The Witch and Her Vampire

Twenty

Time Skip: SIX YEARS LATER
I stared at myself in the mirror, a small smile playing on my lips as I took in my appearance.

I wore the black leather jacket and necklace Rosalie had given me, both fitting perfectly now, along with the black dragonhide boots Alice had gifted me with; I had on a plain blue t-shirt on under the jacket, and dark jeans on.

My wand holster, invisible, was attached to my right arm, and Jake's bracelet was on the other.

Overall, I looked good. That is, until I got to my face, but I won't think about that now. The war is over, and that's that. There's no need to dwell on it.

I shivered as I couldn't help but think of how I had gotten it.

"You're really leaving?" spoke up Hermione softly, my best friend of many years, as she entered the room.

I didn't move from my place and merely watched her reflection.

"Yeah," I responded soberly. "I am."

"Harry is staying."

"I know." I let out a sigh. "Because he wants time to heal fully and rest before going back...home." The word felt foreign to me, and I said this evenly. I hadn't had a home since I was eleven. "He doesn't want to be seen as broken."

"But you're going back, and you don't care." Hermione regarded me with that same knowing gaze I had seen for many years, and I finally turned to face her. She understood me far better than most, in a way that only Harry had ever been able to. "Because of her."

"She's there." I was certain of it. They had said they were going back, and I believed it. "So I have to go. You know why."

And she did. I could still remember when in sixth year the two of us sat in the library together, pouring over texts on vampires.
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"Carina," said Hermione quietly. "Come look at this." I frowned at her tone from where I sat, but nevertheless scooted around to where she was and leaned over the text as she pointed to a certain page. "There."

Silently, I read it.

Mates
A vampire only has to take one look into their eyes of a person to find their mate. When they find that person, their mate, life will become much more bearable and they will want nothing more than to spend an eternity trying to make their beloved happy.

Vampires mate for life. It is not forced, for their mate is the other half of their soul—their soulmate, if you will. It is the same for their bonded.

There have been cases where vampires found their mates in witches or wizards, even some of the younger generation, and there are traits exhibited in the mates. They are:
Adoration
Unexplained giddiness at the sight of their vampire counterpart
Protectiveness
Pain to be away from their vampire counterpart

There are several more traits not listed, but those are the more prominent.

In the beginning stages, the vampire will experience the extreme need to protect their more fragile mate in such cases that they are a witch, wizard, or muggle, and will be more prone to bursts of anger. Their maternal instincts will override their need for blood and cause them to overlook the instinctive need to feed should there be blood involved if their mate is harmed.

Should their mate be killed, the vampire will either take their own life or seek vengeance. They can hold grudges for an eternity and should they seek revenge on the one who killed their mate (if they didn't die of natural causes or in an accident), they will be ruthless. Merciless. They will not rest until they have destroyed the one who took their mate away.

The vampire's love for their mate is unconditional, and they would do anything for their mate.

I paled, and jerked away from the book as if it were on fire.

"Carina?" Hermione eyed me with concern. "Are you..are you alright? I understand that's a lot to take in..."

"I had my soulmate," I whispered hoarsely. "I had my soulmate, and I lost her. She slipped right through my fingers...."

"Not a lot of people get that lucky." My best friend grabbed my hand. "They spend years searching for the one, the perfect for for them, their other half....and you found yours when you were a child. From the moment you met her, she was yours and no one else's. You do know what this means, don't you?"

I glanced up at her. "I need to find her."

Hermione nodded. "Exactly."
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"They're all there—my family is there."

"It's here, too." She offered me a small smile as she came to stand by my side and took my hand, squeezing it.

I squeezed back. "I know. That's why it's hard to leave—I found people here. Ron and his family, you, you're all great, really, but...." I ducked my head, the corner of my lips quirking upward, before I glanced back up to meet her gaze. "I haven't seen them in so long..."

"I understand."

"I need to leave now."

"I know."

Yet, she hadn't let go of my hand. I stared at her, frowning. "What are you doing?"

"Coming with you, of course." Hermione gave me a look she often gave Ron, one where she was clearly wondering about my intelligence. Before I could open my mouth, she continued. "I have nothing left, either. My parents are in Australia, far happier than they've ever been, and there's no way to restore their memories; and Ron..well, he and the Weasleys need time to heal after Fred."

"You don't have to come with me."

"But I want to. So, that means I'm coming, whether you like it or not. And besides, at the moment, we both need each other." She cast her eyes to the door. "I'll come back at some point, but not right now. Right now, I'd like to get away too." I met her gaze—her brown eyes were haunted, and I knew she still hadn't gotten over our torture.

Neither had I.

"Are you sure?" I was a little relieved she was coming along, truthfully.

"Positive." She rolled her eyes. "Now, take us to America."

"Yes, ma'am." I laughed somewhat and concentrated.

Soon, we were twisting and spinning and being sucked through a tube until finally, we hit the ground with a thud.