Harry stared up at the building in front of him. He could do this. It was just like Hogwarts. Only this time it would be school without the magic, without his friends and without everyone knowing him or about him. All he needed to do was gather his Gryffindor courage, which he knew was still somewhere inside him, and step inside the building. Why then, were his feet not moving?
It had only been a few months since he had been expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry after defeating the most powerful Dark Wizard of their time. Even though Death Eaters were probably still after him for killing their precious Lord he had left his relatives house, leaving the protection it still gave him and moved to America. He was tired of the wizarding world, especially after it had betrayed him over and over again.
After packing his few belongings and emptying one of the Potter faults he left to start a new life in Forks, Washington. Deciding to live his life mostly as a muggle, he figured he shouldn’t give up his magic completely. In fact, he couldn’t give his magic up, even if he wanted to. It was still a big part of him and always would be. He had found a small wizarding community near Washington with a Witchcraft and Wizardry school and decided to sign up. Luckily it was a self-study school and most of the stuff he could learn from books. He would need to go to the magic school every Wednesday and if he needed more help he could go there whenever he wished to.
Trying to live his life as normal as he could, he had signed himself in for the local muggle high school. So, here he was, staring up at the big building in front of him, lacking his usual Gryffindor courage.
Taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes, he took a step forward. There, that wasn’t that scary, now was it? He gathered the rest of his courage and walked inside, finding his way to the front office where he would need to get his schedule.
As he passed the many students that had already arrived, he suddenly had a flashback back to his first time at Hogwarts. The first time he had entered the great hall with every student staring at him and his fellow first years. It was a feeling he hadn’t enjoyed back then. It was a feeling he still didn’t enjoy today.
Back then he hadn’t been completely alone though. He had met a friend on the train to Hogwarts, Ron, his very first friend…well besides Hagrid. For a second he wished his friends were now here beside him but the reminder of what they had done and said on that fateful day quickly replaced that.
Harry shook himself to clear his thoughts. He needed to find his first class. The woman at the front office had been very kind to him when she had handed him the information he needed to know. As he studied the schedule he was very grateful to Sirius for sending him all those muggle schoolbooks, which he had been studying during his fourth and fifth year. Not to mention grateful to Dudley’s not so obsession with books that gave him the opportunity to read them.
As he entered the classroom, he took a moment to study his surroundings. Well, he thought as he let his eyes slide over the many rows of tables; some with students behind them some still empty. So far it looks like Hogwarts.
When he handed the teacher his slip, he was told to find a seat. Luckily it was the beginning of the school year so many seats were still available and he found one in the middle. Not wanting to be at the front and his eyesight didn’t allow him to be in the back. He rolled his eyes as he heard the inquiring questions between his fellow classmates; he really didn’t like gossip.
Relief shot through him when the teacher started the class. All the gossiping had made him rather angry and he was afraid he’d lose his temper. He had felt his magic rising and it wouldn’t do to lose the control of his magic in a muggle school.
Luckily for Harry, the morning passed relatively fast. When he walked into the cafeteria he was quickly pulled towards a table. "Harry, right? I’m Sophia," a blonde girl asked him as she pulled him down into the seat beside her.
Not waiting for an answer the girl continued. "I’m in your Trig class," she smiled. "They are Jake and David. They are in your History class." She indicated the boys in front of her.
Harry nodded politely to them. He remembered seeing all three of them in at least one of his classes.
"You’re British, right?" The girl, Sophia, continued as she gently touched his shoulder.
Harry had always trusted his instincts and his instincts were telling him that he didn’t like this girl. He didn’t like the way she kept touching him. Not to mention she gave him the feeling everyone beside herself was beneath her. He gave a slight nod to her question when he realised she was waiting for an answer.
She went on talking about who everyone was; beginning with the people at this table.
Harry looked around the room and let his eyes fall on a small group that was away from the rest of the students, as if they were keeping their distance from everyone. There were plates in front of them but they weren’t touching it. Actually, it looked like they weren’t eating at all.
They’re not human, the thought shot through his head before he knew it. Gently shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he wasn’t going to be that bloke anymore. He wasn’t the Boy-Who-Lived anymore. For some reason he was drawn to the small group though and he took a moment to study them.
First there was the tall honey blonde boy, who looked like he was having a hard time being there. From what Harry could tell he was muscular but lean and it looked as if he was fighting his control.
Harry could relate to him. His control was already hanging by a tread as Sophia kept touching him. He tore his eyes away from the boy on the left and fixed his eyes on the girl next to him.
The only girl at the table was petite with short, spiky, black hair. He could only describe her as pixie-like. Their eyes locked and she gave him a short, encouraging smile, before turning away from him. He cracked a smile in return. She reminded him of Luna Lovegood, one of the only people who still believed in him.
Next was the boy on the right, sitting slightly away from the other two with this back to Harry. The boy had an unusual shade of bronze coloured hair that was messy, it reminded him of his own unruly hair.
The boy turned his head a little as he was talking to the blonde haired boy, giving Harry a profile view of him.
"Cedric," he gasped, as he took in the profile, but it couldn’t be! Cedric was dead. Cedric had died in front of him. The last time he had seen him was when he was dragged away from his lifeless body. The memory was still fresh in his mind and it still hurt to even think about it.
Just as the memory was about to take over the boy turned to him. He could see that, although the boy’s profile reminded him of Cedric, they were nothing alike. The boy had high cheekbones, a strong jaw-line and full lips. If there was one word Harry needed to describe him with it was ‘gorgeous’.
They did share the high cheekbones and the strong jaw-line but the difference was that Cedric had a more boyish look over him, while this boy was more sullen.
The boy and he locked eyes and suddenly he could feel his magic cackling around him. His heart sped up and his palms became sweaty. He had to close his eyes to regain control of his magic and looked down at his plate. He couldn’t risk being found out not to mention he couldn’t risk hurting any of the muggles here.
"They are the Cullens," Sophia told him after she caught him staring at them. "Jasper Hale, Alice Cullen and Edward Cullen."
Cullen? Are they Esme’s children? He thought as the name was said.
Harry opened his eyes and turned to her. "They are all together though," Sophia continued when she noticed he gave her his attention. "Jasper and Alice, they have another sister and brother, Emmett and Rosalie, who are also together." Harry could hear the slight disgust in her voice. "It’s just filthy! They are siblings for crying out loud."
Harry shot another look at the Cullens before turning back to Sophia. "They don’t look related."
Sophie shot a glare at the Cullens. What made the Cullens so intriguing to the new kid? What did they have that she didn’t have? "No, they are all adopted," she continued as she turned back to Harry, she was going to get his attention one way or another. "Mrs. Cullen and Doctor Cullen adopted them. They are rather young themselves, like in their late twenties or something."
"That’s very considerate of them, to take in children when they are so young themselves," Harry observed as he again shot a look at the Cullen siblings.
"I guess," Sophia agreed and Harry could see she was trying to find something that would make him think less of them. "Mrs. Cullen can’t have any children though…"
What else she was going to say was cut off by Harry as he shot up. "That is not my business or yours for that matter to know." He was trying hard to control his magic. "I happen to have met Mrs. Cullen and she seemed like a very kind woman. It’s a shame that someone as sweet as her can’t have any children but I am certain she wouldn’t like it that you gossip about her as you do." Harry gathered his things before turning back to Sophia. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to sit away from you to finish my lunch in silence."
He left, leaving the rest of the students gaping after him. Throwing his plate down on a table outside, grateful that it was a bright day, he sat down. One thing he hated was when people talked shit about other people, especially his friends.
Finishing his lunch quickly, he left and hurried to his next class. If he wasn’t being gaped at before he definitely was now. He went from the nice British new guy to the arrogant snotty new guy. It didn’t matter to him what they thought. As long as they weren’t in his face he could deal with anything.
~*~*~*~*~
At the other side of the cafeteria, sitting far away from everyone else were the Cullens. Although it looked like they weren’t interested in anything around them. Truth was they noticed everything. From the lover’s spat in the kitchen to the new kid entering the cafeteria and being dragged away toward the junior’s popular table.
The youngest one of them all could hear the nervous thoughts of the new kid loud and clear over the noisy cafeteria. He cringed as he heard the stupid question from the girl.
"He’s being asked if he’s British," he informed his siblings when he read the question in their minds.
He went stiff as he read the thought. "He knows we’re not human."
"Does he know what we are?" his sister asked him.
"He isn’t letting himself think about that. His thoughts are a little weird," he admitted.
"He doesn’t like it when she keeps touching him."
Alice felt someone staring at her and looked over at the new kid. She gave him an encouraging smile hoping it would ease his nerves a little. Jasper had told her earlier how nervous the new kid was. It had been overwhelming for him.
What’s he thinking about. His emotions tell me that he’s curious but cautious, Jasper thought.
Edward turned to face his brother. "He’s taking our appearance in."
Edward turned to the new kid when he read the name in the new kid’s thoughts. His eyes locked with emerald green ones. Those eyes, that reminded himself so much of his own a long time ago, called to him. The eye connection was broken, when the new kid closed his eyes and lowered his head. His thoughts were strange. Magic? Who was this new kid?
"Looks like Sophia noticed him staring at us," Alice announced when they heard her introducing them.
"He knows Esme," Edward announced as he read the name in the new kid’s thoughts.
Three vampires growled when the gossip turned to their mother but shock took over when the new kid shot her down.
They were amazed as they watched the new kid walk away, fuming.
I like him, his sister’s thoughts filled his head. Edward turned to the new kid again and had to agree. There was something he liked about the new kid and he wanted to find out more about him.
Yet, something kept him away, made him keep his distance. The sigh didn’t go unnoticed by his two siblings but luckily for him they didn’t comment on it.
TBC
Harry was grateful school was over and quickly left, hoping not to bump into anyone. He had just faced one day of muggle high school and he already hated it. Within the hour he was safely back at his new home, since he didn’t own a driver’s license, or a bike for that matter, he had to walk.
"How’s my little man," he asked his son as he walked inside the living room. Looking over at his son to see if he was all right, he smiled when he noticed the babe was asleep. His son always had the same effect on him; making him smile no matter how horrid the day had been. He carefully placed a kiss on top of his son’s head before he turned to the woman besides him.
"He hasn’t been much trouble, has he?" It had been hard to leave him in that morning, as it had been in previous mornings, but he knew he would need a muggle high school diploma if he was ever going to live in the muggle world. If he was going to pull this off he needed someone to babysit his son. Luckily he had met Esme Cullen.
Not long after he’d moved into Forks he’d taken a shopping trip to buy some much needed baby supplies, since he’d never bought any baby supplies before he’d been pacing up and down the different aisles in one of the baby shops when the woman had come in and helped him out. Apparently, she’d been watching him pace up and down, looking distraught, and no one else in the shop was willing to help him; so her compassion had told her to help the young man out.
She had walked up to him and asked if everything was all right. Everything had fallen into place at that moment; however, while his instincts told him to trust her, his mind wanted to rebel.
The minute he shook her hand, he knew she wasn’t human. It wasn’t every day that he met a beautiful, cold skinned, ageless woman. His first thought was that she was a Veela, but knew the coldness of her skin didn’t fit the description of one. Thinking of all the creatures he could, he cross referenced everything he knew about her, and had landed on vampire. While his mind told him vampires were dangerous, his instincts told him to look her in the eyes.
When he finally managed to look into her eyes, he found something strange. A vampire’s eyes were usually red; yet hers were topaz, which could only mean she didn’t feed on human blood, instead she chose, willingly, to consume animal blood.
Harry had spent a few days with her when she had offered to babysit for him but before he could come to a decision she voluntarily told him she was a vampire. He had been beyond grateful to her that she confided in him, and in return told her that his son and he were wizards. After he’d confided in her he’d agreed she could babysit his son while he was at school.
"No, not at all. He’s a sweet little angel," Esme answered his previous question, bringing him out of his memories, as she smiled up at the wizard.
"Thank you for watching him. I don’t know what I would have done if…" he stopped, not being able to finish.
"How was your first day at school," she asked him changing the subject.
"Horrible," Harry said as he sank into the couch. He noticed Esme’s raised eyebrow and continued. "This girl said something horrible about you and I blew up in her face."
"What did she say?" Esme sat down on the opposite chair.
"Just stuff…" Harry was reluctant to tell her what was said but continued after a look from her. "She told me all your children were together, that they were adopted and that you can’t have any children, like that makes you less of a great mom."
"People will always gossip, Harrison," she gently told him. "But I’m grateful you stood up for me."
"Someone needed to tell her to shut up," he noticed Esme’s small smile. "Not that I actually said that," he mumbled slightly embarrassed.
Esme gave him another sweet smile. "Do you have any homework?"
"Just an English report," C.J. cried out when he woke up and Harry was beside him in an instant. He carefully lifted him from his crib and hugged him close to calm him down.
"I swear, what kind of teacher gives homework on the first day of school?" he said as C.J. took hold of his finger as he began to calm down.
"Why don’t you give C.J. to me, then you can finish your homework and have the rest of the evening to yourself?"
"That is a good idea, actually."
~*~*~*~*~
Harry settled into his new life at Forks pretty easily. Esme had most definitely been a great help to him; when he went to the muggle high school and every Wednesday when he went to magic school she would baby sit C.J. Everything was turning out great.
Well, except for the fact that C.J. was currently throwing up over his shoulder. He had been sick since last night and it was only getting worse. He kept trying to calm his son down but to no avail. "Shh, little man, you’re okay," he kept repeating over and over.
Not knowing what else to try to bring the fever down he called Esme. Unfortunately someone else picked up the phone. "Cullen residence," was said into the receiver.
"Yeah, this is Harrison; I need to speak with Esme Cullen. It’s important," his voice was desperate but he tried to calm himself down. It wouldn’t do to go into hysterics on the phone with a stranger.
"She isn’t here right now," a soft, concerned voice said on the other line. "Is there something I can do to help?"
"No, I mean, I really need Esme." He was confidant that Esme would know what to do. Even though she was a vampire she tended to know a lot about babies. His thoughts were broken when C.J.’s cries kept growing louder and louder.
