Author's Notes: I apologize for the slight delay, I've been incredibly busy with preparing things for little Luna and stuff. I also apologize for the last chapter being so, upsetting.. I almost cried while I was writing it, though that might be because of the pregnancy hormones. I'm not sure yet. Anyways! I'm aware that technically Hermione would be turning 20 this year but just humor me and pretend it's 19. This chapter will be a bit happier! Thank you everyone for all of your support and stuff so far! Keep reviewing! I love you all! I don't own Harry Potter or Twilight.

I've also noticed that my chapters are gradually getting longer and longer. Lol. I may have to go back and add things to previous chapters in order to even up the lengths a bit. I'll let you know if I do this and when I do!

Desi-Pari Always- I'm glad you don't hate me for it! I was like "Oh no oh no oh no" but it needed to be written! I'm happy you enjoyed the jelly leg and green hair, I didn't want her to hurt Emmett because he was only doing what he was told but, he couldn't get away totally unscathed! I do hope you enjoy this chapter and the one following!

RavenYuki- I hated making the Cullens that way but they're all just worried about Hermione's safety. And we know how Alice is when something she doesn't particularly like happens. I'm glad you liked the thing with Emmett too. I just had to do that because I pictured it in my head and just laughed and laughed. I hope you like these upcoming chapters!

Chapter Eight

Hermione shot up in bed, her chocolate eyes searching frantically around her room for any danger, her hand clutching her wand, finding no danger her posture relaxed and she fell back into the bed, a sigh leaving her lips. She wasn't ready to face the day, she wasn't ready to go to face the world yet. She'd spent the past two days since the incident with Sam in her bedroom. She refused to speak with Alice or Edward so, Jasper, Roaslie and, Emmett were always coming and going to keep her company. She'd gotten rather close to the three of them. She connected easily with Jasper due to their history in war and she felt like she could be completely honest and open with the former soldier and he would return the honesty, he never judged her and the two of them could even sit in comfortable silence for hours, Emmett was almost the opposite, he was loud, goofy and, rambunctious but she loved him all the same. The burly vampire treated her like a little sister, he always knew exactly what to do or say to make her laugh and the two of them could bicker about things but know for certain that they still loved one another, he definitely reminded her of the Weasley twins. Rosalie on the other hand well, that connection came as a surprise to everyone. The blonde beauty was blunt, rude, sarcastic and, had a biting sense of humor but, she was one of the most loyal and kind individuals Hermione had ever encountered, she always knew what to say, she was understanding and always there, she never once left the petite witch alone to her memories, every time the small witch woke in the middle of the night, screaming, crying and, shaking Rosalie was there to comfort her, listen to her and, sing her back to sleep. She'd been a little ticked at the idea of the witch being with Sam but she began to help the girl plan on how to slowly incorporate the wolf back into her life because she knew that he'd make Hermione happy. The two of them even jokingly plotted the demise of one Ronald Weasley on several occasions. The smell of coffee wafting up the stairs brought the girl out of her thoughts and she took a deep breath to steady her nerves and climbed out of the bed. She'd have to see Alice and Edward sometime, what better time than now. She walked toward her door, her wand in hand but, before she reached it she caught a glimpse of her reflection and grimaced, Rosalie had one heck of a job to do before school. Hermione's hair fell in knotted, tangled and, frizzy curls around her head and shoulders, dark circles were formed under her eyes and, her skin was paler than usual, she shrugged her shoulders and walked out of her bedroom.

"What did you do to your hair?" A surprised yet melodic voice made the small witch jump and she turned to see Rosalie right behind her, she visibly relaxed at the female's apologetic expression. The vampire leaned forward and grabbed a handful of her hair and held it up to inspect it. " Sorry for scaring you and, I think I can fix this mess."

"I don't doubt that. Now, can I please get my coffee before I murder someone?" The blonde girl laughed and nodded. She wrapped and arm gently around the witch and the two of them walked into the kitchen. Hermione blinked, surprised to see Emmett pouring her coffee into a mug, a frilly yellow apron hanging from his large frame, upon her brain registering what she was seeing, she covered her mouth with her hand in order to stifle a snort.

