CHAPTER SIX:
Hermione's POV:
As I'm staying with muggles, one of whom has no idea I'm a witch, it was either buy a mobile or figure out a way to communicate over long distances subtly. It was Harry who came up with the idea, actually- a pair of twin diaries. What was written in one would appear in the other. His... inspiration for the twin diaries was obvious, but neither of us commented on it. He bought the diaries, I did the charm work, and it worked ("Of course it worked," Harry had told me, "you spelled it, after all!").
Harry,
Things here are going very well. Better then I thought.
Bella and Charlie seem happy to have me here, and they're making me feel very welcome.
This place seems a lot like England, with its never ending rain and grey clouds, but it's warmer, which is nice.
Even the vampire isn't that bad.
How are you going? I hope well. I miss you.
Please pass on my love to the Weasleys, and tell them I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye. Tell them I'm safe.
~Hermione
Having finished my entry, I place the diary in my beaded bag which is, as it has been for so long now, permanently on my person.
Bella is so excited about introducing me to her future in-laws (Charlie would probably have a coronary if he heard her refer to the Cullens like that), that she's acting like she's under the influence of a cheering charm, all smiles and laughter and general hyper-ness.
Edward pulls up in front of the house at eleven thirty, setting off several of my wards. Bella meets him at the door, crashing her lips against his in unbridled passion. I can barely hold back my shiver of fear, seeing my innocent, defenseless twin press herself up against a vampire. One wrong move and she was dead. And if he killed her, I'd burn him until he was nothing but ashes.
When they broke apart, Edward shot me a friendly smile. "Good morning Hermione." He greeted me politely.
"Morning." I replied, as cordially as I could. He had pulled my sister into a world she couldn't protect herself in, putting her in the crosshairs of a ruthless coven of ancient vampires. I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to forgive him for that.
Bella rolled her eyes at my stiff answer and latched onto my arm with hers.
"Let's go!" She said, excitedly, dragging me outside and into Edward's silver Volvo. The seats were soft leather, and the heating was on. Bella sat in the back with me, and I have to say, I was so tense during the drive that my hand never left my wand, hidden in my pocket- undetectable extension charms were a god-send, I could fit everything I needed into a jeans pocket, without gathering any attention.
Bella sensed I wasn't really in a talking mood, and chatted with Edward most of the way. It gave me some time to rest my body, as my sleep hadn't been that... well, restful.
It felt like every time I closed my eyes, I dreamt of death, destruction and of my time spent in the Malfoy Manor, screaming and writhing on the ground, wishing I was dead, dead, dead.
I remembered it so clearly, so vividly- painfully so. When I closed my eyes, I saw her face, smelt her rancid breath as she screamed at me, face inches from mine.
The torture had affected me so much more then I'd ever let on, to anybody- my friends were locked up, unable to help me and a sadistic, psychopathic witch was torturing me. Rescue seemed nowhere in sight, and I'd been expecting to either go insane or be killed. No matter how much pride I have, too much to seek help anyway, that's just not something a teenager just bounces back from- especially when said teenager then goes on to continue being in mortal danger.
The silver Volvo slowed to a halt, at the end of a mile long, winding driveway, and Bella reached across to squeeze my hand.
It was time to meet the vampire in-laws to-be.
As I follow Bella into the huge, white mansion, I can't help but feel like a gazelle waltzing into a lion's den. Bella turns her head slightly to shoot me a radiant smile. She's so head over heels for her vampire I'm actually sort of jealous.
I've never had a serious relationship before, never been in love. I know that Ron wants one, with me, but the problem with that is that I'm a lesbian. Attracted to women, one hundred and ten percent. I can't help it- I wouldn't want to help it- I'm not attracted to him in the slightest- or any male, for that manner.
Viktor Krum was an experiment. I run on logic, and I'd taken in the evidence and formed the hypothesis that my interest lay in the fairer sex, but before I committed, it made sense to me to try being with a boy.
I'd found in Viktor a partner, of sorts. He was a high profile wizarding celebrity, and the pressure was high for him to find a witch to hang off his arm. Our interest in each other lay in the fact that we really... weren't interested in each other. Not in the way we acted up to be, anyway.
That's not to say we did nothing. It's possible to experience sexual pleasure even if you're not into the other person. The human body reacts to stimulation; after all, even victims of sexual assault can reach climax. It isn't because they enjoy what's happening to them, it's just how the human body is wired.