"What’s wrong?" The persistent sounding voice, which combined with the increasing volume of his son’s cries finally made him cave in.
"It’s my son," he began. "He’s sick. He doesn’t want to eat, cries all the time and tends to throw up a lot, well more than normal, and he feels hot. I don’t know what to do…"
"Calm down, son. My name’s Carlisle Cullen, I’m Esme’s husband and I’m a doctor. Maybe I can help?" On the other line Carlisle could here the cries of the child so clear that he didn’t even need his enhanced vampire hearing. His wife had talked about the wizard she was babysitting for. He had to admit that he was intrigued by the young man and had wanted to meet him but not under these circumstances.
"Doctor? Yeah, I guess." The relief didn’t go unnoticed by Carlisle.
"All right, Harrison, listen to me. You need to calm down. I’ll be there in 10 minutes." He knew where the young man lived, his wife had told him in case of an emergency.
"Yeah, okay." Harry hang up the phone and started pacing as he tried to calm his son down. "You’re going to be okay," he repeated once more. He was slowly losing his mind; he didn’t know what to do. He was a wizard yet he couldn’t use any magic to help his son. He hated the underage law. Not to mention that they would be able to track him if he used his magic.
How did muggles do it? How, without the help of magic, did they raise their children without freaking out? Or maybe they did… but knew what to do under these circumstances.
He kissed the head of his son once more as he prayed the doctor would hurry up already. It took the man exactly ten minutes to arrive, just like he had said. Harry quickly walked over to the door and opened it, relief shooting through him when he saw the vampire doctor.
"You must be Harrison, I’m Carlisle and this is my daughter Rosalie. This must be C.J." The man smiled down at them, hoping to calm the young man down. "May I?"
"Yeah, yeah," Harry gently handed C.J. to Carlisle. "Will he be okay?"
"Why don’t you let Carlisle check him over," the woman, Rosalie told him.
Harry finally looked at the woman and took in her appearance. She was beautiful, like a goddess. She had shoulder length blonde hair, a stern but gentle face and very kind eyes. He nodded at her in appreciation and thanks.
"Why don’t I make you some tea?" It wasn’t normal for Rosalie to warm up to a human easily, especially not after the incident with her brother. However, the young man, who was practically freaking out about his son, had somehow reserved a place in her dark cold heart. She’d felt a strong pull to the wizard. A look shared with her vampire father told her he’d felt it too. She now understood her vampire mother when she’d said there was something different about the wizard, something that had drawn her in.
Harry sat down while keeping his eyes trained on his son and the doctor, who had place C.J. on the dinner table so he could check him over. "Thank you," Harry said to Rosalie when she handed him a cup of tea and sat down next to him; hoping her presence would somehow calm him down, even if only a little.
The silence that fell over the house was deafening. The only sounds that were heard were the soft cries from the young child. It took Carlisle half an hour to check C.J. over. When he was done he handed C.J. back to Harry, who immediately hugged him close to his chest.
"He has a fever and had some kind of fibre stuck in the back of his throat," Carlisle stopped seeing Harrison’s horrified look.
"He had…" Harry stopped, shocked. "I’m a bad father…how could I let this happen?"
"Harrison, you are not to blame. These things happen. You couldn’t have know," Carlisle tried to reassure him but wasn’t successful. The young man started pacing, rambling about what a bad father he was.
Carlisle placed his hands on the young man’s shoulders to stop him and looked into his eyes. "Harrison, listen to me," he began. "You are not a bad father. It sometimes happens that a baby ingests a fibre. Usually they end up in their stomachs but sometimes they get stuck in the back of their throats. This doesn’t make you a bad parent. These things happen naturally and to the best of people. The fibre had been deep in his throat; which irritated the area and caused an infection. It also made his gag-reflexes act up, and that is why he’s been vomiting so much. The fibre has already been dislodged, normally it happens naturally but sometimes the body helps more, such as with C.J. If his fever doesn’t break tomorrow you’ll need to take him to the hospital."
Once more the young man looked up at him shocked. "This is just a precaution, nothing to fear about. All you need to do tonight is keep his temperature down and make sure he’ll eat something tomorrow. I don’t want to risk it tonight with his throat being so raw."
Harry looked up into the concerned eyes of the older man. It was in that moment he remembered that the Cullens were vampires, though he had registered it earlier, it wasn’t until his anxiety and fear were going away that it came to the forefront of his mind. He pulled away from the vampire and nodded. "But he’s going to be okay?"
"I believe so, yes," Carlisle confirmed. "Just make sure he has a good night of sleep; all the crying has made him exhausted and further contributed to his throat being sore. Give him some fluids tomorrow, nothing heavy, and check to see if his fever has broken." Carlisle had noticed the boy’s reaction after his concerns for his son were seen to and gave him a sad smile. "Esme told me you were a little skittish about vampires."
Harry shook his head. "It’s not that. In fact, Esme’s the first vampire I’ve met. She explained you are vegetarians." He took a moment to recollect his thoughts. "It’s just that children get hurt, us mere mortals get hurt," he said signing between himself and his son. He looked up desperately into the vampire’s eyes. "I just don’t want to provoke you or any of your family members with our blood. Especially not since I’m the only one he has left."
Carlisle couldn’t help but smile at his words. "Harrison, I’m over 300 years old and have been a doctor for most of those years. I can assure you that I can control myself around yours or this little man’s blood." He gave another small smile as the young boy in Harrison’s arms let out a yawn. "And Rosalie has never hungered for human blood, never even tasted it. That is the reason I brought her with me."
Harry shook his head. "I’m sorry, I just…I…"
"We completely understand." Carlisle took in the appearance of the young man. "It looks like you could use a good night of sleep as well…"
"I do," Harry sighed. "C.J.’s been sick since yesterday evening and has kept me awoke most of the night." His eyes fell on his son noticing he was sound asleep. "I feel like I should have known something was bothering him…"
"No," Rosalie, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke, making him look at her. "Don’t blame yourself for this. As Carlisle said you did nothing wrong. These things happen. C.J. just happened to swallow a fibre which he couldn’t ingest."
Harry nodded his head in gratitude once more. No matter what they said, he still felt responsible. He and his son had a special bond. He should have known something had been bothering him…he should have!
"We shall leave you now so you and C.J. can get some rest," Carlisle tried to sound comforting. He could see the young man still blamed himself. Unfortunately there wasn’t a cure for feeling guilty, so there wasn’t anything he could do here anymore.
A slight case of panic shot through him. How could they just leave him alone after what he had done?
"Harrison," Rosalie took a step towards him. "If you want I can stay and look after C.J. while you rest."
Harry took a moment to consider this then nodded. Not only would it gave him some peace of mind he might be able to at least sleep through the night knowing someone was there to help him. "Sure, I’d like that. I’m in need of a good nights sleep and knowing someone’s here might help me fall asleep or at least stop me from worrying too much."
"Then it’s settled, Rosalie will stay here and if anything happens or if you’re just too worried call me." Carlisle said and the wizard nodded. He turned to his daughter. "I shall inform Emmett you won’t be coming home tonight."
"Thank you," Rosalie told him. Under any other circumstances her mate would be jealous but she was certain he’d understand.
The older vampire nodded before taking his leave.
"Why don’t I take him to bed?" Rosalie asked as she saw the fatigue in the wizard’s eyes when she turned back to him. Harry nodded and gently placed his son in the vampire’s arms and led Rosalie to C.J.‘s bedroom.
Rosalie gently placed the sleeping boy into his crib, covered him with a blanket and then kissed the top of his head.
The wizard stood in the door opening watching her. "You’re really good with him," he noted. "I take it vampires can’t have any children of their own."
"No, we cannot. It’s the one thing I regret about being a vampire."
"Yes, Esme has told me a little bit about you and your siblings. She said you are the one that regrets not being human anymore, more than the others do?"
"Yes," Rosalie’s answer was soft but honest. "I’d give anything to be human again."
It took Harry a second to come to a decision. "You know, whenever Esme’s busy, I guess you could help me out, when I need the help, that is. I mean, if you are available."
The slight flush that covered the human’s face was quite endearing. "I’d love to help out. Thank you." The gratitude shone in her eyes as they locked with the wizard’s. She may not be able to have children but she had a lot of love to give to a child and that Harrison was willing to let her help out meant the world to her.
Harry wasn’t quite sure what she was thanking him for but nodded, nonetheless. "I’m going to bed…" Questioning eyes fell on the vampire.
"I’ll watch over C.J." Rosalie confirmed.
Harry walked over to the crib, kissed his son on the forehead and then went to his own room. As soon as he fell onto the bed he was asleep and didn’t wake until the next afternoon.
TBC
Rosalie Hale was not a nice person, in fact most people thought of her as a bitch and described her as being tenacious, or pigheaded as her brother, Edward, liked to describe her. She firmly believed that humans shouldn’t know about the existence of vampires and had made that clear when her brother wanted to tell Bella Swan.
When it came to Harrison, her beliefs shifted. She didn’t know much about wizards and had never met anyone before Harrison but what she knew was that they knew about ‘magical creatures’ as they called vampires. It was because Harrison was a wizard that she didn’t mind him knowing about them. For some reason this revelation was quite liberating; now she could be herself without the risk of being found out.
All through the night she had kept watch over C.J. When the baby started stirring she would walk over to him, while usually using human speed, and sometimes she’d use her enhanced vampire speed, especially when he’d woke with a cry.
The one thing she wanted in her life was a baby of her own. Her hopes had been taken from her when she was turned into a vampire by Carlisle; she still hadn’t forgiven him for that. The only good thing that had come out of this all was the fact she’d met her mate, Emmett.
The baby stirred in his crib again and she rushed over to him. She checked his forehead and found him still warm. Although she had checked his temperature a few times during the night by placing her hand on his forehead, she was still amazed how her cold hands never affected the young boy. A normal person would flinch away, a baby might even freeze to death, but C.J. didn’t seem effected by her touch. Come to think about it, neither did Harrison. She remembered seeing Carlisle had placed his hands on the young man’s shoulder and he hadn’t flinched… Wondering what it meant, she reached for the thermometer and checked his temperature. It was still too high for her liking.
C.J. stared up at the woman before him; she wasn’t his Meme or his Dada. He cocked his head to try and figure out if he liked her.
“What are you doing, sweetie?” Rosalie asked as she saw him cock his head. She hoped it wasn’t another symptom he was developing. “Shall we get something to eat?” Not waiting for an answer she carefully picked him up, making sure to keep him wrapped in a blanket and slowly walked to the kitchen for a milk bottle she’d seen in the refrigerator earlier that evening.
The blonde woman held out his bottle after warming it and he let out a happy sound; something had irritated him last night and he wasn’t able to drink anything but now he was thirsty and she seemed to know what he liked. Smiling happily around the bottle, he decided he liked this woman. She was kind to him, had kind eyes and a nice voice. Also she had very fascinating hair, he reached out and grabbed a hand full to examine it more closely. Yes, he really liked this woman.
Rosalie smiled down at the child in her arms. If she had been human the tight grip the infant had on her hair would most likely hurt, luckily for him, she wasn’t human. The vampire was grateful C.J. had such a strong grip, it could only mean the fever wasn’t something serious but she knew, had he been her child, she’d still go to see a paediatrician, just to be sure.
When the infant finished his bottle, she carried him over to the couch and sat down, gently rocking him, hoping he’d fall asleep again. She looked down at him as she cherished this moment. Although she had been grateful to Harrison when he’d offered she could babysit, she wasn’t so certain it was the best idea. What if spending time with a baby fed her craving and then she’d one even more?
Looking at the peaceful face of the young boy in her arms made her realise it was worth it. She wanted to spend as much time as she could with him, for spending time with the baby made her feel whole, complete.
The vampire was pulled out of her musings when C.J. started crying. She gently rocked him, knowing there wasn’t much she could do to help him for his body was still fighting the infection. It took her a moment to calm him down and when he did he kept staring at her as if he was trying to tell her something.
Rosalie looked up when her enhanced hearing heard movement in Harrison’s room; C.J.’s cries must have woken him.
“Look who finally decided to join us, C.J.” The vampire said when Harrison entered the room.
“How is he?” Harry asked as he checked his son’s forehead, wincing when he noticed it was still too warm.
“His body’s fighting the infection,” was all Rosalie said as she handed him his son.
“I think I’ll take him to the hospital, that’s what your father said, right?”
“Yes,” the vampire confirmed. “You want me to come along with you?”
“That’s all right, I’m sure your mate’s waiting for you,” he smiled up at her. “Thank you for taking care of him tonight.
“It was my pleasure to watch over him for you. He really was no problem at all, and I would be very happy to watch over him some more if you need it.” She smiled down at the baby as she said this, truly meaning every word of it.
“Could you thank your father for me, I believe I forgot to do so last night?”
“I’m sure he knows how grateful you are but I shall tell him.” The vampire helped the wizard pack his baby bag before she turned to him again. “He’s been fed this morning and I changed his diaper.”
“Thank you,” Harry was very grateful Rosalie was able to watch over his son during the night. It had given him some time to regenerate his energy.
“If you need any help, don’t hesitate to call me.” She waited for Harrison’s nod. “I shall take my leave now, as you said my mate’s waiting for me and feels a little neglected.” Emmett had called her on her cell in the morning, asking what was keeping her. When she’d explained the situation, he’d been very understanding and told her he’d see her when she got back.
She gave C.J. a kiss on top of his head and Harrison an awkward hug before leaving the family alone.
“It’s just you and me again, little man,” Harry said to his son, who was studying him. “I better get you to the hospital.”
Harry stepped outside, carrying his son and realised how stupid it had been of him to send Rosalie away. He didn’t know where the hospital was, nor did he have a car; he’d have to take the bus.
It took him longer than an hour to arrive at the hospital; he’d stepped on the wrong bus once and the people kept complaining about the noise C.J. made. Grateful he’d finally arrived at the right destination, this time, he stepped inside. He searched for the right place and was lucky, for a paediatrician was ready to help him.
