Disclaimer: I own nothing, the rights to Twilight and Harry Potter belong to Stephanie Meyer and J. K. Rowling respectively.

Hermione enjoyed her job at the DRCMC. That is, the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Every day was a challenge, but she felt she was really making a difference. Heaven knows she didn't want to stagnate in the post-war world, and only be known as the Chosen One's muggle-born sidekick. And really, between the werewolf rights laws she had gotten passed and the official founding of S. P. E. W., she felt that she had left her mark on the world. In a good way.

That being said, trekking through a large, obscure patch of woods in the pre-dawn darkness was not in the job description.

Hermione cursed as she tripped over yet another raised root on the forest floor.

"Language!" Harry called from where he was leading, up ahead. His wand was out, a soft lumos lighting their way through the dim light.

Hermione huffed, aiming a glare at Harry's back. Ron chuckled, backtracking a foot or so and offering a hand to help Hermione up. Hermione accepted it gratefully, and he hauled her to her feet. "Honestly," she groused, brushing herself off as best she could with just one hand. Her other hand had a firm grip on her wand. "Is it really necessary to have our wands out while we're wandering the woods? They're becoming more of a hazard than a help. I could poke my eye out if I fall again!"

"When you fall again," Ron grinned. Hermione cut her eyes at him.

Up ahead, Harry had stopped, crouched behind a bush. "It's absolutely necessary," he said to Hermione. "We need to be prepared for when we find the vampires." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Reminds you of old times, doesn't it?" Ron whispered.

"Old times?" A new voice joined in the conversation. Hermione jumped.

"Dammit, Malfoy," she hissed at the pale blond man smirking down at her. He had been so silent during their excursion that she had forgotten he was there. "A little warning next time?" Malfoy shrugged innocently.

"Almost like old times," Ron muttered. Hermione sighed.

"Oh, yes, I can see how this is exactly like old times for you three," Draco said as they caught up to Harry and joined him, crouching on the forest floor. "Chasing monsters through the woods, right?"

"Not quite," Harry mumbled, attempting to see through the bush.

"Vampires aren't monsters," Hermione stated. "We don't use that terminology anymore, they're simply called creatures -"

"Well, thank god you're here to remind us of the proper terminology," Draco sniped. "Why do we have a DRCMC paper pusher here anyways?"

"First of all, I'm not a paper pusher," Hermione began heatedly. "And second-"

"Because she knows the most about creatures in that department, and she's the only one qualified to go on a mission like this," Harry interrupted before the argument could gain any more steam.

"Yeah," Ron said slowly. "It's a collaborative effort. Small sting operation. Aurors don't usually handle this sort of stuff but…" Ron shrugged.

"But these vampires are unusual, or so we've been told," Harry said. "They live amongst muggles, and display a few – er - oddities."

"I'm sure we're all dying to meet these creatures," Draco said flatly. "Now, why are we sitting in the muck?"

Hermione turned to Harry, her knees squelching in the mud. The man had to suppress a laugh. The look she gave him clearly transmitted, 'let's get this over with before I accidentally murder Malfoy.'

"It's a stake-out, of sorts," Harry said, clearing his throat. "The vampires live about a kilometer that way." Harry pointed west.

"A cabin in the woods," Draco muttered. "How fitting."

Harry raised his eyebrows. Draco, meeting his eyes, ducked his head and looked away. "Sorry, sorry, continue on, Potter."

"Anyways," Harry continued, "Our scouts in the town, which is another six kilometers that way -" he pointed east "-report that the bloodsuckers convene in the forest to, it appears, hunt."

"Vampires," Hermione mumbled. "Not bloodsuckers."

Harry winced. "Right, sorry."

Draco let out a long suffering sigh. "So, what, we hide behind a bush until the vamps conveniently appear in that clearing?"

Harry rolled his eyes at Draco's sneer. "They'll show up," Harry assured the group.

Ron snorted. "And if not, we all get to go home, right?"

Hermione was peering through the bush again, ignoring her company. Reaching back without looking, she waved her hand behind her in their faces. "I think someone's coming," she shushed them.

All three of them quieted, and silently peered through the bush over her shoulder. They didn't have to wait long. A few milliseconds after Hermione's warning, two blurs shot into the clearing. They slowed to a stop faster than should be possible, revealing two beings who appeared to be in their late teens. The male, who had shining copper hair, wrapped his arms around the shorter female and swung her in a circle.

"Wow," Ron whispered. Hermione sighed, expecting some sort of comment on how stunningly gorgeous the girl was. Instead, Ron commented, "They're paler than you are, Malfoy."

"Shut up," the blond grumbled.

"I don't know, Ron," Harry teased. "He might be just as pale. Are you sure you're not one of them, Draco?"

"Yes," Draco sneered. He directed their attention back to the clearing. "I don't do that."

Hermione gasped. While their small group had been otherwise occupied, the sun had come out from behind the clouds. Now, the light was catching on the vampires' skin, and the two were glowing like a pair of diamonds in the sun.

