Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series and/or the Twilight Saga.

Chapter One

Arise from the Dead

December 28, 1998

"I pronounce you bonded for life. You may now kiss the bride."

Everyone cheered when Harry James Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, and the Saviour of the Wizarding World, kissed his new wife, Ginevra Molly Potter née Weasley. Their passionate exchange brought catcalls and hollers from the guests, but mostly from the bride's side of the family, who were men in majority. Pulling away, the newlyweds both sported a bright smile on their faces that could make any man blind. They turned to their audience, laughing when they hadn't ceased their applause or their cheers. A large family of redheads went to the new couple, giving them their blessings as well as patting the raven haired and green eyed man on the back, welcoming him as he officially and legally joined their family.

"Congratulations, mate!" Ronald Billius Weasley, Harry's best friend and best man, smiled broadly at him. "I couldn't ask for a better brother-in-law. You better make Ginny happy, you hear? Remember, I'm not the only brother who will come after you if you hurt our little sister."

Ginny scowled at him. "Last time I checked, Ron, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Then shooting an impish grin to her new husband, she added, "Though I wouldn't mind you teaching Harry a lesson or two after I'm done with him."

Harry chuckled at his new wife before turning to his best friend. "She's the most important person in my life, Ron. Believe me when I say that I will do anything and everything to make her happy."

Since the wedding was held at Hogwarts Academy, they decided that the reception would be held at the Burrow, where the Weasley's lived. It was a clear night where stars twinkled like diamonds on the black sky and candlelit lanterns floated above the tables that were scattered amongst the small area beside the house. A small stage was in front, overlooking the tables, and on the side, were the newlywed's table. Everyone was still laughing at Ron's Best Man speech when Luna Lovegood, who was the Maid of Honour, spoke on the stage.

"May I have your attention, please?" Her dreamy and sweet voice was like a gentle caress of the wind. "Normally, the Maid of Honour is the one who gives a speech about the bride. However, the Nargles prevented me from making the speech because I wasn't the original choice for that title." She ignored everyone's startled gasp or Ginny's worried frown. "So, I gave the responsibility to the young woman who should've been the Maid of Honour instead."

Luna jumped down the stage and skipped towards her table, humming merrily whilst the guests watched her, confused by her behaviour. They didn't notice the person who stepped out of the shadows after Luna's speech, and had only managed to catch her with their gazes when she started towards the stage with a slow pace and a deliberate sway of her hips. They could tell that the person was a woman because of the midnight blue dress that she wore underneath her cloak, although her face was hidden beneath the hood that was pulled over her head.

Everyone murmured when she stood in the middle of the stage and there was a moment of silence before she pulled her hood off her head to reveal her identity to the crowd. Everyone gasped when they saw her face. Harry perked up from his seat, his green eyes widening in shock whilst his wife covered her open mouth, eyes glistening with tears. Ron spat his drink and didn't even wipe the stain dripping on his collar as he gaped at woman on the stage.

The woman couldn't be more than twenty and she was, by far, the most beautiful woman that they had ever seen, aside from Fleur Delacour-Weasley, who was a quarter Veela. Her beauty was beyond words, almost otherworldly and ethereal. Her hair was in different shades of brown that tumbled in fat curls over her shoulders and down the middle of her back, and it was styled as though she had only gotten out of bed. It was the kind of style that women tried to achieve and failed to look more sexy and seductive. She had an hourglass figure, her hips tempted the men — and some women — around the area to caress and grip her curves just to feel how soft her flesh looked like underneath her dress. They couldn't even begin to describe the effect of her heart shape face or her swan like neck, her long and slender musician fingers, the curve of her butt, and her toned legs that went on for miles despite her rather short height.

Her skin was as white as freshly fallen snow, and it brought attention to her bow shaped ruby lips, her thick dark eyelashes, her perfectly plucked eyebrows, and her golden eyes. She stood unnaturally still in front of the mass and, even from afar, they could tell that she wasn't breathing. She was like a marble statue, sculpted for many years to achieve perfection, before the gods decided to bless her with life. There was a beat of silence until finally, she smiled, revealing straight pearly white teeth. All the men gaped, lust dilating their pupils, and all the women glared at the beauty that outshone the present Veelas and even the bride herself.