He followed the female doctor to a private examining room, where C.J. was thoroughly looked over. “You told me he had some fibre stuck in his throat?”
“Yes,” Harry replied. “Doctor Cullen was able to remove it and he told me that caused the infection.”
“Yes, well, Doctor Cullen isn’t a paediatrician,” was the curt reply.
“I know that,” Harry replied, a little annoyed. “That is why I came to the hospital.”
“His body’s fighting the infection and he should be fine within a week,” the paediatrician told him as he picked C.J. up. “Just make sure he drinks enough fluids.”
“Thank you,” Harry replied as the doctor handed him his son. “You’re going to be okay, aren’t you?” He asked his son as they left the room.
C.J. stared up at his daddy, happy to have left the room. He didn’t like that woman; she wasn’t nice to his daddy.
Harry didn’t like it that C.J. didn’t gave him a verbal response, normally he’d react to him verbally; maybe it was the fever? When he stepped outside the hospital he had come to a decision. Next Wednesday he’d go to pharmacy in the magical community and get some fever redundant potions.
~*~*~*~*~
The first Wednesday after C.J. had gotten sick; Harry was on his way to the magic school. He enjoyed how different this magic school was from Hogwarts; the classes are more advanced, there were fewer students and two teachers to a class, instead of one. Not to mention he was learning much more than he’d ever did at Hogwarts.
Harry closed his eyes as he stepped inside the grand building and took in the power surrounding him. How he missed practising his magic openly. He was so ready to use his magic again. Although he had some experience in not using his magic, practising this at his relative’s house over the summers, this past week had really torn at his control. Not being able to perform a simple scanning spell to check his son’s health had really bothered him.
Now that he was in the magical community, he was going to get some potions. So, he wouldn’t have to go through that again. That way, when C.J. would get a fever, he could administer the potion and cure whatever was ailing him.
The halls of the magic school were filled with students; some were hexing each other while other talked about the latest gossip. Harry didn’t have any friends here; he wasn’t going to let himself make friends. He would hang out with his classmates when he was at magic school but that was all.
He walked over to his first class, and sat down at his usual seat and took his wand out; they would be duelling in this class. He loved duelling; it was a great way to let loose his frustration.
The first time he had arrived at this school he had told the headmaster that he was a fugitive in Britain and didn’t want to be tracked. The headmaster, who was willing to give anyone a second chance, had told him that the school was warded against magical tracking; he could freely practise his magic without the fear of getting caught.
The class filled with the students and started not long after but not before one of the teachers cast a spell to send the chairs and tables against the wall. Harry was paired with a boy almost twice his size. They bowed, turned around and took 5 steps before turning back again. He was able to dodge the first hex and fired of a stunning spell of his own. The boy was much more experienced in formal duels than he was but he was faster and able to block most of the hexes thrown at him; not to mention he had experience in informal duels.
The dual went on for a good hour; both of them were getting tired. Harry was hit with a painful spell in the arm and almost wanted to fire off a more dangerous spell, which he had picked up while duelling Voldemort, but he’d caught himself just in time and bit his tongue; it resulted in him being hit with an immobilize spell, ending the duel.
“Good duel,” the boy, Harry had forgotten his name, said to him.
“Yes, you are rather good,” Harry told him.
“You are good yourself,” he replied. “When did you learn this?”
“Oh, you know, at my previous school,” Harry replied, he wasn’t about to get into detail how he learned his duelling skills while duelling the most powerful dark lord of their time.
The mediwitch came over to go over the curses the duellists had been inflected with and to cure any effects that lingered
Harry had been grateful for this exercise, not only had he been able to test his duelling skills, he’d been able to lose some of his frustrations, from worrying over his son. He was glad to get rid of it, if only for a little while.
Harry hadn’t noticed that he and the boy had been the last two who were still duelling and most of their classmates had gone over to watch them. Being surrounded by all these people was making him nervous; he could hear the gossip mill starting up. Most of them were wondering how he had learned to duel like that, for it was known that the magic practised at Hogwarts wasn’t as advanced as in America. They tended to keep their youngest more in control while in America they felt they should know all there is to know.
He was grateful when the mediwitch gave him the ok and left for his next class: Wandless Magic. He’d been amazed how often they used wandless magic in America. Simple spells could be produced with wandless magic; only when the spell would be more advanced, often they were more dangerous, and would subsequently use their wand.
Harry had to start with the basics, for he had never used wandless magic on control before. He knew he could do it, how else do you explain those ‘incidents’ that had happened in the past; like when the glass disappeared in the zoo or his hair had grown back when his aunt had cut it too short. He loved the idea; it made him feel more in control.
Since the beginning of his fifth year he’d felt a little restraint while practising with his wand, like his wand was used to limit his magic instead of producing it to its maximum limit.
He was now learning how to tap into his core, releasing his magic little by little. If he kept this up he could practise magic at home, without the use of his wand.
After this class he had Glamours and Charms; a way to blend in with the muggles, and Warding Magic after that. He still had to get used to the teaching here but he was certain he’d be able to get a hand on things soon. He had to study these classes in the first semester, the next three semesters he would have different classes.
When his classes were over he packed his bag and quickly left; hoping the pharmacy was still open. He found one open and went inside. “Hello, may I help you?” the woman at the counter asked.
“Yes, do you have any fever reducing potion that work on babies?” Harry asked. He knew that normal fever reducing potions were way too strong for someone as young as C.J..
“Yes of course,” the woman behind the counter was way too cheery for Harry’s liking. She walked away from the counter and got some potions. “How much do you want?”
“Uh, two should be fine,” he figured he could administer one and have one spare. “I can give him this right away?”
“Yes, of course,” the woman behind the counter repeated.
Harry paid for the potions and quickly left. Something about this didn’t feel right… When he got home he was going to test the potions before administering them to his son. He wasn’t about to risk his C.J.’s life.
When he got home, he tested the potion, before greeting the two people in the living room, and found out that, although it wasn’t the potion he’d wanted, it was harmless. Harry shook his head after he found out the results, were some people really that desperate to get money? They had to make fake potions? He would have to see about investing in his own cauldron or his potion professor so they could make the proper medicine for his son.
He sighed and went to spend the rest of the evening with his son.
TBC
It wasn't until November, about four months after he had moved to Forks, that he saw a werewolf; not in his werewolf form but in his human form. He and Esme were taking C.J. shopping, for he had, once more, grown out of his clothes. "If he keeps this up he'll be taller than me in a year or so," Harry joked to Esme as they entered the shop.
Harry wasn't the tallest person around. In fact, even though he was sixteen years old, he looked like he was only fourteen, since he was about five foot seven inches tall and rather thin. Esme had suspected that he had not been properly nourished for some time, but he'd never confided in her so she could only guess.
As she was about to reply a strange scent caught her attention. Trying to distinguish where it was coming from, she scanned her surroundings. Her eyes locked on a couple that were smiling at each other. A growl erupted from her throat, making Harry turn to her in bewilderment.
"What's wrong?" he asked concerned, placing a hand on her shoulder, hoping it would calm her down.
"Dogs," she growled once more, ever since the incident with one of them and her son, she wasn't fond of them, she may even go as far as to say she hated them. It was as if the couple heard them for they turned around and locked eyes with Esme.
"I take it you do not mean those fluffy little puppy dogs?" Harry asked again before following her stare. He saw a normal looking couple trying to help one of their friends pick up some clothing for a child. Yet there was something off, somehow the way the man was holding himself bugged him. The thought of his old Defence against the Dark Arts professor suddenly came to mind. "Werewolves?" he wondered, aloud.
The only answer he got was a growl from the vampire beside him, whose eyes were still locked on the pair.
"I take it you don't like werewolves?"
"No, especially not after…" Esme began but cut herself off.
"After what?" Harry inquired, curiously.
"It is not my story to tell. Let's just say that we don't like one another." She looked over at the woman with them and Harry followed her gaze. "That's Bella Swan, she's the only human, besides you, that knows about us."
"I thought humans weren't supposed to know about vampires?" At Hogwarts Harry had been studying vampires. One of the things mentioned was that it was against vampire law to allow muggles the knowledge of their existence.
"Yes," she only replied before selecting another outfit and showing it to Harry. "What about this one?"
"You do know that you are spoiling him, don't you?" Harry didn't mind the subtle subject change. "I don't want to buy a whole lot of clothes, though. He will grow out of them within a second."
"That's what children do. They grow up." Esme selected another outfit and some toys before they walked to the counter to pay for their items. "Besides, I love spoiling him."
"Can't he just stay a baby forever?" Harry pouted as he looked from his son to the vampire. "I don't ever want him to grow up…" He ruffled the child's hair, who smiled up at him.
"Unfortunately, that is something you can't control." Esme smiled down at the pair and paid for the items.
Harry sighed as he followed the vampire out of the shop. "I guess I'm just worrying about his magic," he confided in her. "The only reason I'm trying to graduate from Magic School a year earlier is so that I can do magic around him and be able to teach him how to control it."
"What happens when you don't graduate?" Esme inquired, curiously.
Harry shook his head. "If I don't graduate and I use my magic, they could take him away from me…"
"Why? I mean, you said that you were raised by, what did you call them? Muggles?" Esme was shocked. How could they even consider taking away a child from his parents?
"This is only if I don't graduate and use my magic. It's illegal to use magic when you are not authorized to do so; like an under aged wizard or witch, or when you haven't graduated from a magic school." They had arrived at a small restaurant and sat down at one of the tables. "Which is one of the reasons I moved to America," Harry stopped a moment to give his order and was slightly amused when Esme ordered the same thing, as if to blend in better. "In Britain all under aged wizards and witches are closely watched by the ministry. If you are underage and you use your magic, they can expel you and break your wand, ensuring you'll never be able to use your magic again." Harry stopped a moment as his memories brought him back to the first time he met Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper turned professor, who had embedded the pieces of his wand into an umbrella.
"In America they have different rules. You are allowed to use magic in your own home, as long as there are no muggles around. When you have graduated, and it doesn't matter what age you are, you are allowed to use magic outside of your home, for example in the wizarding community. It is still advised not to use magic in front of a muggle but sometimes you have no other choice and depending on the situation the muggle's memories will be erased or he'll need to take an oath never to tell anyone what he has seen.'
"Most schools in America are also willing to give you a second chance. It doesn't matter whether you've been expelled from your old school or not." Harry had been lucky enough to have been told about that law in America, if he hadn't he never would have been able to practice his magic again and that was a sacrifice he wasn't willing to make.
"That sounds reasonable. Why were you expelled from your old school?" Harrison had told her that he was expelled from his old school before but never told her why.
"I did what was expected of me and was tossed out as soon as the problem was over," Harry replied, vaguely and took a bite of his sandwich. He shot one look at the vampire and knew he should elaborate.
"A wizard tried to kill me for about 14 years of my life. In my fifth year he lured me somewhere and we ended up duelling; it resulted in his death, with me killing him." Harry looked up into Esme's sweet eyes, trying to reassure himself that she wouldn't turn away from him now that he had admitted he was a murderer. "They expelled me because I used magic outside of school and was underage. Also because they feared I would become the next dark lord. All I did was rid the world of someone they trained me to kill and when I finished the job, they kicked me out."
"I don't understand," Esme interrupted him. "This man was trying to kill you and you got expelled for trying to stay alive?"
"Yes," Harry admitted. "All they saw was the next Dark Lord and they wanted to prevent me from becoming one. They expelled me and were about to break my wand but I got away and fled." Harry sighed as the events of that day took over. "All I ever tried to be was what they wanted me to be. The Boy-Who-Lived, the hero of the wizarding world, the one who'd defeat Voldemort, and when I did they cast me out."
"How dare they?" Esme was angry.
"That was my life at Hogwarts," Harry gave Esme a small smile. He had long ago learned not to trust anyone. "One moment I'm their hero and the next I'm the bad guy. You could say I've gotten quite used to it by now. It's one of the reason's they don't know I have a son…" he hadn't wanted to say that last bit. Not yet wanting her to know everything about him. "But you know, it's not like I'm going back there. The moment I set foot in Britain I could get sent to Azkaban." At Esme's blank look he clarified. "Prison."
"What about friends?" Esme asked. "Did you have friends at this Hogwarts?"
"I did," Harry replied, not wanting to elaborate and Esme dropped the subject. "We should get back, C.J.'s rather tired." They paid the bill, packed their stuff and left for Harry's house. "I'll see you on Monday, then?" After Esme's curt nod she left the small family alone.
~*~*~*~*~
Monday came sooner than Harry would have liked. He was still rather tired from his shopping trip with Esme and had wanted to stay in bed longer. Unfortunately, Forks was but a small town and didn't have a bus that would take him to school, and since he didn't own a car, or a bike for that matter, he had to wake up earlier than most so he could walk to school.
He walked over to C.J.'s room to check on him. "Hello, little man. Already awake?" he asked him when he saw the grey eyes looking up at him.
C.J. smiled happily when he heard his daddy's voice.
"Shall we get some breakfast?" A happy sound was heard from the child as Harry went to pick him up. "Okay, let's put you here." He sat C.J. down in one of the baby chairs. "So, what do you want for breakfast? Pizza? Ice cream? Milk?" He got out a bottle of milk and walked over to his son.
A dizzy spell took over him and the last thing he remembered was falling down.
Esme Cullen walked into Harrison's house using the spare key the wizard had given her. "Harrison?" she called out. She heard C.J.'s cries and rushed into the kitchen. She saw the child in his chair and quickly picked him up trying to calm him down. "Where's your fath…?" she wasn't able to finish her question when she saw Harrison lying unconscious on the floor.
"Harrison?" she kneeled down and listened for a pulse when she heard one she reached for the phone; ready to call 911 or her husband, she hadn't decided yet when Harrison stirred and moaned.
"Harrison, are you okay?" She asked concerned as she helped him sit up.
Harry nodded. "C.J.?" He remembered he'd been with his son and could still hear his cries. He was a little disoriented and hadn't noticed his son was right in front of him with Esme.