And then there's how our brains are wired. And mine? Mine found Viktor's masculine figure too hard, with no soft curves or edges. His lips were too dry, his hands too big, too calloused. Even his scent was off-putting.
We didn't go very far. A few kisses in front of the populace. A little experimentation in the corner of the library, of light touches, soft squeezes, bare skin on bare skin. Neither of us really felt it, felt anything other then the physical stimulation produced by our fifteen and seventeen year old bodies, rich with the hormones onset by puberty.
We stayed friends, good friends even, right up until the death of Dumbledore, and I went on the run. Last I wrote to him, over a year ago, Viktor was secretly dating a young man, Aleksandar.
After Viktor, the first and only other person I'd dated was Katie Bell, an out and proud athlete. I was the one who begged to keep our relationship a secret, and we dated in secret for barely two months before I had to break it off, at the end of my sixth year. That relationship had felt right. Being with Katie felt right. Her kisses were electric, addictive, the way her soft, plump lips moved against mine woke a fire in my lower abdomen. Her curves felt perfect under my hands, and I could trail my mouth over her warm, silky skin for hours, mapping every surface of her body.
The relationship we shared was intense, the effect of an affair forged in a world on the brink of war. Both of us had already suffered, Katie having spent nearly two months in St Mungos, barely alive after the Dark curse from the necklace, and I was Harry Potter's best friend, I'd fought Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries and lost- both of our lives had been saved by flukes, my attacker having been silenced so the effect of his curse not as strong as it could have been, and only the smallest part of Katie's skin had brushed against the necklace, through a tiny hole in her glove.
Short lived and intense. I thought I might have loved her, or at least I could have loved her, but Dark forces had pulled us apart. The next time I saw her, was in the Room of Requirement, before the Final Battle. The last time I saw her she was comforting Angelina at Fred's funeral, an unending stream of tears sliding down her face.
I'm drawn back to the present, out of my ruminations, by Bella squeezing my hand, gently, as we reach the front door. We don't need to knock, a small vampire with a head of bouncy red curls just whisks the door open.
I recognize her from the descriptions in Bella gave me. Margaret 'Maggie' Cullen is gorgeous, and has the appearance of a teenager, maybe sixteen or seventeen. Appearances are decieving, though, and she's actually one of the oldest vampires in the coven, having been Turned in 1847. She's small and slight in figure, and is one of the Gifted members of the coven- and the one most dangerous to me, as her Gift is that she will always knows if someone is lying.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," she greets me enthusiastically, her bell-like voice pleasantly lilted with a soft Irish accent. "I'm Margaret, but everyone calls me Maggie.
"I'm Hermione," I smile back at her, holding my hand out. Her small, icy hand grasps mine with gently, her movements so careful.
"Hey Mags." Bella greets Maggie easily, reaching over to give her a hug, which Maggie easily returns.
A stunning caramel haired woman flits over, a beautiful smile on her perfect face. Esme. "Hello Bella, dear," she says, and she embraces my sister before turning to me, a warm smile on her face. "And you must be Hermione." She steps towards me, opening her arms and, satisfied by the golden color of her eyes, I let the vampire embrace me gently.
"You must be Esme." I say. "It's nice to finally meet you. Bella's told me so much about you, about all of you."
A booming laugh echoes around the house, and a bear of a man bounds into the foyer to join the welcoming committee. Big, burly and built like a body-builder, the dimples seem out of place on the vampire I know is called Emmett.
He blurs over to Bella, pulling her into his arms and spinning her around, before placing her on the ground and turning to me. "Hey new li'l sis!" He greets me, excitedly, pulling me up into a hug. I can't help my body's automatic tensing at the sudden movement coupled with touch, unable to help but feel as if his stone arms are a prison, and a sharp exhale escapes me. He immediately releases me with an apologetic look. "Sorry." He says, and I give him a sort of awkward smile.
"Don't worry about it."
A statuesque blonde glides into the room, and it actually takes work not to stare at her like Ron used to stare at Fleur; like a bloody, gormless idiot.
Still, a soft sound of appreciation escapes me- this vampire is as beautiful as a veela, and easily one of the most stunning creatures I have ever seen, and I had seen full-blooded Veela. Her radiant golden eyes are surrounded by thick, dark lashes and her face is framed by golden tresses that fall down past her mid-back. The skin-tight dress she's wearing perfectly accentuates her hour-glass figure, her mile long legs, and generous sized chest. Bella's explanation didn't even come close to describing the perfection that was this vampire.