Ron began drooling unconsciously and Harry had to look down to avoid his new wife's pointed glare when he stared inappropriately long at the woman on the stage.

"Hello, everyone," she said, her voice husky and musical, like a melody of their most favourite songs. It was hearing the song of a Siren, calling the attention of men and women alike. "My name is Hermione Granger."

Everyone was stunned into silence. Harry looked up, Ginny stifled a sob, and Ron paled. Hermione Granger? They thought, looking uneasily at the person to their left and right. Nobody had seen Hermione Granger since the Battle of Hogwarts and that was seven months ago, give or take. They said that she was injured quite badly with no chances of recovery and the majority of the Wizarding World believed that the Champion of the Muggleborns, Sympathizer to all Mistreated Magical Creatures, and the Brightest Witch of the Age was dead. Now, she was standing in front of them all, looking healthy and alive. Not to mention, but exceedingly more beautiful than the last time they had seen her.

Harry managed to tear his gaze away from his supposed to be dead best friend when Ginny tapped him on the shoulder. The redhead pointed at someone from the crowd of guests and Harry turned to spot a familiar man standing at the far corner. The sandy haired man was watching him with a light smile on his scarred face.

"Remus?" Harry wondered aloud. He hadn't seen his father's best friend for a whole six months, ever since the older man had brought it upon himself to become Hermione's guardian and help her recover from the injuries she sustained from the war. He turned to the woman on stage. "He must've brought her back for our wedding."

Ginny nodded, leaning closer to her husband and staring at Hermione, the girl she considered her best friend, her older sister, and the one person who helped her with the deep infatuation she had for Harry Potter back when the Chosen One was still ignoring her.

"I'm glad that she's here," she said, unable to look away at her. "She deserves to be here. She should be here in the first place. It doesn't matter if she's... different now."

Because, whether they liked it or not, she was different. She wasn't the same Hermione they grew up with. The Hermione they knew had bushy brown hair and had never cared for her looks. The Hermione they're witnessing right now might as well be a model covering for Witch Weekly. However, just like Ginny had said, it didn't matter if they could no longer spot the old Hermione from the new one. The only important thing was that she was alive and she came back home to them.

"I know many of you are wondering how and why I'm here in front of you all when I'm believed, by the majority of the Wizarding World, to be dead," Hermione continued as though she wasn't aware of the lust filled eyes trained upon her. "However, I won't tell you anything of it because this is my best friend's wedding and I'd rather focus on them rather than me." She glanced at the newlyweds with a soft expression on her face and Ginny couldn't stop her sob this time. "I can't ever forget the day when a fourteen years old Ginny Weasley approached me regarding about her massive crush on Harry Potter and asked me what to do about it. She approached me, out of all people, the bookish bookworm who doesn't have a clue about crushes and love. Talk about a wrong place to ask love advice from."

Ginny giggled and dabbed a handkerchief on the corner of her eyes as the guests laughed at Hermione's tease. Harry smiled softly at his wife and pulled her closer to his side.

"I was only sixteen and this fourteen years old little girl knew more about love than I did," Hermione said, smiling at the redheaded witch. "It was embarrassing to say the least that I have no idea what to say. Not only because of the lack of experience, mind you, but the knowledge that Harry was already fancying another different girl. I knew that if Harry didn't spot this hidden gem in his best mate's little sister, he would regret it forever. So, that day I told Ginny to come out of her shell and unfold her wings, to let herself fly and be free. I said that she could hold on to her love for him but that it shouldn't stop her from growing, and I can never be more proud when she grew into a confident young woman today. I can never be too happy to see that Harry saw this great potential in Ginny too."

"Ginny, you are the best female friend that I ever have with a beautiful soul that I have the pleasure of knowing. I had watched you grow and I had witnessed the amazing love that you have for the man beside you. You two have such an incredible love that is so real and I can only hope that whenever problems find you, that you'd hold on to this great love because we absolutely can't imagine a Ginny without Harry or a Harry without Ginny in this life. You two, out of all wizards and witches out there, deserve this kind of love that is full of warmth and peace, and I would like to make a toast." She raised a glass filled with Firewhiskey and the guests did the same. "For the new and happy couple. May they be blessed with their eternal love. To Harry and Ginny."