"How…" Harry trailed off.

Hermione shook her head. "I've never come across anything that does that."

They sat for a few moments, just watching. Then, Harry made to get up.

"Wait," Hermione stopped him, a hand on his sleeve. Her brow furrowed. "I think they're talking."

The four of them strained to listen.

"Bella," the male said, "Stay here. I think there's someone-"

Suddenly, a voice came from right behind the group of wizards. "Hello."

Hermione let out an undignified shriek (although that sound may have been Draco) and whipped around, wand out and a protege on her lips.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted ineffectively. The spell hit the person behind them, and sent her stumbling back against a...wolf? Hermione blinked in confusion. Before her was a beautiful young lady, who looked as if some divine being had combined the best features of the vampires in the clearing into one person.

Faster than Hermione could blink, the other two vampires were in front of them. The female was immediately at the wolf's side, fawning over the girl, while the male took up a protective stance in front of the two of them.

Hermione took a shaky breath, trying not to be dazzled by the male's otherworldly beauty or his deadly snarl. Glancing to either side of her, she sighed as she saw her three companions were in full Auror-mode, wands at the ready. Hermione let out a breath, and lowered her wand.

"Let's all calm down a little bit, shall we?" she said. Taking a step forward, she addressed the male. "My name is Hermione Granger, with the DRCMC. I assume you can understand me?"

"Of course we can understand you," the female blinked. "What do you think we are?"

"Vampires," Draco sneered. He hadn't relaxed his protective stance. Hermione raised her eyebrows, but didn't call attention to how he had edged his way in between the vampires and Harry.

The male suddenly straightened, a confused look on his face. "You...know?"

"Of course we know," Harry said, pushing his way past Draco. "We're with the Ministry of Magic. I'm Head Auror Harry Potter, and these are Aurors Weasley and Malfoy."

"Private consultant," Malfoy corrected him. Harry ignored him.

The three vampires exchanged a look, and the wolf snorted. "I'm Bella," the brunette said slowly, "And this is my husband Edward and our daughter, Renesmee. And – I'm sorry, but was any of what you just said supposed to mean anything to me?"

"Do you work for the Volturi?" Edward asked, eyes flashing.

"Nope – they're definitely human," Renesmee muttered, sniffing the air.

"The Volturi could have hired humans," Bella contributed.

"Is no one going to comment on the fact that these super-hot teenagers claimed the third teenager as their daughter?" Draco asked loudly. The vampires stopped talking and just looked at him for a moment.

"Oh," Bella snorted a laugh. "I forget how confusing this can all be."

"Why don't you put down your sticks, and we can talk," Edward proposed. The wolf, who Renesmee was still leaning on, snarled.

"Shhh," the girl hushed the wolf, playing with the fur on his back. "They're all right."

"We'll put our wands down, if you call your pet wolf off," Ron said.

The wolf yapped an enraged bark, and the vampires laughed. "He's not our pet," Bella said in between giggles. "But why don't you go change, Jacob."

Renesmee patted the wolf on the head, and it sullenly jogged off into the woods. The Aurors kept their wands trained in the direction it disappeared.

"What – it – it's just gone?"

"It takes a moment," Renesmee said, smiling sweetly at Hermione.

Hermione shuddered.

After a few awkward moments with both groups doing their level best to avoid staring at the other (and failing miserably), a man with tanned skin and shaggy hair loped into the clearing. Hermione's breath caught in her throat as her gaze swept over his perfectly shaped abdominal muscles. But just a glance was enough to see the hard, bitter, resigned look on his face. And she knew that this man was the wolf.

"Are you a werewolf?" she blurted out. The man didn't even spare her a glance, shrugging her question off.

"That's not possible," Ron said. "Werewolves only shift during the full moon."

The human wolf snorted. "Jacob," Bella said, placing a hand on his arm as he slowed to a stop between her and her alleged daughter.

"It's not," Ron said stubbornly. Draco and Harry exchanged a glance, silently agreeing with Ron.

"Anything is possible," Edward said, eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled congenially. "Our cabin is a little way that way. Why don't you come with us? You can meet the rest of our family, and we can answer any questions you have."

It was so quiet, Hermione could almost hear the crickets chirping. She surveyed the supernatural creatures in front of her. Edward and Bella were relaxed, his arm around her, smiling angelically. Renesmee leaned her cheek on her mom's shoulder, a matching smile on her face and her brown eyes ridiculously dewy. And Jacob…Jacob stood, his arms folded, stubbornly glaring straight at Hermione.

Harry tapped Hermione's shoulder, and she was suddenly aware of the men crowding around her.

"What do you think?" Harry asked softly in her ear. Hermione shook her head.

"I think they're insane," she whispered. "But we've got to have something to put in our report when we return home."

Draco and Ron huffed a laugh, then glared at each other.

Hermione allowed a small smile through at the familiar animosity between the two. Then, squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath.

"Let's go meet this family."