The Witch and Her Vampire

Twenty-Five

Hermione's P.O.V.
I stared down at my best friend, who was currently sleeping on the couch of the Cullen home, one arm slung across her face and the other hanging limply with her fingers brushing the floor.

It was a lot like her to simply run off like that—she and Harry had the same hero complex, though she was slightly smarter about it. Not that it actually helped her in this case, anyway.

She had wanted to save me from torment, and I loved her for it, but sometimes she could be so thick....

"You bloody idiot," I muttered, tucking my wand away as I stared down at her face fondly from my place on the floor.

"She was trying to protect you," said Rosalie quietly—furiously—,crossing her arms. "And this happened."

"I know." I sighed as I watched her nose twitch in her sleep. "She always has." I glanced up at Rosalie, taking her in; she had the same inhumanly gorgeous features of every other vampire, and long, flowing golden locks and the golden eyes that were a trait of "vegetarian" vampires. She was incredibly beautiful, I couldn't deny that; nor could I deny the way she treated my best friend so tenderly, and even through her jealousy I could see how much she cared. Somehow, I could see why Carina liked her so much.

"How did she get it?"

I frowned at the abrupt question. "Get what?" But when I saw the golden eyes trained on Carina's marred face, realization hit me. "Her scar. You want to know how she got it."

"Yes." Rosalie kept her face emotionless, but I could see the worried interest in her eyes.

"I won't get into it." Before she could speak, I cut her off. "Because I want to be sure we can both agree on when to tell you, and it wouldn't be fair to make the decisions without her. But I can tell you that it was through one of her heroically idiotic stunts when we were fifteen. She didn't have time to erect a shield in the middle of a battle, so she shoved our friend, Ginny, aside and took a cutting curse to the face, which is why it looks like that. It couldn't be healed because it was one of the darker curses and left an half inch deep gash, so it had to heal on it's own." I cast Carina a look and sighed. "She hates it. It's one of her most visible scars, because the others are in places like her arms, stomach, and back." I rolled up my sleeve to reveal my mudblood scar, keeping my voice even. "This is my worst. We were..." I couldn't say it.

Rosalie, howver, simply nodded, having guessed what I meant, and a distraught look crossed her face as she gazed down at Carina, moving closer to the couch.

Carina muttered something unintelligible as she slept, and we listened closely this time.

"Mi..." mumbled Carina, her head turning to it's other side in the pillow. "...one...Mione..." The vampire near me looked two parts pained and angry at this, and I cringed, until my best friend's eyes snapped open and she regarded me blearily. "Mione..where's..
where's Rosie?"

"Right here, Carina," I told her, standing and gesturing to Rosalie, who now stood there, watching with furrowed brows.

Carina sat up and grabbed the vampire's arm, and Rosalie allowed  herself to be pulled down into the spot where her mate's head had once been.

Looking satisfied, Carina lay back down, wrapped her arms around Rosalie's torso, burying her face in her stomach.

Quietly, I left the room with a small smile on my face, giving them privacy.

Rosalie's P.O.V.
I gazed down at Carina, unsure of what to make of this current development as we sat there for a few minutes.

"She gone?" muttered Carina finally, sitting back up and blinking a few times as she looked around the room; I missed the contact and resisted the urge to yank her closer. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes and regarded me, much more awake than previously. "Told you about my scar, huh?"

"If that's alright, yes," I agreed softly, watching her carefully.

She stretched and nodded. "It's fine. Had to come out eventually. Hideous, right?"

"No." Gently, I reached up to trail my fingers along the scar, and I felt her shiver under my fingertips. She had obviously felt the spark as well. "You're beautiful." She was still wearing the necklace I had given her—somehow, I doubted she had ever taken it off.

She flashed me a lopsided grin. "Never as beautiful as you, Rosie."

My heart warmed immensely, and I smiled at her words. "You'd beat me any day." I reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, chuckling slightly.

"Rose..." She ducked her head, before peering up at me. "I know you're jealous of Hermione—I see the way you look at her. She's my best friend." I scowled as she spoke, thinking of the girl who was always all over my...."I know I'm your mate."

I tensed. "When did you find out?"

"Last year." She let out a breath. "Hermione helped me do some research, and she was the one who really found out first. I didn't freak out or anything—I mean, it all made sense. That's why I came here after the war, to find you and catch up with Jake. Hermione came along because she needed a little break from London, too. She's like my sister...I mean, we've relied on each other so long that it's hard to stop, but there's nothing more there." She met my eyes with her own gorgeous stormy gray. "I really, really missed you."

With her words in mind, I suddenly reached over and pulled her into my lap, holding her tightly as she wrapped her arms around me and buried her face in the crook of my neck as I rested my chin on her shoulder.

"I missed you, too," I murmured.

I don't know how long we sat there, but I felt as if right now I could finally relax, all of my worries fading away.