The Lords were sat on their thrones as usual, Marcus with Teddy on his lap as the toddler turned the pages in the book he was holding, and Eleanor and Erasmus were sat on the ground in front of the steps that led to the throne, both laughing and giggling as Eleanor levitated knives into the air and Erasmus froze them in place.

"Hermione, how lovely to see you this morning," Caius smiled.

As much as he annoyed her, Hermione wasn't sure if she should be impressed that he didn't cower beneath her glare -which had only become more terrifying now that she was a mother- or if she should be worried that he was so stupid he wasn't even the slightest bit afraid of her.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked, outraged, storming into the room and the Coven members parted for her as she made her way to her children, wandlessly and non-verbally transfiguring the knives -bloody knives!- into soft foam balls. "Giving my children knives!" She fumed.

He merely smiled at her and tilted his head. "Calm down, Little Witch," he said amused. "They were blunt knives."

"Oh well that makes all the difference," she snarked. "We'll see how blunt they are when I'm stabbing you with them."

"I like a challenge," he grinned.

"I assure you, you won't like it when your head's no longer attached to your body," she growled.

"An improvement, I'm sure," Marcus drawled and her eyes snapped to him, narrowing. "I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen," he defended.

She narrowed her eyes further before turning them back to Caius and he held his hands up in surrender, but only when he saw that little golden sparks were raining down from her hair, an indicator that she wasn't just angry but furious.

"I won't do it again," he assured her.

"I don't believe you," she replied.

"You are aware that should something go wrong, there are more than enough vampires here to prevent any of the knives from harming the children, yes?"

Her hands came up to her hips and her foot was about ready to start tapping against the stone floor.

"You are aware that if you hadn't given them knives they wouldn't be in any danger in the first place, yes?" She fired back. "You are aware that you gave knives to my children, not yours, and they're not even two yet, yes?"

"I think you're making a big deal out of nothing," he sniffed. "Alec, Demetri, do you see a problem with my actions?"

Hermione turned to look at her husbands and they both froze still, their eyes darting between their Lord and Master and their terrifying wife. No matter which side they chose there would be consequences and the others present seemed to know this and they didn't bother hiding their sniggers.

"We apologise, Hermione," Aro spoke, bringing her attention towards him. He smiled at her charmingly, she didn't fall for it. "But we do love when the children showcase their gifts, especially since they are learning to control them so quickly and at such a young age." Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Though I admit we should not have given them knives, I promise that next time, we will make sure it's something more appropriate."

"You better or I swear I'll turn you into a toad."

"That seems to be a little cliché, but alright," he agreed easily.

She narrowed her eyes but otherwise dropped the subject and pulled her wand, casting her Patronus and sending it off to retrieve Snape.

"And what requires the presence of Severus?" Aro asked with a raised eyebrow.

"If you continue winding me up I'll just keep it a secret," she said, earning snorts from the others but the grumpy Potions Master soon appeared, his robes billowing behind him as usual.

"Must you send your feline fleabag for me," he drawled.

She rolled her eyes. "You're just jealous that if it were possible, my tigress would kill your doe and feed it to her cubs. Face it, you're the prey and I'm the predator."

He sent her an annoyed look but didn't reply.

"And now that Severus has arrived, what is this secret of yours?" Aro probed.

"I don't know if I should tell you," she said, lifting her head and folding her arms over her chest.

"We've apologised for our actions," he said, a slight pout forming on his face.

"Well, if I can't trust you with my present children how am I supposed to trust you with my future children?"

Silence rang out in the room as everyone carefully took in her words but suddenly Marcus was standing from his throne, being sure to keep a hold of Teddy so he didn't fall to the ground. His eyes widened and everyone looked to him expectantly, including his co-leaders.

"Are you saying...?" He trailed off, unable to finish his question.

"I am, yes," she smiled, her folded arms dropping and Alec took her hand in his whilst Demetri's arm wrapped around her waist, his hand coming to rest on her stomach. Eyes darted down to watch the movement before they moved back to her face.