"He's fine, just a little upset. Do you remember what happened?" she asked concerned and helped him stand up. For a moment he swayed on his feet but quickly found his balance when the vampire steadied him.
"I was getting C.J. some milk…I suddenly felt dizzy. I must have tripped or something," the wizard replied. He reached out to check on his son, hearing the baby's cries. "I'm fine, little man," he was amazed when his son stopped crying and look at him, cocking his head from left to right as if considering his words or as if he was searching for something.
When he apparently found what he was looking for he made a happy sound and reached out for his father and smiled. His daddy was fine.
Harry smiled at his son. Sometimes the little one reacted to his emotions; as if he was an empath but he knew that C.J. was too young…wasn't he? He shook his head and checked the time. "I have to go," he said. Now that he knew his son was fine, it was time to leave.
"I'll look after him." Esme's concerned eyes fell on the wizard. "Are you sure you are all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry left after given his son a kiss on his forehead.
Luckily for him the day passed by rather quickly and before he knew it, it was lunchtime. He was about to enter the cafeteria when Bella Swan, the girl he and Esme had seen when they went shopping, cornered him. "You're Harrison, right?" she asked and he nodded. "You should stay away from the Cullens."
"Is that a threat?" he asked, getting defensive. Esme had told him that she knew about them. If that was true then she shouldn't warn him about them. Not to mention he didn't like it when people threatened his friends, as few as there were. He may not have met all the Cullens yet but those he met had been very kind, and he wasn't sure where he would have been without that kindness.
"More like a friendly warning," she replied, flicking her hair out of her face.
"And why should I stay away from them?"
"They can be dangerous. Trust me, I speak from experience."
Harry looked at Bella. Her eyes were defensive, her stance arrogant and everything about her told him she was a woman scorned. "Well, I'll thank you for your warning but I can take care of myself," he said and walked off. What a town. It's not the vampires or the werewolves you should fear but the Queen Bitch, Miss Bella Swan, he thought.
When Harry was finally able to enter the cafeteria he noticed that every table was already filled. He had to share a table then. It wasn't as if he minded sharing a table with the other students; it was just that he didn't want to socialize with them, or more that he didn't know how to socialize with them.
People would walk naturally up to him at Hogwarts; here he had to walk up to people. If he could choose between facing Voldemort or these teenagers he'd definitely pick Voldemort. He was suddenly reminded of his fourth year; where he had to ask a girl out to be his date to the Yule Ball. Yes, he would definitely pick Voldemort.
He glanced around and noted that there were still several places empty. One was with that gossip queen, or Sophia as most of them knew her. He really didn't want to risk her touching him again, so sitting with her was out of the question. His gaze landed on the Cullens table. There were only three people at that table so they still had some spots open; most people feared to share a table with them. His gaze went through the cafeteria. Another spot was free at the table where Bella Swan was sitting down at; was he really going to consider sitting with her?
After considering his options of sitting at any one of the tables he walked over to one.
"Hey, mind if I join you?" He asked looked at the girl. "Unfortunately most of the seats are taken and I'd either have to share with someone I don't like or sit outside and if you guys don't mind I'd rather share than eat my lunch in this pouring rain."
When none of the three answered him he continued. "I won't even disturb you. I'll just sit at the end and read my book. You won't even know I'm here." He had brought one of his magic books with him, hoping to study a little between classes. When he still didn't get any response he continued. "But if you rather I'd leave…"
"No, it's okay you can sit down," the girl told him but not before scowling at her two brothers. "And you don't even have to read your book."
Harry smiled gratefully. "Thanks, I was afraid I had to sit with the gossip queen again." He got out his lunch, which Esme had prepared from him. A small smile played on his lips when he noticed it was his favourite, again.
The bronze haired boy next to Harry came to the same conclusion as his siblings. Most humans smelled like food or even an appetiser, yet this human smiled like the earth. They didn't understand it. A smile started tugging at his mouth when he heard the wizard's thoughts. "He's got a soft spot for Esme," he told his siblings. Too fast and too quiet for the human to hear.
"You do realise that sitting with us will result to gossip again?" the girl asked him trying to start up a conversation.
"If it isn't this, it'll be something else," Harry replied and took a bite from his sandwich and bit back a moan of delight. Esme really knew how to make these types of sandwiches. "Besides, I'm used to the gossip."
"That is true enough; people have been talking about you since you've arrived. I'm Alice, by the way, and these are my brothers Jasper and Edward." She indicated to the person as she said his name. "You must be Harrison."
Harry looked a little bewildered and then it dawned on him. "Esme." The smile on Alice's face told him everything he needed to know. "Does she talk about me often?" He never really liked it when people talked about him. It made him uncomfortable, especially when people knew things about him while he knew absolutely nothing about them…
"Just that she babysits your son while you are at school," Alice told him when her brother told her not to say too much. He had read the wizard's thoughts and had quickly told his brother and sister what he was thinking without the wizard hearing him.
Esme had told them a little more about him. Like the fact that he was a wizard and his son was one as well, that he'd had a rough time and was trying to start a new life here. A little bit like Edward…
"Yeah, she's been a great help." Harry became suddenly aware of the eyes staring at him from his right. He turned and stared into Edward's eyes. He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry as he noticed the unblinking eyes bearing into his own. He could feel his magic rising and tried to calm down. He could feel the warmth spreading in his cheeks and quickly looked down at his lunch.
"We heard your conversation with Bella Swan." Harry's head shot up and looked over at the three vampires.
"I get the feeling she doesn't like you much," Harry observed.
"No, she doesn't," Alice replied but didn't elaborate.
"You know, I don't even know her and I can tell she's a bitch," a chuckle was heard from the girl. "Esme tells me she's the only one, besides myself that is, who knows about you and your family." The three vampires went stiff and silent. "I wonder why she would warn me if she knows you. It's easy to see that you don't want to hurt anyone." Harry stopped himself from continuing. "I'm sorry; it's none of my business to know."
"It's all right," Alice began. Harry could see the looks her two brothers shot her. "We just have a past."
"Don't we all," Harry replied, sadly. He had a past as well, a past that always seemed to bite him in the arse. Though he hoped he'd fled far enough to hinder that. He really didn't want his past to come back up again but in the back of his mind he knew he couldn't escape it.
Edward had read the thoughts in Harrison's mind and had warned his siblings. The thoughts were getting a bit morbid and it was best to leave it alone. His brother also confirmed that his feelings were sad. It was best to let the past rest, for now at least.
Harry noticed the three vampires weren't going to comment, so he spent the rest of the lunch break in silence. He ate his lunch quickly and left as soon as the bell rang, which indicated that it was time for the next class.
TBC
Harry grabbed a bag and stuffed it full of things he thought he might need. After repeatedly being asked by Esme, and later Rosalie, to come and spend Christmas with their family he had finally caved. He didn't know what to bring, for what do you bring to a house full of vampires? Which is why anything he thought he might need would be thrown into the bag; grateful it was a magical bag.
"Are you ready to go, little man?" he asked his son who was still lying in his crib.
"Dada," C.J. babbled reaching out with his tiny arms.
"You want to see Esme, don't you?" Harry gently picked him up.
"Meme," C.J. replied, talking about Esme.
"Let's go then." Harry took one last look around the house before he left, carrying his son. He somehow always forgot to take the buggy with him. It took him about 40 minutes to walk to the Cullen estate. He was grateful the winter clothes he had bought for C.J. had a warming charm on them for it was rather cold outside.
"Harrison," Esme greeted him before he even reached the door. "I'm glad you came." She hugged him close and smiled down at the babe still in Harrison's arms as he protested. "Why hello dear C.J. I'm very happy you came as well."
"Meme," C.J. babbled as he saw Esme. Whenever his daddy was away, she took care of him. He never really liked it when his daddy wasn't with him but he did like Esme and liked spending time with her.
"Please, come in and I'll introduce you to my family." Together they walked inside towards the living room. "You know my husband, Carlisle."
"It's good to see you again, Doctor," Harry shook the man's outstretched hand. "I never got a chance to thank you properly for helping me out with my son when he was sick."
"Don't worry about it, I'm glad I could be of assistance," Carlisle smile was kind and genuine, "and please call me Carlisle."
"Harrison! I'm glad that you came," Rosalie walked over towards them and enveloped him in an awkward embrace, even after all the time that had passed, she was still more comfortable with his son than she was with him. A rather tall vampire, who reminded him of his godfather, because they were both rather scruffy and big, followed her. "This is my husband, Emmett."
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you," Emmett told him as he shook his hand.
"And you as well," Harry replied.
"I believe you've met our other children at school," Esme continued to introduce them, as they walked into the kitchen and noticed the three other vampires. "Jasper, Alice and Edward."
Harry just nodded at them in greeting and introduced his son to the vampires who hadn't met him yet.
"He's so cute," Alice squealed when the baby cooed happily as Rosalie took him in her arms.
"I've brought something with me," Harry said digging into the bag he'd packed. Esme had told him that he didn't need to bring any presents but he didn't feel he could come without bringing at least something. He withdrew a few things C.J. would need during dinner and placed them on a spare counter before finally reached the bottom of the bag, and finding the box he was looking for.
"These are blood pops. According to the shop assistant they should taste like your favourite animal's blood." The past Wednesday, when he had gone to magic school, he had stopped by one of the stores to pick some up, for his resident vampire friends. "I just didn't want to be the only one to be eating and this way you could eat, or at least suck on something."
Esme smiled as the human turned redder by the second. "Thank you, Harrison. It's very thoughtful of you."
"So, these taste like blood?" Emmett asked as he picked one up. When Harry nodded he popped one in his mouth and sighed. "Grizzly blood..yum…"
"How fascinating…" Carlisle took one of the blood pops from the box and examined it. "This is actual blood?"
"Yeah, well, it's magic, you know? They used a drop of animal blood and the rest is enhanced by a potion."
"Ingenious," Carlisle's charming smile warmed his heart.
"They taste fantastic too." At Emmett's outburst the whole house burst out laughing.
"We better start or else Emmett will finish them all." Everyone smiled and sat down.
All the vampires tried at least one blood pop, as not to hurt the wizard's feelings. Rosalie fed C.J. so that Harry could try the fabulous dinner the vampires had cooked for him.
"So, Harrison, you're a wizard?" Emmett asked, starting the conversation.
"Yes," Harry answered after swallowing the food that had been in his mouth.
"You practise magic?"
"Yes," was the simple reply.
"Can you show us something?" Emmett had never met a wizard before and wanted to find out more about this one while he had the chance.
"No," Harry shook his head. "Unfortunately we aren't allowed to practise our magic outside the magic school." He really didn't want to get into why he couldn't practise his magic outside of magic school and hoped the subject would be dropped.
"If I could do magic I'd probably use it all the time," he told the group as he popped another blood pop into his mouth.
"I kind of like doing things manually," Harry replied. "It gives you time to think about things and you shouldn't take the little things for granted."
"Where do you practise your magic if you aren't able to at home?" Jasper asked, feeling the wizard's emotions turning morbid.
"Most of the things I'm able to learn I do so through books and some things, which I can't learn through just reading books, I practise at my magical school before I go home or before classes. Also whenever I need the extra lessons I can just pop in, quite literally," Harry explained.
"You go to two schools and raise a child? It must be exhausting for you…" Jasper observed.
"It can be," Harry replied, "but I'm very lucky I met Esme; she's been a great help and Rosalie too, of course." He quickly added after seeing Rosalie's glare.
"Yes, they don't shut up about you," Emmett told him, laughing. His mate snarled at him as they watched Harrison turn a shade of red.
"Why don't we retire to the living room?" Esme asked after Harrison had finished his dinner.
Harry took in the new surroundings, because he had been too focused on meeting the vampires earlier to have noticed much about it, especially the big tree in the centre of the room and the large pile of presents under it. "Nice tree," he observed. The only time he had seen such a big tree had been while he attended Hogwarts.
"Yes, we decorated it yesterday," Alice told him. "We wanted to give C.J. his first Christmas."
"You've got presents for him?" He asked Esme, slightly worried. He hadn't bought anything for them. The last day before the Christmas break he had given Esme a small Christmas present; a protection necklace, but that had been it. He wasn't expecting to have to buy for the family and began feeling guilty he hadn't thought of it.
"Yes, but don't worry about it, Harrison, we just wanted to give you and C.J. this."
"But I didn't bring anything." He didn't have time for the guilt to really settle in for Esme was beside him in a heartbeat.
"Do not worry about it, dear. These presents are for you and C.J." Her smile was kind and heart warming and all Harry could do was nod. "Besides we didn't want C.J. to miss his first Christmas."
Harry looked at his son, who was playing with Emmett, Rosalie and Alice. "Okay," he replied. "I don't want him to miss any holidays."Not like I had…
"Shall we begin?" Carlisle asked, feeling that the mood had shifted.
They began with the presents for C.J; he got a lot of new toys, not to mention all of the clothing he was only going to outgrow in a couple of months. Once all of C.J.'s presents had been opened there was only one present left and that one was for Harrison.
"This is from us all," Esme told him as she handed him the present.
Harry carefully unwrapped the package and looked at it in bewilderment. "A key?" He asked. It was then that he noticed the brand on the keychain. "A car key?" Confused eyes fell on Esme.
"I know you don't drive yet, and that's why we've also included drivers lesson, but once you have gotten your license you'll be able to drive it," Esme explained.
"You're giving me a car and lessons?" Harry was shocked, to put it lightly. Why would anyone want to spend that much money on him?
"Yes," was Esme's only reply. "You deserve this, Harrison," she added when she saw the disbelief in the green eyes.
Harry hadn't noticed the room had gotten silent and was watching him. "Thank you," he whispered, not knowing what else to say. Everything was a little overwhelming for him and he wasn't sure what to make of it. Were they really sincere or were they going to stab him in the back once he turned around?
"Come, let me show you what kind of car we bought you," Esme held out her hand for him to take and when he did, she led him to the back yard. They crossed a few other cars, one Harry recognised as Esme's another as Rosalie and one he saw at school every day.
