Moonrise || Harry Potter Twilight Crossover || FanFiction

Chapter Forty: Hermione's POV

CHAPTER FORTY:

Hermione's POV:

Bella didn't talk on the drive home from La Push, just sat in the passenger seat with her arms and legs crossed so tightly it seemed unlikely she would unravel them for several years. Above her tightly knotted limbs, her face was pale and drawn. She looked fragile. So fragile that I was afraid even touching her would cause her tightly wound composure to shatter into billions of pieces that I wouldn't be able to pick up. Dammit, I sighed internally- I needed Edward.

I pressed down harder on the accelerator, wanting to get back to Charlie's house as soon as possible. My fingers were crossed that Alice had had a vision of some kind and Edward would be waiting.

I sighed in relief as I rounded the corner, and the car's headlights swam over the front of the house, revealing a pale figure, waiting still as stone. Edward's face was tight, and I could see an underlying panic in his eyes. Whatever this night held emotionally for Bella, I could tell from his expression that it wasn't going to be good.

I parked the car and stepped out, jerking my head towards Bella in a not-so subtle cue for Edward to go help her. He instantly blurred to her side, handling her as if she was made of fine crystal. The way my sister deserved to be treated.

I watched as he carefully undid her seatbelt, then unpeeled her limbs. I watched as he lifted her up into his arms and she slumped in his hold, her head leaning against his chest. Edward rubbed soothing circles on her back as he talked to her, softly, gently, as if she were a horse he was trying not to spook. "We just have to get past Charlie, love, then you can let go." He murmured. Bella nodded, woodenly, and I watched, impressed, as he balanced her on her feet, hugging her and pressing his lips to her forehead. "I'll be upstairs, love." He told her before vanishing.

I walked over and clasped onto her hand, entwining our fingers together. She looked across to me and gave me a wobbly smile, even as her eyes glittered with unshed tears.

I didn't bother grabbing my keys, just muttered a quick unlocking charm, and the door swung open. Hopefully Charlie's unusual need to chat had finished and I could get Bella straight up to her room where her vampire was waiting.

Entering the house, I headed straight for the stairs, dragging Bella behind me. "Girls?" Charlie called from his usual place on the sofa as we walked by, and I resisted the urge to groan and swear under my breath.

Should have cast a bloody notice-me not charm, I cursed to myself, before turning with Bella to face my birth father.

Upon seeing the expression on Bella's face, Charlie's eyes bugged wide and he lurched to his feet. "What happened?" he demanded, "is Jacob...?"

"Merlin, no!" I gasped out, as Bella shook her head furiously, looking like she was trying to find her voice. "He's perfectly fine."

"But what happened?" Charlie demanded, eyes still anxious and wide. "What happened?"

"Nothing, dad. I... just had to talk to Jacob about... some things that were hard." Bella's voice was low and husky, and I could practically hear the sobs that were choking up in her throat.

I watched as Charlie's face calmed from anxious to disapproving. "Was this really the best time?" he asked. There's never a good time to tell someone you don't want to be with them, I sighed. Merlin, this is all reminding me- I'm going to have to talk to Ron soon.

"Probably not, dad, but I didn't have any alternatives. It just got to the point where I had to choose... sometimes there isn't any way to compromise." Bella answered Charlie's half-rhetorical question, and he shook his head slowly.