Chapter Text
Hermione's phone rings and she lunges from her curled up spot in her plush armchair to grab the device from the coffee table. Flipping it open, she raises it to her ear and exclaims, “I hear congratulations are in order!”
She can practically see her younger cousin's sappy grin. “Thanks, Mi!” Bella Swan is a year and a half younger than Hermione, but the girls consider one another the sister they never had.
Hermione settles back into her chair, crossing her legs. “Bella Cullen,” she muses. “What do you think? Are you excited or nervous?”
Bella giggles into the phone. “Both, I guess?”
“I get what you mean,” Hermione agrees. “It seems like just yesterday you were running away from boys and shrieking that they had cooties, then fervently declaring that you were never going to get married because ‘boys are so ewww.’” They both laugh.
“When are you arriving?” Bella asks. “Edward's siblings are simply dying to meet you.”
There’s a scuffling noise in the background before a male voice stage-whispers, “Well, all except Rose.” Distant laughter. “Ow!” More laughter.
Bella comes back on. “Sorry, Mia,” she apologises. “I'm with them right now.”
“Who was that?” asks Hermione, amusement lacing her tone.
“That was Emmett,” sighs Bella. “Here with me is Emmett, the little kid brother, Alice, the fashionista, and Rosalie, the ice queen. Oh, and Edward’s here beside me. Jasper, the, uh, strict one, is somewhere.”
Hermione laughs. “They sound very interesting.”
“I can't wait until you arrive!” squeals Bella. “It's going to be so much fun! We can dare one another to prank people and go on romps with Sam like we did in the old days!”
“Sam? Sam Uley?” a feminine voice questions haughtily. “What were you doing associating with that mutt?”
“Hermione!” Bella sounds a bit harried. “Sorry, someone else is calling. I'll call you back later, okay?”
“Sure,” Hermione says, bemused. “Talk to you later, Bells.”
Click.
•
“Why were you with Sam Uley?” Rosalie demands as soon as Bella hangs up.
“We were friends,” shrugs the brunette. “Mia's a closer friend of his than I am, but we still had fun together.”
Edward had been staying quiet, but now he speaks up: “I don't want you seeing him.”
Bella's eyes widen and she scowls. “You can't control me, Edward! I'm my own person, and Sam wouldn't hurt me.”
“You don't know that,” argues Edward. Rosalie, Alice, and Emmett exchange glances and sidle out of the room. Edward and Bella don’t even notice. “He's a mutt, Bella. You know they can't be trusted!”
“No,” says Bella, “all I know is that you're acting immaturely and out of jealousy.” She shakes her head and gets up. “I can understand your concern about the other members of the pack, but Sam's a friend. Besides, he knows Hermione would kill anyone who hurts me or anyone else she loves.” She laughs lightly; Edward doesn’t.
The vampires listening from the other room turn to one another with the same thought. Kill?