"Hermione?" Aro questioned, also standing from his throne, his eyes falling down to gaze at her stomach.

"Last night I discovered I'm pregnant."

Gasps and whispers of excitement filled the room. What she'd come to understand was that whilst Teddy, Erasmus and Eleanor may have been her and husbands' children, they were also the children of the Coven and as such, any child she had belonged to the Coven, belonged to the family.

"Snape confirmed it not too long ago," she said and eyes darted over to him.

"It's true, she's pregnant. I estimate between nine and ten weeks, and I believe she is due early May. From the tests I've conducted, I believe this pregnancy will be the same as the last. The baby she's carrying has twenty-four pairs of chromosomes much like Erasmus and Eleanor, and is also perfectly balanced in human-vampire DNA," Snape explained and eyes darted back to her.

"We're having a girl and Demetri is the father," she said, her eyes moving over to Heidi when she felt her eyes on her.

Hermione raised a challenging, questioning eyebrow at the beautiful vampire and she soon avoided her gaze, though Hermione was surprised; that was the first time in two years she'd dared to look at her.

"I believe congratulations are in order," Aro said, smiling widely.

"For us or for you?" She asked lightly. Marcus snorted and Caius smirked.

"For you, of course," he smiled.

"Liar," she responded.

He tipped his head, his smile widening in amusement. "It seems we have reason to celebrate."

"Don't you dare say it," Hermione warned, narrowing her eyes and pointing her finger at him threateningly.

He smiled innocently. "Friday night, we will be holding a ball in honour of Alec, Demetri, Hermione, and the newest member of the Coven that will be gracing us with her presence very soon."

"I hate you," Hermione grumbled, crossing her arms childishly and they chuckled. "But if you're to be holding a ball, I wish to invite my family. It is for me after all and it'll give me the chance to not only tell them the news but for them to visit the children since they haven't seen them in almost six months."

"Very well, but we are not delaying the event."

"That's fine, I'll send a note through the floo network."

When Harry and the Weasleys first visited after the twins birth, they'd been beyond surprised by how 'human' they'd looked, which had ended with several of them getting slapped. But it hadn't taken them long to understand how special the twins were, and Fred and George had been beyond proud of her having two babies rather than one. It had taken Ron the longest to come around, not actually holding the twins until his second visit which occurred three months after their birth, as he and Harry had come to Volterra for a visit as it was his birthday.

Hermione had promised to return to England for the special day but with her having three young children it was hard to find safe and suitable transport and she wasn't comfortable with leaving her babies behind. Understanding, Ron came to her instead and after a lengthy conversation, he apologised for his previous behaviour and she forgave him.

With her being so busy over the last couple of years, she hadn't had the chance to visit England and rather they came to her for the day, sometimes they even stayed the night at a hotel and depending on the weather, they'd go out for the day around the city. In two years, they'd visited her several times but they hadn't seen her or the children in the last six months as they were all so busy with work and their lives, which she understood completely as she was in the same boat.

In the three years since she'd come to Volterra a lot had happened for her friends. Harry was now a fully-fledged Auror and Ginny a Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, and a few months ago, she'd learned that Harry and Ginny had gotten engaged and planned on marrying in a few months time. She just hoped she'd be up to returning to England as by that point she'd be the size of a whale, and Ginny wanted her to be her maid of honour so she didn't want to let her down.

Ron had also become a fully-fledged Auror and she'd learned that he was dating Luna Lovegood and that they'd recently moved in together. Both Fred and George had girlfriends, Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson, and they were working on opening a second shop in Hogsmeade as their business was doing so well. She'd discovered that Bill and Fleur had not long since found out they were expecting their first child, Percy had started dating a woman from the Ministry and Charlie, well, he was still Charlie and loving his life in Romania with his dragons.

She'd blocked out Aro's words about the planning for the ball and her hand came up to her stomach and her eyes fell down to her children who were entertaining themselves from their places sat on the ground, a smile pulling at her mouth as she watched them giggling and laughing.

She was happy that her family was moving on and doing so well in their lives, and she only hoped they were as happy as she was.