"To Harry and Ginny," they repeated solemnly and drank from their glass.

They all heard the bride's watery laugh and cooed when the groom kissed her tears away. Harry looked up from his wife's teary gaze to find that Hermione was now gone from the stage. He frowned and looked at the spot where Remus was standing to find that he disappeared too. That's when someone tapped him twice on his shoulder blades and he spun to find that it was Hermione, standing so still behind him that anyone could've mistaken her for a statue.

"Hello, Harry, Ginny." The sound of her voice was even more pleasant to hear up close. She smiled softly at the new Potter. "You look so beautiful, Ginny."

Ginny's brown eyes were filled with longing for the girl in front of her. "You too, 'Mione." She blinked away the unshed tears before turning to Harry. "I'll just go speak with Mum."

Harry nodded and the both of them watched the redhead go, knowing that she was silently crying. As she disappeared out of their sight, Harry faced Hermione. Hermione, sensing his gaze on her, flickered her eyes towards him, an amused grin ghosting her lips.

"Are you just going to stare at me like an idiot?" She teased, and it was such a Hermione-like remark that Harry couldn't help but to laugh.

Harry was about to hug her when she took a step back, her pinched expression telling him to refrain from walking closer to her. His arms slowly fell to his hide. The sinking feeling in his stomach dimmed the smile on his face.

"It's good to see you again," he began unsurely. "It's been so long. How are you?"

It was surreal to see her alive again, but Harry knew that she wasn't really alive anymore. She might be talking, walking, and breathing the same air as they were but she would be always different from them. She wasn't just a Muggleborn witch: she was another thing entirely. An anomaly to the society, both Wizarding and Muggle world. However, to Harry and Ginny, and everyone who grew up with her and loved her, she would always be Hermione Granger, the Brightest Witch of the Age, the smartest witch next to Rowena Ravenclaw.

"I'm fine," she replied, brushing her hair back with ease. The old Hermione's fingers would've tangled in her curls but the new Hermione didn't have the same problem. "Well, as fine as I can ever be, I guess. I'm still adjusting. Remus is a huge help to my... change. It's difficult since the scent of magical blood tempts me more than normal blood does so, it's best if you keep your distance. I'm already risking a lot by being here."

So, that's why she retreated when he was about to hug her. Harry looked at the girl in front of her and there was a pang in his chest as he realized that she would never grow old and never have a family of her own. She would watch as they'd grow old and she'd remain trapped in a body of an eighteen years old girl, forever. He hated himself for what happened to her. Everything that had happened to her was because of her connections to him, after all.

Harry gulped down the lump that threatened to choke him and said hoarsely, "But you're here though. That means you can control yourself at least, right? You're not really a danger to us?"

Her once chocolate brown eyes was now shining gold but Harry could still see the warmth in them that was so much like the old Hermione. "I can control myself somewhat but I will always be a danger to you, Harry. To everyone, really."

"But you're here," Harry pointed out adamantly. "Remus wouldn't let you come here if he didn't think if it was safe."

Hermione shut her eyes, looking frustrated at her friend's stubbornness. "Remus didn't want me to come here in the first place, but he relented after I convinced him that I was full enough and I wouldn't start attacking anyone in sight. He just agreed because I didn't want to miss your wedding and he also wanted to see Tonks and Teddy. He misses them."

It was an understatement. Remus hadn't seen his family for six months, ever since he started helping Hermione cope with her new abilities. Hermione was dangerous to the rest of them, aside from Remus but that was only because of his lycanthropy, which heightened his strength ten times the average human. With his strength, he could easily overthrow her with a few well placed jabs in case she went berserk and attack some humans.

"How is Remus, by the way?" Harry enquired, desperately trying to change the subject. "I just saw him but I never have gotten the chance to talk to him."

