Linspace

Chapter 11

Hermione had to admit, the house was pretty impressive. It was a two story building that had walls almost entirely made of glass, making the interior seem airy and spacious.

The Cullens were gathered at the entrance to welcome her and Harry. They were unsurprisingly beautiful, with their pale and marble-like skin and golden eyes. They all had charming and friendly smiles on their faces, which made them even more beautiful. Well, except for Jasper, who looked a bit like he was in pain, and for the tall striking blond on his right. Her blank look gave Hermione the impression that she would rather be anywhere else at the moment.

The witch was unprepared when Alice, the pixie-like vampire she had already met at Forks High, approached her at inhuman speed and hugged her. Hermione couldn't help but stumble slightly and she clearly heard sniggers coming from everyone in the room. Even Harry, the traitor.

"Hello Hermione! I'm so glad to see you again. And I'm sorry for how we behaved when we first met. But don't worry, I'm sure that we'll go along splendidly!" said Alice in her melodious voice, she then turned to Harry without giving the witch time to reply. "And you must be her best friend Harry. I'm Alice, nice to meet you!" she greeted extending her hand to the boy and smiling widely.

Harry took it and Hermione noticed him startling slightly at the touch, likely due to her body temperature.

"Harry Potter."

"Potter?" spoke the male vampire standing at the left end of the group, curiosity sparkling in his golden eyes. His hair was blond and he looked slightly older than the others, though not by much. Hermione guessed he must have been around 25 when he was turned.

"Yes." responded Harry confused, and a bit alarmed. He clearly hadn't expected for any of them to recognise him and even Hermione would think it odd if that was the case. Vampires weren't exactly seen in a good light by wizards and witches and there was a really small percentage of the kind that was actually aware of the magical world, the Volturi.

The vampire must have noticed the wizard's hesitation because he smiled reassuringly.

"Forgive my manners, I'm Carlilse Cullen. And these are Esme, my wife, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett. And you already know Alice and Edward."

Harry and Hermione smiled back, though Harry's looked more like a grimace and Hermione had actually stopped listening after the man had spoken his name, her mind working a mile a minute.

Carlisle. The name was not common but she was sure she had heard it before, or read it in one of her books.

"I apologize if I made you uncomfortable. I was just surprised by your family name. It has been quite some time since I last heard it." he said.

"You know of the Potter family?" asked Hermione. Interesting.

"Well, it has always been a wealthy family, well respected in..." he started but trailed off, his eyes suddenly widened in understanding, looking from Hermione to Harry several times before settling on the witch. Probably because she was staring back at him in shock, having finally remembered why his name was so familiar.

It was obvious he had figured out about them, his expression was telling enough. And it made sense now, Hermione had learned of him thanks to her History books, in a paragraph regarding the Volturi coven and its members. Carlisle had been one of them at one point and must have learned about magic then. It wasn't surprising that he had heard the Potter name before.

A sudden intake of breath caught her attention and she turned her head to her right to see Edward staring in shock between her and and her best friend. Hermione realized he must have heard Carlisle thoughts and now knew the truth about them too.