"This one is yours," Esme told him when she led him to a black SUV.
"Wow," was all Harry could say. It definitely had a lot of room.
"We added a baby seat so you can take C.J. with you," Esme said.
"I can't believe you're giving me a car," he turned to the vampire.
"We figured you'd need one, especially when C.J. gets older."
"Thank you," Harry said again. "I love it."
They went back to the crowded living room as Alice, Emmett and Rosalie tried out a few new toys with C.J. while Carlisle and Jasper watched them with a smile tugging at their lips. Edward had given him a polite nod when their eyes met before leaving the room. Esme led Harrison to the couch where they sat down.
"How are you holding up?" Esme asked. She had noticed his sunken eyes, bags under them and not to mention the yawns he was trying to hide every few minutes.
"Fine," Harry replied automatically. A long time ago he had learned to just say he was fine even if he wasn't. His aunt or uncle would never ask him how he was but sometimes a teacher would and if he told them what was actually wrong with him, his relatives would beat him much worse. He knew he could trust Esme, but that didn't mean he could just give up on years of survival skills he had picked up.
Esme gave him the look that told him she didn't believe him but wasn't going to pry; yet it always made him want to talk to her. "I'm tired…" Esme gave him the look again. "Okay, okay, I'm exhausted." He smiled when C.J. reached out to him but was tickled by Alice.
"I just…" Harry shook his head. "C.J. likes to spend the night talking when I want to sleep. He's kept me up every night for the past four days. He's either taking advantage of the fact that now I'm home so much or he just can't sleep…"
"We can watch over him while you sleep for a while," Esme suggested and Harry was suddenly aware of how quiet the room has gone.
Harry bit his bottom lip, something he always did when he was feeling slightly nervous. "I guess, I mean, if it's no bother." Suddenly 4 vampires were telling him it was not a problem. "I didn't bring anything for me to sleep in," he had packed his son's pyjamas but didn't count on him needing a set as well.
"I'm sure we can find you something to sleep in," Esme told him, kindly.
Harry bit his lip again. "Okay," he said after a few moments. He stood up and walked over to his son. "Daddy's gonna get some sleep now, okay, little man? You be good," he waited for his son to give a reaction before he let Esme lead him to the room where he'd be staying.
The room was big, with a bed in the middle and musical albums surrounding him. "Someone likes music," he observed as he read a few of the titles.
"Yes, this is Edward's room," Esme explained to him. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind you using it for the night."
Carlisle came in and handed Harry a shirt and some baggy pants. "I hope this will do," he told the wizard. "I'm afraid they'll be too big for you but it's all I could find."
"It's fine, thank you," he told the older vampire.
"We shall let you get some sleep," Esme told him before placing a kiss on his cheek, hugging him and leaving the room with Carlisle following her after he told Harry goodnight.
Harry took a deep sigh before he changed into the shirt and baggy pants. If this was Edward's room then where was he? He had noticed that the bronze haired vampire hadn't said anything to him during dinner, or when they opened the presents for C.J. Had he done something wrong? Why was the vampire keeping his distance from him?
Harry shook his head; it wouldn't do to analyse everything, especially when he should get some rest. Esme was right; he really needed the sleep. He'd been working so hard for both his schools and taking care of his son that he'd forgotten to take care of himself.
When his head touched the pillow he was asleep within 5 minutes.
~*~*~*~*~
The next morning Harry woke up and walked into the living room, when he found the room empty he walked into the kitchen. As he walked in he found Esme making him some toast.
"Where is everyone?" He asked before taking a sip of the milk Esme had handed to him.
"Alice, Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper took C.J. outside to play in the snow," Esme explained. "I hope that was all right?"
"Yes," Harry answered. "They do realise he's only one, right?
"They figured it would give you some peace," Esme confirmed. "Carlisle's at the hospital and Edward's in the living room. We've decided to give him some space after all that's happened," she continued her explanation. Living room? Harry hadn't seen him there, had he?
"No offence, but it seems like he's closing himself off from you guys and he doesn't seem to like me much. He has yet to speak a word to me." Harry picked up the jar of milk and refilled his glass.
"Ever since he broke up with his girlfriend he has been pulling himself away from his family. He's also been more careful who he befriends." Esme took a moment to think. "It has never been easy for us to make friends. When Edward was finally able to open up to someone, he got stabbed in the back." Esme shook her head as if it would make her feel better to deny everything. "If there's someone who deserves to be happy it's Edward but I feel fate has other plans for him."
"I know what you mean. I once thought I could trust my friends but they turned out to be back stabbers as well."
"Once you get to know each other, I believe you'll find you have much in common," Esme told him.
"If he ever decides to talk to me," Harry mumbled. He didn't know what he'd done wrong to deserve the silent treatment from the vampire; all he knew was that he didn't like it.
"Give him time," she encouraged him for reason's Harry didn't understand yet. "I'm going outside to paint for a while. Feel free to look around." With a kiss to his cheek she was gone.
Harry grabbed another piece of toast, downed his milk and started to look around the manor. It was a normal looking manor. The walls in the front room were mostly made out of glass; giving it a summery feeling, despite the snow he could see. He had just started exploring when he heard the sweetest sound coming from upstairs.
A spell took over him as he followed that sweet music, bringing him to the room where it was coming from. The door was open and he peaked inside, hoping not to disturb whoever was playing.
Edward was playing the piano. Sometimes stopping to write the music down and sometimes repeating the same piece over and over as if he was trying to get the feel of it; then he would continue only to stop again and write it down.
Harry saw the moment Edward realised he was there by the stiffening of his back, the sudden silence and, eventually, the eyes burning into his own. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to disturb you. I heard you play and I just wanted to…uhmm… listen." A slight flush graced his face and he had to look away as he felt his magic cackle under his skin.
"It is all right," the voice was a musical instrument on its own and Harry closed his eyes as the sound of the voice took him over. "It's not done yet," that heavenly voice continued. "But you can listen if you like."
"You write the music yourself?" Harry's head had shot up and involuntary took a step towards the vampire.
"Sometimes," was the only answer. The music continued and Harry walked over to the couch to just watch the vampire play. It was about half an hour later when he realised the song was done. He closed his eyes to thoroughly enjoy it as Edward played the song one more time to make sure it was perfect.
"That was beautiful," the wizard breathed when the last note was played. "Have you played for long?"
Harry knew the question was stupid the second it left his mouth, with Edward being a vampire at all, and he could feel the slight flush begin all over again when the vampire chuckled.
"I've been playing most of my life but I haven't been able to compose a song for the past few months," Edward told him as he turned around on the piano bench to face the wizard.
"Why is that?" Harry bit his tongue; his curiosity always got the better of him, whether that was a good thing or bad he wasn't sure. He was about to apologise when the vampire answered.
"I've been too angry, I suppose." Edward read the question in Harry's mind but knew he wouldn't ask it. "I've recently been through a rather difficult break-up."
Harry nodded. "Yes, break-ups can be rather difficult."
Edward studied the wizard as the memories took over. He found it strange that he could only read part of the wizard's mind. As if he was shielding it from him.
"I find it rather curious," Edward suddenly said after a rather comfortable silence.
"What's that?"
"You may know that some vampires have a special ability," he continued after Harry's nod. "I'm able to read everyone's mind with the exception of my ex. Yet, sometimes your mind is closed to me as well." Edward found the answer in Harry's mind. "What is Occlumency?"
"Mind-magic," Harry replied but elaborated. "It's a way to shield my mind against invaders. I never quite mastered it, which is why you can read most of my thoughts."
"How interesting," Edward got up and walked closer to the wizard. "These shields, you could lower them? Even remove them?"
"In theory, I don't remember how I put them up and lowering or even removing them may damage my mind indefinitely." Harry locked his eyes with Edward's. "So, I just keep them up."
"Do you mind that I am able to hear your thoughts?" The question was soft, like a whisper and it shot through Harry as if it could touch him.
"No," he breathed. He could feel his heart beating in his chest and knew the vampire was able to hear it as well. Yet, somehow it didn't matter. It didn't matter that this being could know everything about him. All his secrets, the good, the bad and that was what scared him.
His magic was building, begging to be free. It was reaching out to Edward, to the room even to the earth. Something was happening to him and he felt like he couldn't control it. He closed his eyes, trying to control his magic as much as he could before he opened them again.
"Will you excuse me," Harry said to Edward when he could control his magic for the time being. "I need to check up on my son." He waited for the immortal's nod before he quickly left the room, almost running out of it, and went to the garden where he knew C.J. was.
He smiled at the vampires surrounding his boy. "What are you doing, little man?" He asked his son as he sat down in the circle. The baby crawled up to him, sending him calming waves, as he grabbed onto his daddy's hands so that he would be able to pull himself into Harry's lap. He closed his eyes as he felt his magic settle under his skin. "You are full of little tricks, aren't you?" He said, smiling warmly at his son and momentarily forgetting all about the strange vampire that seemed to be able to make him lose control like no other before him could.
TBC
Over the next few months, C.J. had shown he was even more in tune with his father's feelings. Harry wasn't sure what to make of this new development. His son was an empath – how was he supposed to help his son control it when he didn't even know how?
Esme had told her about the abilities her children had; Alice could see the future, Jasper was an empath and Edward, as he had confirmed, could read minds. He could ask Jasper to help him out, but wasn't about to tempt the vampire with easy blood, especially not since his son had only shown small interest in his empathy. Maybe if C.J. started showing his full ability, he'd ask Jasper to help him out.
Harry and C.J. were enjoying a quiet day in the early week of spring when a head appeared in the fireplace. "Harry, are you in?" the familiar voice of the Hogwarts' mediwitch filled the room.
"Poppy, please come in," Harry said as he moved to stand up to give the mediwitch a hug.
"How are you?" she asked once they sat down, C.J. on her lap as she examined him. One thing she always did when she visited the small family; she checked them out, making sure they were in top health.
"I'm fine," Harry answered. "We're fine."
Poppy raised her eyebrow but didn't comment. "You're still enjoying your life here?"
"Yes," Harry answered. "C.J. loves it here as well. He enjoys spending time with Esme."
"Esme? The vampire?" She asked as she sat the child down on the ground so he could play with his toys.
"Yes, she and her family have been really great to us," the wizard explained. "They're all in love with C.J. and have told me to call them if I wanted a day or two off." Harry smiled at the memory, just after Christmas before he and C.J. had left, they had told him that. He hadn't taken up on their offer yet, but had thought about it.
"You do not seem worried that they are vampires," Poppy observed. The young man had talked about the Cullen family a few times and she had to admit she was a little worried, they were vampires after all and that generally meant bad news. "Aren't you afraid they'll attack you or C.J?"
"A little, yes," Harry admitted. "I'm afraid that C.J. will scrape his knee, especially now that he has started walking, and one of the vampires will attack him. I'm afraid they'll realise we are snacks to them…" Harry sighed. "But somehow I know that they'll never intentionally hurt us."
"I cannot say that I'm pleased you are here all alone, with only the vampires to protect you…but I shall trust your judgement. It has never let you down before," the mediwitch told him. In the years she had known Harry, he'd always trusted his instincts and they were often right.
"How about school, are you enjoying it?" She changed the subject.
"I absolutely hate muggle High School," he told her.
"I believe you are supposed to." She smiled at the young man.
"I know," Harry sighed. "But there are times when I want to hex someone…one person in particular."
"Tell me about it," she encouraged him. Harry had a select few people he'd confide in; unfortunately she wasn't one of them. He'd only tell her superficial things, little things.
"There's this girl," he noticed Poppy's raised eyebrow but decided to ignore it. "She likes to gossip about people."
"And she's gossiping about you?" She probed.
"No, well, probably, but that's not the point. The point is that she keeps cornering me and asking me about how I know the Cullens, and why I'm communing with seniors instead of juniors." At the mediwitch's confused, raised eyebrow he elaborated. "I'm a junior and the remaining Cullen's are seniors; the two oldest have left high school. Apparently it's unheard of communing with someone in a higher class." Harry shook his head. "Not to mention, she keeps asking me if I want to go to this prom thing with her and I really don't want to go." Harry grimace, the memory of the Yule Ball still fresh in his mind; dancing and he just didn't go hand in hand.
"Have you told this girl you didn't want to go?"
"Every time she has asked me," Harry just didn't understand girls. "I've told her that I didn't want to go to the ball nor that I have time to but she just won't listen; she just smiles at me and tells me she has hope I'll turn around one day."
"Maybe you should tell her you're not interested in her, if you're really not interested."
Harry winced and shook his head. "No, I'm definitely not interested in her."
Poppy saw the slight flush. "But you are interested in someone?"
Harry took a moment to think. "I…" he shook his head. "There's someone that I find intriguing."
"But you are not letting yourself fall for this person?"
"Most of the time, he spends his time avoiding me. In the time I've known him, I have had one conversation with him," Harry shook his head once more. "I'd like to get to know him; there's this pull I have towards him that I cannot explain, but I won't…I won't act upon it, not now that I have half the wizarding world after me and not after…" he stopped not being able to continue.
"I know, dear, I understand," Poppy knew what the wizard was talking about. She had been there for him when the magical world had turned their back on him. "I'm sure one day you'll be able to open up to him."
Harry smiled at the mediwitch but didn't respond. His son walked up to him, grabbed his hand and sent him some happiness waves. He knew Poppy might be able to help him with the empathy C.J. was developing but he couldn't risk someone in the British Magical World reading her thoughts, even though they were protected by a vow.
Ten minutes later Harry and Poppy said their goodbyes and she left through the fireplace.
~*~*~*~*~
Harry stared down at his son, who was trying to run around. They were spending the afternoon with the Cullens, enjoying a bright day in their gardens and C.J. was trying to catch a butterfly. He had decided to take his chances with Jasper and ask him about empathy; if only he had the courage to go up to the vampire and speak to him.
Harry looked up and noticed Esme and Carlisle were standing in a ray of sunshine and he smiled as they sparkled. "You're sparkling," he tried very hard not to laugh. It wasn't every day you saw a person sparkle…
"Yes, it is the reason why we won't show ourselves in the sunlight; people will know we are different," Carlisle explained to him.