"He's great." She looked away to focus on a spot behind him. "But I think he doesn't want to be away from Tonks and Teddy anymore. I can tell that he's missing them. We've been talking, actually, about my situation."

"Are you coming home?" It was the first thought that he came up with. The delight in Harry's tone was enough to make her flinch in discomfort but the wizard hadn't seen her reaction as he was too thrilled at the prospect of her coming back to them. "That's great! When? Are you going to stay at the Burrow?"

"Harry..." Her voice was soft and kind. It was a voice she used whenever she meant to placate him, knowing her response would likely trigger his anger. "I'm not coming back to the Wizarding World. Ever."

He went rigid. He felt betrayed by her response. "But... That wasn't part of the deal. Remus only said that he's going to take you away so that you can control your thirst and so that you wouldn't hurt anyone. Remus didn't say anything about you not coming back here."

"That was before we found out that I'm more inclined to feed on magical blood than normal, muggle ones," she rebutted. "That means you and Ginny and everyone else are in danger whenever I'm here. The only reason that Remus is safe with me is because of his lycanthropy. His blood is essentially poison to me but you and all of the others here aren't safe as he is."

"But you would never hurt us!"

"I can hurt you, Harry. I just chose not to. Our history together doesn't change the fact that I can kill you in a manner of seconds, Harry." She stared frostily at her friend. "You don't know how hard it is for me to stop myself from..." She didn't continue but the idea lingered between them.

Harry looked away from her intense golden stare, wishing for the hundredth time to catch a glimpse of honey brown eyes once again. The atmosphere between them was suddenly tense and it reminded Harry of the times when he and Hermione had a disagreement about something, like the time when Hermione told Professor McGonagall about his Firebolt and her jealousy over the Half-Blood Prince's book. Looking back at it now, he realised how small and petty their arguments were about compared to how dire the situation they were in now.

"So, you're leaving again once this ceremony is over," he concluded, his voice hard, "and you're never going to come back."

Hermione pursed her lips, looking apologetic. "Yes, I am. And no. No, I won't."

Harry sighed harshly, darting his gaze away from her. "So, you came here just to say goodbye to us?" To me?

"Yes."

The finality in her tone just made him feel worse and his thoughts suddenly brought him back to the Battle of Hogwarts, a little over seven months ago to be precise. His mind took him to the time when Hermione was viciously attacked as she tried to help Luna Lovegood who was injured and quickly losing blood amidst the battle. He wished that he hadn't witnessed it when it happened but he did and he hated himself because he hadn't done anything to save her. If it weren't for Ron, who immediately snapped out of his daze enough to send a curse towards the creature who had pin her against the wall and hurt her, Hermione would've been dead.

However, it was too late. She was already bitten. The change was inevitable and the only way to stop it was to end her life. Ron and Harry didn't want to lose her and thus made the painstaking decision to let the turn happen. However, in the end, they still lost her either way. Six months without any sort of communication, without knowing if she had survived and lived, was a reminiscent of the moment when she was tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange. The waiting and the uncertainty nearly crippled him. The only thought that had gotten him going those first few months after the Final Battle was the idea that she was still coming back to them. Now, she was speaking of leaving forever. The pain was already present in Harry's chest just by thinking about it.

"Couldn't Remus find something?" He sounded desperate, even to his own ears, but he was past caring at this point. "I mean, there has to be a way for you to stay here. This... This is your whole life, Hermione. This. Right here. With us. You can't just leave."

"If only it's that easy, Harry," she told him as she tried to plead her case. "I've been bitten and turned. This isn't the same as Remus' condition, Harry. Unlike him, I can't change into a werewolf every full moon and I can't drink Wolfsbane potion so that I can gain control of myself. Unlike lycanthropy, there is no known cure for vampirism and that is exactly what I am: a vampire."