The stunning blonde's lips curve into a smile, and she holds out a hand, daintily, even as my cheeks go a bit red. "I'm Rosalie." She introduces herself, and I shake her hand, the icy touch of her fingers making me want to shiver in delight.
"I'm Hermione." I say, and Rosalie falls back to beside Emmett, who wraps his arm around her shoulders. The move isn't possessive, or anything of that sort, it just seems like a habit. Like he loves holding her close, being close to her. It makes me smile.
The physically oldest male vampire, who also happens to be the oldest member of the coven, shakes my hand next, introducing himself as Carlisle, followed by a tall young man with honey-colored curls, Maggie's mate Jasper. Jasper is careful not to touch me, still cautious in his interactions around humans. He's one of the newest to the 'vegetarian' lifestyle.
The final vampire walks into the room, and promptly freezes when her eyes meet mine. I stiffen too, not sure what to make of her reaction as I stare back at her. Absolute shock is clear on her radiant features. She's perfect, just as beautiful as Rosalie, her inky black hair styled in neat curls, pale colored jeans hugging to her slim legs and a light colored blouse accentuating her flat stomach, curved hips and the swells of her breasts. Her large doe-like golden eyes pierce mine, locking my gaze in place, shock clearly reflected in them.
She looks kind of like a pixie, I think- not a real one, her skin isn't blue, after all, but one of the ones drawn in muggle picture books and paintings, with their delicately curved ears, bright cat-like eyes and clever little mouths curved into mischievous grins.
"Alice?" Edward says, and I look over at him in time to see his eyes widen, shocked.
"Are you okay, Alice?" Esme asks, a look of motherly concern on her face. She flits over and gently touches the pixie vampire's arm. Alice jolts slightly and tears her gaze away from me, looking around the room wildly; frantic and frazzled.
"How is this possible? How did I not see it?" She asks, her bell-like voice edged with slight hysteria.
"What happened?" Emmett demands, his voice concerned for his coven-mate.
"Alice just had a vision." Edward says, smoothly, and I resist the urge to narrow my eyes. That's a lie, and the aborted grimace on Maggie's face just confirms my suspicion. Bella told me, through her disastrous recount of the ballet studio incident, that Alice's face goes blank when she has a vision, and her golden eyes become unfocused. That's not what just happened. But I don't call Edward out on it; merely accept it.
I would be a hypocrite if I got upset with them keeping secrets, after all, when I'm hiding my status as not actually being (fully) human from them. And I'm not Tom Riddle- I am no hypocrite.
Alice nods, her voice still shaky. "Yes. Yes. I..." she shakes her head, as if trying to clear water from her ears. "I-I'll be back in a moment." She says, flitting away.
"So that was Alice." I say, my tone casual, carefully inquisitive.
"Yep." Emmett says, a big smile on his face, "that was our Shorty." Everyone else is looking at Edward, confusion on most of their faces and then a shocked comprehension, as his lips move minutely, as he speaks too quietly and too fast for any human (or witch, for that matter) to hear, explaining what just happened, what he just overheard in Alice's mind. I pretend not to notice.
"The visions must be hard on her." I comment instead, twisting my face into a look of concern.
"Some visions are worse then others." Rosalie speaks up, in her chiming voice. I look back up at the beautiful blonde, who is looking at me, an unreadable look on her features, and I almost feel like I'm being tested. When the intensity lowers, turning to curiosity, I get the feeling that I've passed.
"Shall we go into the game room?" Emmett asks, sounding eager.
"Lunch first." Admonishes Esme, and Emmett pouts.
"Fine!" He sighs, theatrically.
"Is Alice alright?" Bella whispers to Edward, obviously not meaning for me to hear it, but my hearing, although nowhere near as good as a vampires, is slightly better then your average human's.
"I'll explain later, love." He says, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I promise it's nothing to worry about." Looking relieved, Bella turns to me.
"Esme is a fantastic cook!" she gushes. Emmett wrinkles his nose, as Esme leads the way to the dining room, a large room containing only a mahogany table and ten mahogany chairs, with plush velvet seats. The table is covered in platters of food, far too much for two teenage girls.
"It sure doesn't smell that divine." He comments, "It smells like charcoal dipped in tar." I sniff, letting the delicious scent of roast lamb wash over me. I almost start drooling, reminded slightly of Hogwarts' feasts.
"Believe me, to a human it smells divine." I tell him.
"You're very relaxed about all this vampire stuff." Rosalie says, pulling out a chair for me, before settling in the one beside it. Emmett sits to her right, and Bella sits across from me with Edward, Jasper and Maggie. Carlisle sits at the foot of the table, and Esme at the head. I reach out to start serving myself, but Esme beats me to the punch, happily dishing up lunch for Bella and I.