"Yes, but you sparkle," he couldn't help himself and burst out laughing.
Esme and Carlisle shared a smile, it was rare to hear the wizard laugh, and they wanted to make sure he had a lot of things to laugh about; even if it meant at their expense.
"If I was able to practise my magic, I think I could hide it," he said thoughtfully when he regained his breath. "Use a glamour so you'd look more human in the sunlight."
"How would you go about it?" Carlisle inquired.
"Well, the magic would just hide your true form. You'd still sparkle but no one would see it. It'll be as you are when you're not in the sun," Harry explained.
"I think, once you are allowed to use your magic, you're going to be asked to demonstrate a few of your tricks," Carlisle told him. "I would definitely be intrigued to see with what you can come up with."
"When I'm allowed to use my magic I shall show you some spells," Harry promised, catching his son just in time before he almost fell. "Be careful, little man, you might hurt yourself."
"Dada," C.J. said before he wobbled of again. It didn't take long for the child to fall down and hurt himself.
All Harry could do was watch as the first vampire that arrived at his fallen son was Jasper, who hadn't even been outside with them. The fear took over as he watched the vampire.
Jasper was down beside the crying child in an instant, comforting him. It seemed as if the blood wasn't bothering him…why was that?
Before Harry had any time to think about it, Jasper was before him with a crying C.J. in his arms. "He wants his father," he told him before handing him his son.
"Dada," C.J. babbled; he was safe now that he was in his father's arms.
"Did you hurt yourself, little man?" Harry asked as he checked his son over. There was a small scrape on his knee but all in all he seemed all right.
The child bobbed his head frequently before he hugged his daddy close; his daddy would make the pain go away.
Harry smiled, "Shall I make it better then?" he asked and watch the child bob his head once more. He lowered his head and placed a kiss on the scraped knee. "There all better."
C.J. smiled, his daddy always made the pain go away. He hugged his daddy close and let out a yawn.
"I think it's time for your nap," he told his son as he picked him up.
"Why don't we put him down; give you some rest," Esme suggested as she took C.J. from the wizard.
"Okay," Harry agreed, that would give him the chance to talk with Jasper, if he could find him that is.
Esme and Carlisle took the child inside as Harry turned his attention to the remaining vampire who emerged once the two older vampires left.
"Jasper, could I talk to you for a moment?" Harry asked the vampire.
"Of course," Jasper answered. "Alice told me someone would be in need of my advice but she couldn't see who. I guess her gift doesn't work with you," he observed.
"Doesn't it annoy you she knows things before you do?" Harry asked, curiously.
"Not really," Jasper answered. "Most of the time I know what she's feeling before she does."
"That's one way to look at it," Harry replied. "I actually had a question for you," he began but stopped as he sat down. How was he supposed to ask a rather personal question to a practical stranger?
"Do you like being an empath?" He settled for an easier answer, or so he thought.
"Sometimes," Jasper told him, honestly. He could feel the wizard needed more of an answer than that so he elaborated. "It can be quite confusing to feel all the emotions in a room and overwhelming. If I hadn't been a vampire, I'd probably have passed out at the first time I walked into the high school; there were so many emotions there, it being a school full of hormonal teenagers and all. It's also very difficult to determine from whom the emotions are coming from, not to mention the fact that it's difficult to determine my own emotions. Most of the time I don't know my emotions from anyone else.'
"But sometimes it can be a gift," Jasper led the human towards the living room where they sat down. "As an empath I'm not only able to feel everyone's emotions but also manipulate them. I often have to calm my siblings down, if I didn't, they could result to killing each other."
"But you had to grow into your powers?"
"I had to learn them, yes, and get used to them. As I've said; it can be rather overwhelming to feel everyone's emotions but I'm quite used to it now and have quite a handle on it." Jasper looked at the wizard. "Why do you wish to know?"
"C.J…I believe he's an empath," Harry confided in him.
Jasper nodded his head. "Yes, it would explain why I feel two different emotion types from him," at Harry's confused look he continued. "A person doesn't just feel one emotion at a time but multiple. The feelings I get from you are worry, cautious, curious and contentment. Those feelings I also get from your son; they tell me those are yours. But I also get curiousness, happiness and tiredness from him. These are his own feelings." He took a moment to let Harry think about it. "He's only in tune with your emotions, aside from his own. But I believe he'll grow into it."
"I'm afraid this ability will be too much for him," Harry confided in the vampire.
"Of course I don't know if my ability is the same as your son's, but I am willing to help whenever I can," Jasper promised him.
"Thank you," Harry said, sincerely. "Can I ask you another question?" When the vampire nodded he continued. "At the high school you always seem to fight for control, which I can only assume is because of all the humans and their blood," Harry took a moment to consider how to approach this in the best way. "But when C.J. scraped his knee, you didn't seem bothered by the blood."
"It is true that I struggle every day for control, the blood lust is stronger for me than for my family, and usually I would react to seeing or smelling the blood of a human, but you see the thing is that his blood doesn't smell like food." He took a moment to think of what it did smell like. "When I smelled his blood all I could think of was to protect him. My family feels the same. Something about the two of you tells us your not food but part of our coven."
"What does that mean?"
"I wish I knew," Jasper told him as he left the wizard with his thoughts.
TCB
Harry made his way through the school halls. He'd successfully been able to dodge Sophia this morning and hoped he'd make it through the day without being cornered by her. Unfortunately, just as he thought that, she spotted him and rushed over to him.
"Harry, how many times do I have to ask you to take me to prom with you?" She asked, putting a fake smile on her face as she touched his shoulder.
"Sophia, I've been telling you that I'm not going to the prom," Harry sighed, when was this girl going to get the message that I'm neither going nor am I interested. "I don't want to go to the prom."
"But, Harry, it'll be our last time together before summer," she grabbed a hold of his arms and pushed her body against his.
"Sophia, I don't want to go to the prom." How thick could one person be?
"I'll let you think on it, I still have hope that you'll cave one day," she pressed her lips against his hand and walked off.
Harry shook his head and went to his next class. Really, what was it with women who couldn't take a hint, or just the plain truth? He sat down at his usual table and groaned when Sophia sat down next to him.
"Have you decided already?" She asked him sweetly, making Harry want to bang his head against the table as she touched his arm again. "I mean, I know we just talked but I thought I'd asked again."
"Sophia, when will you get it through your thick skull that I don't want to go to the prom with you? I'm not going to the prom," he almost yelled. The bewildered look on the girl's face had him softening a bit. "Look, why don't you ask Jake, I'm sure he'll want to go to prom with you."
"Jake?" Sophia looked confused. "I guess." She had never thought of going with anyone but Harrison, but Jake would do; he was the captain of the basketball team after all.
Harry had to close his eyes as Sophia kept touching him. Why did she have to keep on touching him? He tried hard to focus on the lessons but nothing seemed to work. When he finally gave up he raised his hand to ask the teacher if he could go to the bathroom.
"Of course," the teacher answered. Harry gathered his things, not wanting to return to the class and quickly left. Not watching where he was going he bumped into someone rather hard.
He had to bite his tongue to keep from cursing out loud; bumping into that particular person had hurt. "Bad day?" the musical voice washed over him and he finally looked up at his victim.
"Edward," he breathed. "Why aren't you in class?" Of all the things he could say, he ended up saying that? What kind of a moron was he?
"I heard your distress and Jasper told me what you were feeling, I wanted to make sure you were okay," Edward asked concerned. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, fine," Harry quickly told him. Why was this being that kept ignoring him these past months, suddenly interested in him?
"Why aren't you going to the prom?"
Harry raised his eyebrow; he wondered again why he was interested. "I'm not going to waste my time staring at couples dancing, I've done that once and I'm not going to do so again. Besides, I rather spend my time with C.J."
"Yes, I can understand that," the vampire replied.
"You better get back to class," Harry said after a moment of silence. "And I will hide in the bathroom," he added as an afterthought.
The vampire chuckled and it made him look up. "I shall return to my class now that I know you are, as you say, ‘fine'," the vampire told him but didn't move.
Harry nodded and walked away before turning back. "I'll see you at lunch," he said before walking off. Why did I say that? Will he think it's a date? It's not a date! Oh, crap… He had entered the bathroom and watched his reflection in the mirror. Oh, Merlin, I hope he doesn't think it's a date…
As he stared at his reflection he remembered the vampire was a mind reader. Did that mean he's listening to his thoughts right now? Oh, Merlin! He hoped not! He splashed his face with water hoping to clear his thoughts. Why was he even thinking about dating?
The noise in the hallways alerted him to the fact that class was over and lunch had started. He left the bathroom and walked over to the cafeteria. He could hear Sophia asking Jake to the prom and he smiled. Maybe now she would leave him alone…
He passed the various tables and sat down at the Cullen's table; at least twice a week he would try and sit with them, just to be friendly. He took his lunch out of his bag and threw it on the table. Smiling as he saw the same food on the three plates of the vampires.
"You know what might help to make you blend in better?" he asked.
Alice and Jasper looked at him while Edward was still staring out the window. "What would make us blend in better?" Alice asked.
"If you played with your food," Harry answered. "Take a look at your plates; you all have the same thing, in the same place. When I saw that I knew you weren't eating. If you'd just poke it around, place it somewhere else on the plate, it'll look as if you've really been eating."
"That's some good advice," Alice noted as she picked her food.
Harry shook his head, but smiled. He realised Alice and Edward were communicated with each other none-verbally when he noticed Edward giving subtle signs, to which, he assumed, Alice then answered with her mind. This revelation caused him to shake his head once more.
"Does it never bother you that they are communicating without you?" Harry asked Jasper.
"It can be rather frustrating," Jasper told him, honestly. "But you'll get used to it."
"I doubt it," Harry replied, and packed his the rest of his lunch away; he wasn't all that hungry.
"Why aren't you hungry?" It was the first thing that musical voice asked him since he joined them at lunch.
"I don't know," Harry asked him. "I feel like something's going to happen, I don't know what."
"You're worried," Edward stated.
"Yes," the wizard confirmed. "I think I should check up on C.J. Excuse me." This nagging feeling that something was going to happen kept bugging him. He wasn't sure what it was but he knew if his instincts were telling him something he should listen to them.
He walked over to the public telephone and called Esme. Finding out everything was all right with her and C.J. gave him some peace but not enough. Thinking there wasn't anything he could to until that something actually happened he went back to the cafeteria. He passed a couple of students who were talking rather loudly.
"Who are you taking to the prom, huh, little fairy?" Harry turned around when he heard the word ‘fairy' and noticed that the larger boy was holding a smaller one.
When the smaller boy didn't answer, the taller one punched him in the stomach. "I'm talking to you!" He almost yelled. "Who are you taking to the prom—the audio geek or maybe the computer nerd? Oh wait, I know you're going by yourself!" When the smaller boy still didn't answer, he was once more punched in the stomach.
"Why do you want to know?" Harry asked, stepping up to them. "Do you want to take him to prom?"
The larger boy turned to him, venom in his eyes. If looks could kill, Harry thought as he held his ground.
"What do you want?" The boy spit at him.
"Nothing," Harry replied. "I'm just wondering why you're bothering him," he pointed to the boy on the ground.
"That is none of your business," the boy told him, advancing on him.
It was then that Harry felt it; his magic rising, once more reaching out to everything around him. What was happening to him and his magic? The magic caused the boy to receive a little electric shock when he grabbed Harry by the shirt, releasing him and, with scared eyes, ran off
The wizard tried everything to control his magic but nothing seemed to be working. He could feel Jasper sending him calming waves, but it didn't help him. He rushed out of the school, maybe the fresh air will help. He closed his eyes as he tried to calm himself down, call his magic back but it was no use it was reaching out to everything around him.
The three vampires had noted the wizard's distress and made their way over. Something was happening to him and they didn't know what. Edward listened in on his thoughts. "He needs to calm down," he told his siblings. His brother confirmed that he was sending him calming waves but it didn't seem to have any effect.
"Harrison, tell us how we can help," he said, hoping the wizard could hear him. He listened closely to what the wizard was telling him, unfortunately, it wasn't much. He didn't know how to calm himself down, not now that Jasper's ability wasn't working for him.
Some kind of invisible shield surrounded the wizard, making it impossible for the three vampires to get closer to him; it kept pushing them away. The mind-reader had never felt so helpless in all of his life. He wanted to call out to the wizard again but the wizard suddenly disappeared.
"Where did he go?" Alice asked her siblings. One moment they were trying to get to Harrison, the next he was gone.
"I have no idea," Edward replied. "Check the house," he told his siblings as he ran as fast as he could to Harrison's house.
He rapped on the door. "Is he here?" He asked once Esme opened it.
"Who?" Esme asked as they walked inside.
"Harrison!"
"No, he's at school," Isn't he?
"No, he's not at school," he told his vampire mother.
"What happened?" She asked, worriedly. She had spoken to him just 10 minutes earlier.
"I don't know," her vampire son replied. "One moment he was right in front of us, the next he disappeared."
"He disappeared? You don't know what happened?" When her son shook his head she led him to the fire place. "Harrison told me that if something would happen to him I should try and contact a Madam Pomfrey." She picked up a box full of powder and stared at it.
"Do you know what to do?" Edward asked as he saw the powder.
"Yes," Esme replied and grabbed a handful of powder and through it into the fire. "Madam Pomfrey," she said, not a moment later a head appeared in the fireplace.
"Are you Madam Pomfrey?" Esme asked the head; it was weird seeing a head in the fireplace.
"Yes, what happened? Where's Harrison?" The woman's voice was full of concern.
Noting that the woman called him Harrison, she knew it was the right woman. Harrison had told her that no one at the British Wizarding world knew about the name he had chosen to use in America expect for those who had helped him.
"We don't know," Esme answered. "My son told me he was at school, something was happening with his magic; one moment he was there, the next he was gone."
"I believe he Disapparated," the woman told them. "It means he just went to another place; and since he used magic to do so, I have a feeling he's at the magical community. I shall see what I can find out."