Harry winced at her admission and Hermione's eyes softened towards him. She knew that they had never spoken about her 'condition' out loud because they were never comfortable with the knowledge that she was now a vampire, essentially classified in the Wizarding World as a dark creature. Ron, especially, couldn't handle it, verging close in denial whenever someone mentioned it. The redheaded wizard always thought that it was his fault that he was too slow to help her when the vampire had attacked her. He blamed himself for the condition she was in, thinking that if he had acted sooner, she could've been saved without turning into a vampire. It was probably the reason why he hadn't approached her right now. Their best friend of six years was no longer human. Instead, a bloodsucking creature, as Ron had called her one time, had replaced her.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I'm not safe anymore." Harry hated the pleading tone in her melodic voice. "I don't have any other choice but to leave so that I can't risk anyone in danger. It's breaking my heart, Harry, because I won't see you again or Ginny or Ron or the other Weasleys or our friends, but I have to do this. Leaving is the best choice for me and for you."

He averted his gaze to his shoes. "How is that the best? It's unfair. You should be here with us."

"Life normally isn't fair. You, of all people, should know that." A pregnant pause. "You have to understand that I'm doing this for your own good, Harry. It's time that you don't have to make the hard decisions anymore. It's time that you get to live the life you always envisioned for yourself. You and I didn't want or meant for this to happen but it did. Even by vampire standards, I'm different. The only thing that I can think of is going away and starting over."

"You're basically making excuses to run away from us," he accused.

She sighed tiredly. "I'm not running away. I'm just trying to protect you from myself. Please understand, Harry. I don't want to fight. It's bad enough that you disapprove of my decision."

"What do you want me to do?" He snapped, his green eyes flashing. "What? Am I just going to accept my best friend leaving the life she has always known? Leaving her friends and family?"

"I want you to be happy." Her voice was calm and resolute in contrast to the anger simmering in his voice. "You don't have to accept anything as of now. I want you to live the life you have always wanted. With your wife and future children because that's all I have ever wanted. For you to love and be loved in return. If I stay here, I will just be holding you back. This is better for the both of us."

A shaky breath escaped his lips and he blinked when he realised the sudden wetness in the corner of his eyes. He wanted to hug her but from what he gathered, it would be perilous being close to her. Hermione was still a newborn vampire and Remus had warned them that newborns were particularly lethal. It was the reason why they left in the first place, to train Hermione how to control her thirst. That was until they discovered in their travels that Hermione was more tempted by magical blood than muggle ones and it changed everything.

"I'm going to miss you, Hermione," he whispered, knowing with her enhanced hearing that she heard it.

Hermione had always been his constant, the person who was always there and the one who never left him. He didn't want her to leave. Without her, he was at lost. Despite his love for Ginny, he knew that their relationship didn't come close to the amicable and comfortable one that Harry had with Hermione. He had a special bond with Hermione that not even Ron could compare to. She was more than the rock who kept him standing through hard times; she was his very own wings that made him fly to the sky. However, as of the moment, his wings were getting cut off. What was he going to do now without Hermione by his side?

"I'll miss you, too, Harry." The familiar tenderness in her voice warmed his chest despite the pain that was slowly blossoming. "But you know that I can't stay."

"Is Remus coming with you?" Harry questioned.

"No," she shook her head, "he won't. I can't keep him away from his family any longer. Teddy needs to grow up with his father by his side. It will be unfair if I kept him away. It's the least that I can do for all the things that Remus has done for me."

"And what did Remus say about this decision of yours?" Knowing Remus and his adoration for Hermione that grew ever since she saved Sirius and kept his lycanthropy a secret — despite Snape revealing it in the end — he must've fought tooth and nail about her decision to leave the Wizarding World.

"As usual, he was... displeased, to say the least." She crossed her arms; the unnatural stillness of her stature made him uncomfortable. "He didn't want me to go but I reasoned with him that I had to establish my independence and learn how to survive on my own. He can't be my guardian forever after all. In the end, he had no choice but to agree, mostly because of Tonks and Teddy."

Despite he understood her reasoning, Harry felt dismayed. "So, where will you go then?"

Hermione turned away and stared distantly at the merry guests who made use of the dancefloor. She smiled tenderly when she saw Arthur Weasley dancing with his daughter. "He said something about a small town in America that would be a perfect place for a creature of the night"—Harry winced—"since the sunny days are rare there and I can almost lead a normal life if I want to. The small town is protected by a secret shape shifter tribe that monitors any vampire that decides to settle down in the community when a treaty was made roughly sixty three years ago. The treaty prevented every vampire to step onto their own land, feed on humans or turn anyone. In exchange, the Quileute tribe will keep their existence as a secret from the unsuspecting humans."