"Sit down 'Mione!" The burly male said in a fraudulent high pitch, he turned around and smiled in a sickeningly sweet fashion. The two girls glanced at one another before erupting into laughter. Emmett threw the apron down on the floor then crossed his arms, a furious look appearing on his face for a moment before he too started laughing. The witch was the last to recover and she settled into a bar stool at the counter, gasping for air. Rosalie put the witch's coffee down in front of her. Emmett plopped down on the stool to Hermione's right while Rosalie grabbed an apple to accompany the girl's coffee like every other morning before she sat down to the girl's left.

"Emmett, you are utterly ridiculous," Hermione glanced over at him, shaking her head, having finally regained her breath.

"Didn't Marilyn Monroe or someone say that it was better to be ridiculous than boring or some shit?" The burly male asked, causing both females to look at him, mouths agape.

"I can't decide whether I should be embarrassed or impressed by your knowledge," a baritone voice hinted with a southern drawl came from behind them and they all turned to see Jasper leaning against the door frame with a smirk on his face and a letter in his hands. He walked forward and handed her the letter causing Hermione to smile brightly at the blonde male and he returned the gesture. "Hey 'Mione, this came for you. The bird is sitting on the piano."

"Thanks Jazz," she gently hugged him and then scanned the envelope of her letter, not finding who it was from she huffed and opened it, her chocolate gaze scanning across the page as she read.

'Mione

How could you leave and not tell me? I'm hurt! I thought we'd gotten closer than this nonsense Tesoro but, I see I was wrong indeed but, I forgive you for your mistake Cara. I do hope the Americans are treating you well, that includes the vampires you happen to be staying with. I will not say that I like the idea of you living in a home of people who could kill you in an instant because of the way you smell but, I know Kingsley would never put you in a situation where harm would come to your person. Intentionally, at least. I also know that you are more than capable of taking care of yourself and if anyone of us doubted you, you'd hex us to next week.

I heard what Weasley did to you. I am so sorry. You deserve so much better than that. He is incompetent and deserves everything that befell him and everything that will continue to happen. I must say, Ginny Weasley has a nasty temper. I'm glad I'm no longer on the wrong side of that red head. Draco wasn't pleased either, I thought he might actually breathe fire like his namesake creature but, alas he did not. Though, his veela side did make a tad bit of an appearance with his rage, I've never seen him look quite so nasty. His teeth grew, his eyes changed colors and, I think he might have even grown wings had we not managed to calm him down. It was quite the sight. Then there is Theo, you know how he is, everyone thinks that he's not going to do anything but those of us who know him understand that he is biding his time until he gets the chance to sit down with the Twins and plan out something good. I admire the patience of that man. Truly marvelous.

We all miss you very much and I'm sure you'll be receiving letters from the rest of the group before too long. Molly even asked me if I would send you a food basket. I assured her you didn't need it but, you know how she is. She'll probably send you one on her own. I do hope that you'll allow us to visit or you'll come home for any of the upcoming holidays. Your birthday and Halloween are also included in these upcoming holidays.

I shall stop this letter now and await your reply. If it's not too much would you allow Ares to rest, he does love you because you tend to spoil him with a feast whenever he delivers to you.

I will talk to you soon Cara. And despite the time of peace. Constant Vigilance.

Blaise Zabini

Hermione finished the letter and smiled faintly. She'd completely forgotten to tell Blaise and Draco about accepting the assignment in her hurry to get away from Ron. She was surprised that Draco hadn't written her or sent her a Howler, he was known for overreacting. Draco, Blaise and even Theodore Nott had wiggled their way into Hermione's heart during the final battle and the long months afterward. After the three boys had saved Ginny, Luna and herself from a fate involving their deaths at the hands of Dolohov, Yaxley, Lucius Malfoy and the Lestrange brothers, Hermione, Harry, Luna and the entire Weasley family sat through their trials and pleaded the boys' innocence. After the trials had ended, the three of them and Narcissa Malfoy who'd taken back her maiden name of Black and Concetta Zabini had moved into the house that Sirius had left Harry because he didn't want to use it himself. Hermione was frequently there, using the library and it was during these visits that she'd gotten closer and closer to the three former Slytherins. She'd found them to be intelligent beings with witty senses of humor, she loved conversing with them for hours and hours. At first their conversations had been guarded but eventually they'd come to confide in each other much like she did with Harry and Ron, though she even told the Slytherin boys things she wouldn't dream of telling the other two, their heads were on their shoulders a bit tighter and they didn't fly off the handle at every little thing. The two older women were there to give her unbiased advice when it came to her relationship with Ronald and she couldn't have been more grateful to them for being there for her through nights of crying and blubbering, not to mention Narcissa's role in helping bring down Voldemort when she purposely misinformed him that Harry was indeed dead. It was amazing how far they'd all come since their petty hatred they held for each other in school. The witch shook herself from her thoughts and traveled into the living room, the elegant black owl flew to her shoulder and she headed back up the stairs to get ready for the day, the blonde female right behind her.