"I'm used to weird." I tell Rosalie, a small, slightly nostalgic smile on my face. I wonder how the vampires would react if I told them about my disastrous class in second year with the Cornish pixies. Or my adventures with 'teaching' Grawp English. "At this point of my life, things don't shock me like they used to." I add, seeing the curiosity in the eyes around me.
The trick, I decide, is to omit, rather then lie. Vague answers that are truthful, but don't necessarily relate to the question at hand, even though they plausibly could, are not lies, after all.
Esme places my plate in front of me, just as Alice glides back into the room, her movements more graceful then any ballerina I've ever seen. "Sorry about before," she says, as she sits down in the only unoccupied chair left- right next to me. "I'm Alice, though you probably know that." She smiles, sweetly.
"Hermione, but you probably know that too." I tell her, smiling back, before tucking into my potatoes and gravy. Luna and Ron would love Esme's cooking, I think, refusing to acknowledge the small amount of pain this thought brings.
"So tell us about yourself, Hermione!" Emmett booms, and Rosalie rolls her eyes and elbows him, sharply.
"Don't be so rude Emmett!" She scolds her mate, "give her time to eat first!" He looks back at her sheepishly. The mating habits of vampires intrigue me, somewhat, and at the same time make me wistful. I know exactly what a vampire soul-mate is- we did study them in third year with Rem(no- don't think about him) in our third year, in DADA. Intense, unconditional love. The thing any and every human, witch, wizard, and magical creature of any kind craved. Vampires, in a way, had it easy- they'd feel the pull the moment they first laid eyes on their mate. Sure, not all of them recognised it for what it was straight away, but most just knew, the moment they took in their other half. Us humans (magical or not) had to figure it out over time.
I smile at the two, sitting on my right. "Well, I'm eighteen years old and I was born in September, in 1987," I say, and he laughs.
"How about something we don't know?" Maggie says, amusement clear on her pristine features.
"Hm, well I used to have a pet cat called Crookshanks, I despise rats, cowards and selfishness, my favourite animal is either a lion, an eagle or an owl and I grew up in England." I list a few more generic traits that shouldn't lead to any questioning requiring direct lies.
"I grew up in England," Carlisle says, and I nod.
"I know, I can hear your accent. It's faint but most Brits would probably pick it up." I say. "London, right?" He beams at me.
"Yes, I was born there in the seventeenth century." I smile at him.
"So who are your friends?" Alice speaks up, in her chiming voice.
"My best friends have to be Harry and Ron," I say, fondly. "I went to school with them. We became friends in my first year after they rescued me from an... intruder," which isn't a lie, exactly- the troll was an intruder, "and we've stayed best friends ever since. I'm also quite close to Luna, Fleur, Ginny, Hagrid, Fred and Geor-" I freeze, mid sentence, realizing my mistake. Fred...
Bella frowns, concerned. "What's the matter? Did something happen to George?" she asks, her voice worried. She knows how fond I was of the twins. I close my eyes, cursing my weakness. I hate crying in front of people.
"Fred died." I manage to say without my voice choking up. Bella gasps.
"No! Oh god!" She says, and I open my eyes to meet her horrified ones.
"I'm very sorry for your loss." Esme says, gently, reaching over and gently squeezing my hand.
"Thank you." I say, quietly. I pick at my food, mind lost in thought. Fred's death has basically destroyed George. He could barely speak in the weeks following the Final Battle, cried openly at the funeral and I'm not sure he's said a word since.
"What are Harry and Ron like?" Alice asks, her voice soft, pulling me from my ruminations.
"Troublemakers. I don't think there's a school rule they didn't break." I snort softly, remembering all our late-night jaunts. "They were such bad influences on me." I add, unable to help my widening smile as I speak, "we lost so many House points thanks to them, and half the time they managed to drag me into their idiotic schemes! They're as good at sport as they are with getting away with their crazy plans, though," I add, "Ron got signed up to a team when he finished school, and Harry was also given the option, but he decided to study medicine."
More not quite lies, not quite truths. Ron got signed up for the Chudley Canons, much to his delight, and Harry was offered places on several prestigious Quiditch teams, but has decided to study to become a Healer. From what I've heard from Harry, Ron is also doing an Auror course.