"But Harrison's all right?" Esme asked, she was still worried.
"I believe so, for the time being," the woman told her. "I'll find out what I can and contact you at your own house."
"We don't have a fireplace," Esme said.
"That doesn't matter," the woman told them. "I'll contact you as soon as I can. Wait, what about C.J?"
"We shall take care of him," Esme promised her. The head disappeared from the fireplace and Esme turned to her son. "We shall need to make sure they won't come here. Let us pack everything we'll need for C.J. and then ask Alice if she's seen anything."
Edward nodded and helped his mother pack as much belongings as they could. They would make sure C.J. was okay until Harrison returned. Nonetheless he couldn't stop wondering what had happened to him and was he really okay? Besides, hadn't Harrison told him he couldn't use magic like that outside of school—he really hoped that wherever the boy was, he knew what he was doing.
TBC
Harry Apparated to his magic school, knowing that he took a great risk by using his magic because his magical signature could be traced, but losing control of his magic could have been worse; he could have hurt everyone in the muggle high school. There were simply too many problems and he could only handle one problem at a time, so the ‘don't lose control' thing was a little more on his mind compared to the ‘don't leave a magical signature' thing, especially because if he didn't get control he could hurt his son, which was something he would have never forgiven himself for. Luckily the magic school gave him a safe haven, at least from being found by wizards he did not want to see.
"Harrison," a voice said behind him. He spun around, his wand out fearing it was one of the British Aurors but it was only Jack, the headmaster. It was then that he realised he had been called ‘Harrison' instead of ‘Harry'. A sigh of relief escaped him.
"Headmaster," Harry was one of the only ones that greeted the young headmaster so formally, being used to the British way where the teachers should be addressed so.
"How many times have I asked you to call me Jack," Jack laughed as he patted the young man's back. "I see you've got a little problem." The headmaster was one of the most powerful wizards of America. One of his known powers was knowledge, if one could really call it a power; he seemed to know things before they happened. He couldn't look into the future, per say, he just somehow always knew what was going on. "Two problems, actually," he corrected. "But let us deal with the first one, shall we." As he had been speaking he had also been leading Harry towards his office.
"My magic's out of control. I don't know what is happening," Harry explained as he sank down into one of the comfy chairs. His magic was, once again, crackling in the air and it took all of his energy to push it back in.
"You are about to come of age, aren't you, Harrison?"
"Yes, this July I'll be seventeen," Harry confirmed.
"You're about to inherit your magical heritage. This means you'll come to your full powers. What else can you tell me about your magic?"
Harry thought a moment before he answered. "It seems as if it's reaching out to something."
"Yes, yes," Jack nodded his head. "Your magic is searching for its mate. Magic as powerful as yours, needs a mate to control it. I'm guessing by the amount of control it takes you to wield your magic you have either lost your mate or have found her or him."
Harry was suddenly brought back a few years past when he lost the only person he had ever loved, well, besides C.J. that is. "What if I lost my mate?" He asked. "How will I ever be able to control my magic?"
"You'll have to release it to the earth." Jack's answer was simple, as if that explained everything. At Harry's shocked look, he continued. "Everything is connected, the trees, the grass, this table, you, me, everything. I'm willing to teach you how to release your magic into to the earth." Harry smiled grateful. "Now about your other problem…"
"I know I shouldn't have Disapparated. I just didn't want to hurt anyone… Dumbledore is going to find me now, isn't he?"
Jack nodded. "The British Aurors are already in America. You know you never told me what it is you're running from."
Harry stood up and started pacing. He knew it was going to come to this; he could either lie and be taken back to Britain or tell the truth and share the same fate. Looking over at Jack, he thought about all the headmaster had taught him these past few months. Not only had Jack given him a second chance in magic, he actually believed in him. Not to mention he would graduate next week, a year earlier than at Hogwarts, and he couldn't have done that without his help. His decision was made when he stopped pacing and sighed.
"You know about the Dark Wizard that had been terrorising Britain?" he waited for the small nod before continuing. "Well, I'm the one that defeated him."
"But I thought Harry Potter…?" Jack trailed off as realisation dawned in on him. "You are Harry Potter."
"The one and only," Harry smiled, he ran his fingers through his hair showing off his famous scar; normally it was hidden behind his hair and with the use of muggle make-up, not wanting people to recognise him because of it. The moment he had stepped inside America he had left the name of Harry Potter behind and used a different one, which was why everyone addressed him as ‘Harrison'. "They are after me because I killed someone I was trained to kill."
"But why?"
"They are afraid I'll turn into the next Dark Lord or something." Harry snorted. "Like I even want all this power…"
"I can help you out, at least for the next few days. If you graduate you can use magic at them."
"Yes, but they can still take me back to Britain because I'm still underage and according to the British Wizarding Law they can take me back, even if I'm in another country."
"We'll find a way." Before Harry could protest he continued. "I'm helping you whether you want to or not. I know you, Harrison, and I know you won't turn into a Dark Lord."
"Thank you," Harry was glad for the support Jack was showing him. He'd always liked him. The headmaster didn't ask any unnecessary questions and accepted him for who he was. He'd been rather supportive when Harry told him that he was looking for a refuge where he could practise his magic openly and where no one could trace him. The headmaster had explained that any magic inside these walls couldn't be traced, not from the outside and not from the inside.
"Shall we begin?" The headmaster asked after they went to a deserted classroom. Harry nodded, his magic was trying to burst out and he was only holding on by a thread. "Close your eyes…imagine you're in an open field. The wind playing with your hair, the sun shining on your face—Can you feel it?"
Harry had closed his eyes and envisioned what the headmaster told him. "Yes," he breathed.
"Good, now you're calm enough to redirect your magic," Jack told him. "Focus on your core and send the magic to your hands." The Headmaster watched as Harry did as he was told. He knew the moment Harrison had directed all his magic to his hands when they started glowing. "Good, now push it into the ground, release your magic to the ground."
Harry did as he was told, again, and felt some of the overflow of magic leave his body. "Wow…"
"You must practise this a few times before you'll get it down," Jack explained as Harry nodded.
It took Harry exactly four days to learn how to release his magic back into the earth. On the fifth day Jack came to him to tell him that the British Aurors were at the door. With Jack diverting the company, he was able to slip away and make his way back to the Cullen's house, assuming Esme had taken his son to her own house.
He had to wait a whole second before the door opened after he knocked on it. "Harrison!" Esme exclaimed and hugged the young man close to her chest. "Where have you been? We were so worried!"
"I'm sorry Esme; there were some things I had to do…" Harry could see he had hurt her by his sudden departure. "I'll explain everything later; I just want to see C.J. first." Even though it had only been five days since he had seen his son, he had missed him terribly.
Harry looked around the room and found two pair of accusing eyes on him from the two remaining females in the room. "Hello, little man," Harry thought it best to talk to his son first.
"Dada?" C.J.'s voice was curious as he looked up. His daddy was the only person who called him that.
"Yes, little man, I'm here," he picked his son up and hugged him close. "I'm so sorry I left."
"Dada, gone," it still amazed him how bright his son was. He was only a year old and could already form simple words with meaning.
"Yes, I had to leave for a while, but I'm back now," he turned C.J. so they were face to face. "See?"
"Dada," C.J. cooed happily as he saw his father's face and reached out to him. Harry, once more, hugged his son close.
"How I missed you," he breathed into the soft hair of his son.
"Then why did you leave?" Rosalie's voice was accusing and he couldn't blame her.
"I…" Harry began but stopped. He took a moment to gather his thoughts before he continued. "In about a month time I'll turn seventeen, which means I'll be an adult in the wizarding world. This also means I'll come to my full heritage…my full magical heritage" He smiled down at C.J. when he tried to take hold of his hair, which had grown over the few months he'd been in America. "I'm one of the most powerful wizards alive; if I lost control of my magic I could have hurt someone." His eyes locked with Rosalie's. "I could have hurt C.J. or worse if I wasn't able to control it." A silence fell over the room at the impact of his words. "I left so I wouldn't hurt my son. I knew he would be safe with Esme while I worked things out. Believe me; I'd never leave him if I didn't have a good reason."
"Are you able to control it now?" Esme asked as she sat down next to the wizard.
"Yes," Harry answered. "I'll release my magic into the earth when it gets too much for me to control."
The vampires nodded as if that explained everything.
"There is something else," Harry began but was stopped when Alice interrupted.
"People are searching for you," she told him. She had seen part of the future; for some reason her gift didn't work on Harrison, at least not fully.
Harry nodded. "You know I'm a wizard," he waited for the 7 vampires to nod. He hadn't even noticed the rest of the Cullens arriving. He cradled C.J. closer to him, needing his support. C.J. somehow sensed his need and grabbed a handful of Harry's shirt.
"My little empath, always knows what I'm feeling, don't you?" he asked his son. He kissed the top of his son's head before he started his story. "About sixteen years ago a prophecy was made about a child born as the seventh month dies, who would defeat the Dark Lord with a power he knows not and the dark lord would mark the child as his equal.'
"There were two babies born on the thirty-first of July and Voldemort somehow got it into his head that I would be the one to defeat him. He found out the location my parents were hiding at. He killed my father; however, he wanted to let my mother go, but she threw herself in front of the killing curse meant for me. By doing so she gave me an ancient blood protection, with it, I was able to defeat the Dark Lord. I lost both my parents that day because some mad man was told half a prophecy…" he broke off not being able to get into it. "At that time I was one and was left at the doorstep of my relatives. I stayed there for ten years before I found out the truth, the truth about me being a wizard, the truth how my parents died. For ten years I had been led to believe that my parents died in a car accident." Harry cleared his throat; all of the talking had made his throat dry.
Esme stood up and was back within a few moments, carrying a glass. "Thank you," Harry smiled gratefully at her and took a deep gulp of the cool liquid, sighing as it slid down his throat.
"I found out, on my eleventh birthday, what I was and how my parents died; they were murdered by some Dark Wizard and I was the only one who had ever survived a Killing Curse and for some reason that made me famous." Harry let out a laugh. "I never quite understood how someone murdering your parents could make you famous."
He could feel the sympathetic stares and quickly continued. "That year I also went to a boarding school in Scotland called Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was also that year someone was after a stone that the caretaker had brought with him when we went shopping for the stuff I needed for school. I stopped that person from getting the stone by killing him when he touched me."
"What do you mean?" Emmett interrupted him.
"Because of my mother's sacrifice, the blood magic that she left over me, that person couldn't touch me without getting hurt himself. I'm not sure what happened exactly, though, because, I passed out." At Emmett's amused smirk he replied, "I was eleven," he clarified, but it only made Emmett's smirk brighter.
"The next year, my second year at Hogwarts, the memory of Voldemort tried to kill me. I don't exactly know how that happened but he somehow preserved his sixteen year old self into a diary.'
"In my third year I was the target of a murderer who had, supposedly, ratted out the location of my parent's hidden home to Voldemort, it turned out that he wasn't the rat everyone made me to believe, but my godfather, instead. He told me I could live with him, and since I didn't have a close relationship with my relatives I was ecstatic. In the end it wasn't meant to be, the headmaster thought, since my godfather was a fugitive and since I needed the protection of my mother's blood, which is the reason I had to stay at my relatives in the first place, that I should be sent back to my relatives." Harry stopped as he noticed C.J. had fallen asleep. "I'm just going to put him to bed."
Once he had put C.J. to bed, he went back into the living room where the vampires were waiting for him. "Maybe you want to continue this another time?" Esme suggested noticing how draining all of the talking had made the young wizard.
"No, I may not be able to talk about this if I don't get this out now." Harry sat back down and finished his drink. "It was around that time I started to get suspicious."
"Suspicious…how is that?" Esme urged him on when he stopped talking.
"Why would Hagrid pick up the stone with me around? Why would Headmaster Dumbledore send me my father's invisible cloak the same year? Why did the headmaster keep encouraging me into life and death situations? Why…?" he trailed off. "Let's just say I started to doubt the headmaster's motives." He took a deep breath. "It was then that I started to do research. I didn't know what I was researching but every chance I got I was reading another book about magic.'
"My fourth year was the hardest. There was a special tournament held that year at Hogwarts; a Triwizard Tournament. I was too young to enter but somehow I ended up entering it, against my will. I fought a dragon, had to hold my breath for over an hour and figure out a deathly maze. It was after the third task that the Dark Lord regained his body and came into power once more.'
"One of his followers, the one that betrayed my parents, resurrected him using my blood. This meant that he could touch me again without getting burnt. Cedric," he swallowed before he continued. "A fellow Triwizard champion was killed that day right in front of me. I was in shock a long while after that. It didn't help that the headmaster made sure I didn't receive any word from the wizardry world during that following summer.'
"I told you I was already suspicious about the motives of the headmaster. His behaviour didn't improve my suspicion either. I was left in the dark at a time where a mad man was trying to kill me. I guess you could say I didn't appreciate it. Not to mention my magic was getting out of control, apparently, that also had something to do with my magical inheritance. I didn't know that at the time but it was affecting my mood, not to mention the mad man was getting inside my head." Harry sighed as he saw the blank looks.
"I don't want to go into it at the moment if you don't mind." When he didn't hear any complaints he continued. "It was a weird year but I took to studying as much as I could. Trying to get myself ready for whatever was to come. At the end of the year I was lured somewhere by Voldemort. It was then that my godfather was killed." He stood up and started pacing wanting to get away from the concerned faces but still needing to get this out. It was incredibly difficult for him to speak of his godfather.
"I became so angry that he took away what I loved. Voldemort and I duelled." He stopped pacing and locked his eyes with Edward, somehow wanting to let him know what he had done. "I killed him." He looked away again as he started pacing. "I used so much of my magic that I passed out and ended up in a coma. Two weeks later I woke up."
The vampires didn't need to be an empath to feel the pain the wizard was feeling. "Things had changed. The ministry accused me of going dark. I heard Dumbledore saying I was only a tool to him and my so-called friends turned their backs on my when they found out…" he cut himself off. He didn't want them to know that. "Anyway, one of the professors there helped me to escape. It's weird actually, Snape and I never got along but he was one of the only ones willing to believe me and help me out."