Sam glanced at the clock on the microwave as he finished scarfing down a bowl of cereal. It was only ten, he had about an hour to get up to Forks High School before Hermione's lunch period, he hadn't spoken to or seen the little witch since Friday night and he didn't know how much longer he could stand it. After she'd turned away from him his heart had broken and he didn't know how he'd ever be able to live another day without her. He'd gone straight home and instead of an empty house greeting him, he was greeted by the beta of his pack, Jacob Black. The younger male had talked sense into him and together they developed a plan which was to go into action starting today, in order to win the fiery witch's affection. The first step in the plan was to apologize and pray to all higher entities that she accepted. The weekend had been so long, and he knew that the pack was getting fed up with his thoughts constantly occupied by the witch, though the other members who'd imprinted understood somewhat but, their imprints had immediately reciprocated the feelings. He sighed softly and put his bowl in the sink and rinsed it out before going upstairs and getting dressed. The tall shape-shifter rifled through his closet for a few minutes before pulling out a white button up dress shirt and a pair of black slacks, he threw the clothes on and then glanced in the mirror, a small grimace appearing on his face. He never wore clothes like this, it seemed so dressy but, he'd do anything for the wild haired witch. He grabbed his jacket and his truck keys and hurried out the front door.

"Sam!" He turned his baby blue eyes toward the voice and saw Jacob running toward his truck, holding a small box in one hand and a bunch of flowers in the other. The alpha rolled his eyes and stopped walking, waiting for the younger male to catch up. Jacob smiled and thrust the objects into Sam's arms. "Here, you'll need these. There's a bracelet in the box and obviously these are flowers. Good luck!" and with that he turned around and jogged off in the direction in which he came. Sam blinked a few times and snapped out of his surprise, it seemed he'd have to thank Jacob later. He climbed into his truck and set the items on the seat beside him, he'd started the truck and began to pull out of the driveway when curiosity got the better of him and he opened the box and glanced at the bracelet it held, a wide smile erupting on his face. A delicate silver charm bracelet sat against the cushion in the box, hanging from it was a small ebony colored wolf that had little blue sapphires for eyes, beside it hung a petite jaguar charm with chocolate diamonds for the eyes, Sam couldn't stop the smile that pulled on his lips, he'd have to thank Jacob big time. He closed the lid of the box and returned to the task of pulling out of the driveway and driving to Forks. His fingers tapped impatiently on the steering wheel through out the entire drive to the high school and as he pulled into the parking lot he began to grow nervous, his mind racing what if she didn't forgive him, what if she didn't want anything to do with him, what would he do if she turned him away? He closed his baby blue eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to steady his nerves. A small tapping sound on the window of his truck caused him to jump and he saw Bella standing there, a smile pulling her lips up at the corners, Sam returned the smile weakly and grabbed the box and the flowers and opened the door, exiting the truck quickly.