"How did Remus know about that if it's supposed to be a secret? And how did he even found that place?" Harry had never heard of a town as strange as that and Remus hadn't told him about it.

"Coincidentally, the tribe shifts into a wolf form, and since Remus changes into a werewolf every full moon, he fits right into the group. Amazingly enough, Dumbledore recommended the place to him a year after your parents died." She smiled sympathetically when Harry flinched. "He stayed there for eleven years until Dumbledore called him to teach at Hogwarts in our third year. [1] He said that the place gave him purpose and peace that he only found in the company of the Marauders, and he thinks that it would bring me the same peace as well."

"And are you planning to go there?" Harry asked slowly, already planning to ask Remus about this 'place' when he noticed that she hadn't mentioned any name of some sort.

Hermione grinned strangely, knowing the plan that was formulating in that head of his. "No," she responded. "Not for a couple of years. I want to travel the world first before I settle down in that place."

"Where will you be traveling?"

"Anywhere. I have no exact destination aside from America. Remus and I had explored some of the other magical communities in Europe in six months to build my control, but I don't think that I can do that any longer, especially without guidance of any kind. I think I'll just stick to the muggle side of the world for the rest of my nonlife."

Harry stared at his best friend with pity on his countenance. Hermione had always loved magic and she was always the first who wanted to learn more about it. It must've been hard for her, to be surrounded by wizards and witches when she couldn't mingle with them without wanting to feast on them. She had fought in the war for her own rights, to prove that she deserved her magic, heritage and blood be damned, only for her to shun her own self from the Wizarding World for fear that she would start attacking any of them. It was simply unfair. Hermione didn't deserve any of this.

"Will you write to us?" Harry asked despite knowing the answer, however he still felt a little bit hopeful.

Hermione sadly shook her head. "You know that I can't."

Harry shut his eyes, nodding mournfully as his hopes were crushed. He had already expected her answer. Remus had prohibited them from communicating with Hermione in the six months they went on an adventure together around Europe, trying to learn everything about vampires and also exercising her control. Hermione likely didn't want to continue communicating with them, knowing that they had all gone on with their lives whilst she was stuck in the same age, the same body, and the same face for the rest of her undead life. It would only break her heart if she wrote to them.

"Will I ever see you again?" He opened his eyes and he couldn't mask the hopeful spark in his emerald gems.

Hermione stared at him before slowly smiling. "We'll see. Who knows?"

It wasn't a promise and it wasn't an outright yes but it was more than what she could give to him at that moment. It was a testament that she was hopeful that they would meet again however unlikely that scenario was. It made him feel warm inside. Hope had always been one of the things that made Hermione the person she was today, whether she was a witch or a vampire. Like the old Hermione before, the new Hermione also easily gave him hope. She was the only one who could.

"As for you," the teasing lilt of her voice made him smile slightly, "I believe that you have a bride to dance with at the moment."

That's when Harry felt the small hand snatching his own and he didn't have time to react when Ginny Potter pulled him to the dancefloor and encouraged him to dance to the jolly tune resonating in the backyard. Harry started dancing to appease his new wife and when he looked back, Hermione was already gone. He returned his attention to his blushing wife and hid his heavy heart behind his smile. He knew that it would be a very long time before he could ever see his long-time friend again.

He only hoped that someday, they would meet again, and then, maybe by that time, he could tell her how much he truly loved her.

A/N: (Updated: 4/15/2019)

[1] I always wondered where Remus spent his years after the Potters died, Sirius went to Azkaban, and Peter disappeared. I think it was written that he hid in a cottage but I somehow skipped that part. Since this is a crossover, I think it would be a very Dumbledore thing to do if he suggested a place for him, such as La Push.

This is a post-Hogwarts/post-war book and will follow Twilight's timeline (2005, I think).

Feel free to review!

~ NR xx