"What about relationships?" Emmett pipes up, a wicked grin on his face. "Any hot romances?" He asks, wiggling his eyebrows in a lewd manner, that makes me laugh. Beside me, Alice makes a noise like a scalded cat and narrows her golden eyes at her 'brother'.
"I don't think that's appropriate!" She says, eyes flashing. Emmett holds up both hands in surrender.
"Sorry!" he says, a pout on his face. I literally can't help but smile at their antics. Some might think it was strange, the way these vampires, all aged over one hundred, still acted like teenagers, but the fact is, when a human is turned to a vampire, they stop ageing mentally, as well as physically. The Cullen 'children' were all Turned in their teens, so technically they were still teenagers, just with more memories. Many, many, many more memories.
"It's okay, I don't mind the question." I assure Alice, before turning to Emmett. "My last relationship ended a bit over a year ago." I tell him, "It ended on good terms, though, and I'm still in contact with her. We're... sort of friends." More like comrades at arms, but they didn't have to know that.
"Her?" Alice spoke up from beside me, and I turned back to face Alice, chin high.
"Yes, her. I'm homosexual." I tell her, firmly, before raising an eyebrow. "Why? Is that a problem for you?"
"Oh no!" Alice gasps, shaking her head frantically. "Not at all!" She babbles, "I was just surprised because I wasn't-" I hold up a hand, interrupting her flustered babbling.
"It's okay," I hastily tell her, before she starts babbling again. "I reacted too sharply to an innocent question, I'm just used to..." I pause, searching for the right words.
"She's used to people that either don't accept girls being with girls and guys being with guys, or just don't know how to deal with it." Bella speaks up for me. I throw her a grateful look.
"Katie and I kept our relationship to ourselves." I explain, "same-sex relationships weren't looked on very kindly at our school." Both true statements, except that Katie had been out and proud, I had been the coward- not because I was ashamed, Merlin no, because I was afraid of painting an even bigger target on either of our backs.
"What about pets?" Maggie speaks up, not being very subtle about changing the subject of the conversation, but I'm grateful to her, "You said you had a cat?"
"She also has an owl." Edward says.
"Er, yes," I say, starting to feel more uncomfortable. "His name is Enoch. And I'm not sure what happened to my cat."
"What do you mean?" Maggie asks, brows furrowed.
"I... I had to leave him with my parents. My adopted ones. I'm not sure where they are right now." Maggie opens her mouth, as if to keep pushing, but Edward sends her a warning look, and I'm reminded that Bella told him my 'witness protection' cover story. It's actually thoughtful of him to head Maggie off from what he believes is a sensitive topic. It's not an inaccurate assumption either. My parents are a very sensitive topic right now.
"Enoch, you said your owl is named- in reference to the oldest son of Cain, by any chance?" Carlisle asks, sounding amused. My lips twitch upward in response. In the Christian bible, Cain is the eldest son of Adam and Eve, and the murderer of his brother.
"Enoch certainly is the hell-spawn of some wicked creature or other," I explain, because the owl is- Enoch is a menace; haughty, with wicked sharp claws and a sharp curved beak. He hates pretty much everything from other owls, to humans. "I wasn't the one who named him, though, so I'm not sure."
The rest of lunch passes by in casual conversation. I'm relieved I don't have to talk much, it's stressful having to be careful about each word you say so it's not a lie. Emmett entertains us with humorous stories, and Rosalie entertains us (or me, at least) equally so by sighing and rolling her eyes at her mate and his wildly enthusiastic narrations.
Standing by the front door, Bella hugs all the vampires goodbye, except Jasper who she gives a warm smile, and Alice walks over to me. My heart quickens slightly as she stops with only a foot in between us. It seems... close. Certainly closer then the other vampires had stood after my reaction to Emmett, with the exception of the feather light hug Esme had given me. Alice's breath brushes over my face, cool and sweet. "It was lovely meeting you, Hermione," she says, leaning forwards and gently wrapping her arms around me. I stiffen, then relax into her embrace.
"You too, Alice." I say, and she presses her lips against my cheek, for a second, before she releases me, and steps back, an almost mournful look in her eyes. I'm startled by her actions, but don't show it, keeping my face neutral.
"See you tomorrow." Bella tells Alice, a bright smile on her face.
Tomorrow, I muse, as I follow Bella and Edward over to the silver Volvo, acutely aware of the all the sets of eyes boring into the back of my skull. Tomorrow was my first day of muggle high school.
I was actually excited, truth be told, not that that would come as a shock to those who knew me.
After all, the world of academia was so much easier to navigate then all the others.