"Hey Sam. Here for 'Mione? The bell for lunch just rang, Edward told me to come get you and bring you to the cafeteria. He's really sorry you know, 'Mione hasn't spoken to him or Alice all weekend. She's barely even spoken to me because of Edward, it kind of sucks. I think she feels bad too but, her pride is in the way. You wolves know all about that though," she prattled on and on, Sam just nodded slightly to let her know that he was listening, Bella never talked this much around him, it was odd. He'd have to ask Jacob later if this is how she was with him and it served the mind reader and the pixie right, it was their fault after all. Hermione shouldn't feel bad though, it was his fault for not telling her but, it made his hopes rise a little, this task might be a bit easier than he'd anticipated. Bella led him into the cafeteria, the hall was buzzing with conversation, and eyes were watching the two of them make their way through the room, curiosity and confusion apparent in many of their gazes. His blue eyes scanned the room and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Hermione's petite frame, she was sitting at a table with three of the Cullens, her back was to him and Bella but it didn't matter, he felt better just seeing her. Her head was turned toward the blonde male, anyone who looked could see that she was blatantly ignoring the other two, he couldn't help but smile slightly. He allowed his gaze to drift from her for a second and saw both the pixie like leech and the mind reader staring at him with apologetic expressions, he might consider forgiving them if Hermione did but, until then he would continue to loathe them more than he had before the witch had come into his life. Bella settled herself into the empty chair between the two of them and he stood behind Hermione, shifting slightly on his feet, the blonde male's gaze flickered to him for a second, Hermione caught it and she turned around in her seat. Sam's heart raced as his own eyes met her rich chocolate colored ones, he felt as though he'd drown in them if he looked long enough, seeing her here right before him, he felt complete, like his heart had been pieced back together. He knelt down on the floor in front of her and held the flowers and the long box toward her.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry, so so sorry. I should have told you. I just didn't want you to run away from me or feel obligated to be with me. I wanted to woo you properly, I was going to tell you later on, I swear. I don't want you to be mad at me, or to hate me. I'm so sorry." The words poured from his mouth before he even knew what he was saying, and his eyes never left the witch in front of him. She stared back at him, tears starting to brim in her eyes. Sam's heart clenched painfully, he didn't want her to cry, especially because of him. He held his breath, he was scared she'd turn away from him again, that she'd disappear.

"You didn't have to do this Sam," she said softly, her voice cracked but she kept going, "I forgive you. I understand. I'm sorry too, Sam. I should have let you explain and I shouldn't have overreacted but, I was just so mad because you didn't tell me. Will you be open with me from now on?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. Sam let the breath he was holding out slowly and he smiled so wide his cheeks started to hurt, his heart was racing in his chest and he felt like he'd burst with the happiness that was coursing through him. She forgave him, she wasn't mad. He nodded vigorously.

"Yes, Hermione. I will be completely open and honest with you about everything from here on out. I swear. These are for you," he nodded his head toward the items in his hands, and her attention drifted toward them. She smiled and took the items from him and he rose to his feet. He watched as the witch buried her nose into the white lilies and inhaled deeply, her eyes fluttering closed for a minute before opening again.

"Lilies are one of my favorite flowers." She said and she laid them in her lap before reaching for the box, Sam's eyes never left her delicate fingers as she opened the box, a gasp left her lips and she launched herself out of her chair and wrapped her arms around his waist, her sudden action caught him slightly off guard but he reacted quickly and wrapped his arms around her to steady her. He'd never really noticed just how small she was, she didn't even come up to his shoulder, she was like a little porcelain doll. He heard Edward chuckle quietly at his thoughts, his blue gaze shifted toward the vampire and honey yellow clashed with sky blue, but Sam couldn't even bring himself to scowl at him. "Sam, thank you so much! It's beautiful! You didn't have to do this, really."

"Yes, I did. I had to make sure you forgave me!" He said teasingly and the small witch pulled back, her eyebrows raised slightly, he worried that maybe she'd be upset but the fear disappeared when she burst out laughing, she smacked his arm lightly and shook her head. She held out her wrist and the box, silently asking him to put it on her. Sam smiled and he took the bracelet and clipped it onto her slender wrist, and he placed a kiss on her forehead as the bell rang signaling the end of lunch.

"I'll try to make it down to La Push later, all right?" Sam nodded at her as they walked toward the exit, he pulled her into a hug and he kissed the top of her head again before they parted ways. He glanced over his shoulder, a strange feeling of emptiness filling him as he watched her walk away and toward one of the class buildings, even though he knew things were patched up, he just hated being away from his fiery witch. He walked toward his truck with a bounce in his step and once inside the cab he let out a whoop that he'd been holding in since she'd said she'd forgiven him, he pulled out of the parking lot and drove back to La Push, a stupid grin on his face the whole way.