Harry stopped pacing, once more, and sat down. "He helped me and my son move here. I'm forever grateful to him." Harry wet his lips. "They are here now to either send me to Azkaban prison, or… I don't know what they'll do. What I do know is that until I become off age they can do anything to me if it falls under the law and since Dumbledore has the ministry under his control, they can pretty much do anything they want to me."
"So…what? They can simply take you back, against your will, for a crime you haven't even committed yet and do whatever they want to you? That's complete crap!" Edward wasn't one to swear but something drew him to the wizard and an overwhelming need to protect him came with it.
"That's right," Harry replied, slightly amused by Edward's swear. "All I know is that I've got a week left for my exams, and then a month before I'll be seventeen. If I can hold them off until I'm seventeen I'll be free of them as long as I don't set foot in Britain." Harry sighed once more. "At least I hope so."
"We," Esme said, breaking the gloomy silence.
"Excuse me?"
"We've got to hold them off."
Harry stood up and shook his head. "No, I can't… I won't let you sacrifice your lives."
"Harrison, you may not have noticed yet, but we protect our family no matter what. Whether you like it or not, you are a part of this family," Esme had urged him to look at her so he'd know she was telling him the truth.
"Let's face it, squirt, you're stuck with us," Emmett joked, walking over to the wizard and hugging him. Harry gave a soft smile but doubt still clouded his thoughts. He just hoped everything would turn out okay and that no one was going to get hurt because of him, he just didn't think he could stand to see another life disappear because they were trying to protect him.
TBC
Harry yawned as he walked outside. It had been a long week, he'd had to take some exams at his muggle high school and had to be extra careful not to be seen by the British Aurors. They had been patrolling the high school and if it hadn't been for the Cullens special abilities, they wouldn't have been able to fool them. Luckily the Aurors weren't allowed to enter the school, so the only problem was getting in and out of the place, undetected. Sometimes vampire speed came in handy.
The Cullens had been worried about the aurors, they were afraid that they would be able to track him to his home, so he had sold the place; making it seem as if he had left town when in reality he had simply moved in with the Cullens. He knew, without them, he wouldn't have been able to pull it off. He was forever grateful to them.
Harry sank down to the ground, crossed his legs and started meditating. He called his magic to him and released it through his hands into the earth. A soft glow illuminated his body as the grass around him started to grow before the magic settled and the grass returned to its previous height.
Harry smiled as he stood up, dusting himself off. He could feel the magic in the trees, the air, the ground, and every where around him. The past week his magic had been really reaching out around him and it had to be released twice a day. He could feel, rather than hear, someone approach him.
"Good morning, Harrison." Harry closed his eyes as the musical voice took him over. To hear his name being spoken in that certain way shot straight to his heart. It was like the most beautiful symphony that was ever created being played, right there, for him.
"Edward," he breathed. "I feel I should apologise for leaving so abruptly…"
"It's all right," the vampire told him as he took a step closer, taking in the appearance of the young wizard. "Did you sleep well?"
"Not so much," he was never able to lie to this vampire. Ever since fleeing Britain, he hadn't been able to sleep much. He would often wake up in the middle of the night with fear in his heart; afraid he was found or worse. The past week had been the worst. He kept waking up, thinking the British Aurors had found him and that they'd taken away C.J.
"You have carried the weight of the world on your shoulders for a very long time." Emerald green eyes locked with topaz ones. "Maybe it's time to share that burden."
"I…" Harry began but shook his head. Sharing was not his thing; it never worked out, anyway. If he confided in someone, any personal things, they would either die or betray him; why should he confide in this person?
"Trust doesn't come easily to you," the musical voice continued. "And your reasons not to trust people are justified but that doesn't mean you can't trust anyone. I'm not asking you to trust me completely." The touch on his shoulder was gentle, comforting. "Just trust me enough to share whatever you wish to share with me."
"You don't want to know," Harry sighed and pulled away from the vampire.
"But that's where you are wrong," the comforting touch was back on his shoulder. "I wish to know everything about you."
"Why?" the question was sad, inquiring, confused.
"You intrigue me." The vampire heard the question in the wizard's mind. "Everyone has a past, Harrison. There isn't one thing I don't want to know about you. If you don't want to let me in, let someone else in." The vampire chuckled. "And C.J. doesn't count."
The words touched his heart but something still nagged him. Could he really trust this vampire? He looked into the vampire's eyes and knew that he could or at least, he could talk to him and maybe this way he could find some peace of mind at last. Yet, the vampire didn't like him, did he?
"But you don't like me," he said, not knowing what else to say.
"What gave you that impression?" the vampire inquired.
"You've barely spoken a word to me in all the time we've known each other; I believe we had one or two conversations. I've even noticed how hard you work to avoid me…"
"I…" The vampire stopped, trying to figure out what to say. "It is true that I have been avoiding you, but not for the reasons you think."
Edward had been very cautious with meeting new people. This wizard, however, had found a way into his home and his heart. Not only was he taken with him but his entire family liked this man and his son. The wizard's mind was troubled and all Edward wanted to do was to help him; the pull that had established on their first meeting was tugging harder, nagging him to help this human out.
When he read that the wizard was giving in he asked, "Why don't you tell me about your old school. You seem to have at least some fond memories."
"Hogwarts," Harry cracked a smile. "It is a boarding school in Scotland and I spent most of my time there and for five years it was my home." Images of Hogwarts shot through his head. His friends, the Headmaster even the professors.
"Tell me about the headmaster," Edward probed.
"Headmaster Dumbledore was sort of like my mentor. I guess, sometimes, I even looked at him as if he was my grandfather." Harry turned away from the vampire as he continued. "All I ever wanted was a family. Someone who would love me as much as I loved them. I had thought I found my family at Hogwarts and I liked to think Dumbledore was part of it.'
"In my first year everything changed for me; not only did I not have to live at my relatives for months at a time. I had never had friends but at Hogwarts I did, actual friends that looked up to me, friends, with whom I could discuss things with. I felt it was a place where I could belong and for once be myself.'
"I was still so naive to believe everything people told me, and didn't question much. In my third year I had that murderer after me. He turned out to be my godfather and a friend of mine and I rescued him from a certain death with the help of the headmaster. He told us to go back in time and the rest was up to us or so he let us think.'
"I didn't question it at first but over the summer I started to think about what has happened to me in my three years at school. Why would the headmaster encourage me to seek adventure? Why would he keep a dangerous stone locked up at a school? Why did he keep hiring those idiots for the Defence Against the Dark Arts position? And why did he tend to look the other way where I was concerned?"
"What do you mean?" Edward asked as they sat down on the ground.
"Well, as you might understand there are rules at Hogwarts; just like any other boarding schools. But whenever I was involved the headmaster tended to look the other way. When he kept looking the other why I started to test my limits, trying to get expelled." Harry shook his head as he remembered all the times he was caught when he wandered the halls of Hogwarts or when he went on another adventure and was certain he'd be expelled. "It didn't matter what I did, I was never able to get expelled."
"Did you want to get expelled?"
"No," Harry answered truthfully. "It was merely to test the limits. I've always had boundaries and to have none didn't feel right to me. I was willing to do almost anything to find out how far I could go before some drastic actions were taken. Turns out all I had to do was fulfil my destiny and murder the one person that was after me…"
"You think he was preparing you so you'd be able to kill the dark lord?" Edward inquired, reading the thoughts in the wizard's mind. The more Harry spoke about these things, the more Edward was able to read. It was quite fascinating.
"Yes," the word was filled with so much agony that it broke the dark void that was the vampire's heart. "You know I've never trusted anyone before, especially grownups. So, I tried to solve everything myself and later with the help of my friends. In my fifth year the trust I had placed in everyone was diminishing; something didn't feel right.'
"The headmaster acted as if I didn't exist. His behaviour only made me more suspicious. Unfortunately I didn't have time to think much about it. Nearing the end of my fifth year I was lured to the Ministry of Magic by the dark lord. I have told you that my godfather was killed that day and I killed the dark lord?" he waited for the nod. "I was so angry at everyone at that time…'
"In the end it wasn't anger that got me to kill him though," Harry could see the confusion shining in the vampire's eyes. "It was love. I remembered how much I loved my parents how much I loved my godfather, how much I loved my friends, my fellow students, C.J. and…" Harry licked his lips not continuing that sentence. "I found a way to channel all that into my magic and directed it at Voldemort, killing him instantly.'
"I already told you I ended up in a coma for two weeks after defeating him but I didn't tell you that they kept me in a coma…"
"What do you mean?"
Harry hadn't realised how close they had gotten. His mind told him to move away but he couldn't. He needed the closeness. "The headmaster kept me sedated using potions and spells."
"Then how did you wake up?"
"The potions professor, Professor Snape and the mediwitch, Madam Pomfrey helped me out. Being a potion master, meant Snape was in charge of the potions I would need to take; he'd made sure they woke me up instead of putting me to sleep and Madam Pomfrey kept me under a spell so it would look like I was still asleep to everyone else, except for them… They were two of the few people that had helped me out."
"You told us that this Professor Snape helped you and C.J. move here?"
"Yes," Harry cracked a smile. "He and I never got along. Right from the moment I entered Hogwarts. He had been such a bastard to me; always picking on me, telling me I was nothing, like how my father was nothing."
Edward growled, too low for the wizard to hear, as he saw the memories play out in Harrison's mind. He didn't like how this man kept telling Harrison he was nothing and kept lashing out at him.
"It's funny; when I was younger I always thought he said that to hurt me, but I learned there was much more to his words than what I first believed. He kept me grounded. He made sure that I never believed that whole Boy-Who-Lived crap. It took me a while to realise that his attitude was mostly a cover. Many death eater children were in the school and if he was seen being polite to me they would have told their parents who would tell Voldemort. I owe a lot to him."
"You sound as if you love him," Edward observed.
Harry took a moment to think about the observation. "I guess I do," he eventually admitted. "He has done a lot for me and I guess I sort of see him like a parental figure." He stood up, the wind softly playing with his hair as it picked up. "He distracted the headmaster long enough for me and C.J. to flee the country to Ireland. Snape had a house there, which the headmaster didn't know about, and he let me stay there for a while. We had to stay low a little longer, for C.J. was barely old enough to fly. A week or so later we took a plane to America, then the bus to Forks to start a new life here."
Harry sighed as he turned back to Edward. "I had hoped they would leave me alone, especially if I didn't use my magic, but fate likes to play with me and I don't want to imagine what will happen if they catch me." Sad emerald eyes landed on concerned topaz ones. I'm scared, Edward, I'm afraid they'll take C.J. from me.
Edward had taken a step closer to the wizard. He'd read the thought and knew the wizard would never admit it out loud. "We won't let anything happen to you or your son," he promised. He lifted his hand and caressed the soft cheek.
"Harrison, a fireplace has appeared with a strange head inside," Esme's sweet and cautious voice called out. She had met a Madam Pomfrey like this but, this man, whoever he was, wasn't Madam Pomfrey. But since he had asked for Harrison she'd knew it was all right.
Harry stepped away from Edward, nodded to Esme and followed her inside. He cautiously walked over to the fireplace and saw the head of his former potions professor. He smiled as he stepped into view. It had been too long since he last spoken with him.
"Harry? Are you all right? May Poppy and I come through?" Although the potion master was worried, nothing about his demeanour told you this. He was as controlled as ever and showed no emotions.
"Yes, of course," Harry immediately replied. His instincts told him something was wrong, not to mention the slight worry he had seen in his ex-professors eyes; which had been quickly replaced by his usual blank mask when he saw his student.
First Severus Snape and then Poppy Pomfrey passed through the flames. Harry immediately went to Snape. "It's good to see you again, Severus." He hugged him and then turned to Poppy and did the same. "And you as well, Poppy."
"I'm sorry we didn't contact you sooner, we weren't able too," Poppy explained. "I take it the British Aurors are here?"
"Yes, they are here or at least in the magical community," Harry looked around the room, noticing the six vampires that were cautiously looking at the two newcomers. "These are Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey," he introduced the newcomers to the vampires. "And that's Emmett, Jasper, Esme, Edward, Rosalie and Alice Cullen. They've been helping me out."
"How is C.J.?" Poppy asked when the introductions were over. "May I check him over?" at Harry's nod Rosalie handed C.J. to the mediwitch who examined the boy.
"What has you so worried?" He asked turning to Snape. The potion master should have known he wouldn't be able to fool the young wizard.
"We just got notice that the aurors have found out were you are staying," Snape told him. "We were worried we were too late…"
"No, they aren't here…not yet at least," Harry looked around the room. "I guess we should leave soon before they find us…"
"Yes, but first let us give you an update, I believe you're friends can keep their ears open and notify us when someone's approaching?" When the vampires nodded he continued. "Dumbledore's getting suspicious, he's aware someone inside the Order has been helping you out but he doesn't know who yet."
"Are you and Poppy still safe?"
"Yes, for now." Snape could see the guilt building in the young man. "Don't you dare, Potter," he began using the most teacher-like voice he could master. "You are not to blame for any of this."
"Severus is right, dear. A child should never have been used as much as they used you." A sadness fell over the room. The only sound that was heard was C.J.'s soft protests as Poppy looked him over.
"What else have you found out?" Harry asked, changing the subject.
"I found out what they want to do to you once they've brought you back to Britain," Snape began. "They want to bond you to someone."
Harry heard the words but couldn't apprehend it. "Bond?" he asked after several minutes. "Bond with whom?" When Snape didn't answer he feared the worst. Names of his friends shot through his mind; Ron? Hermione? Ginny? Then it hit him. "He wants me to enter a half bond?" He had been studying bonds at the magic school and figured that was the only reason why Dumbledore wanted to bond him off to someone.
"What does that mean?" Jasper was quick to ask when he felt how horrified and angry the young wizard was.
"It means his soul, magic and blood will be bonded to someone else, making him dependant on that person. When his bonded is hurt, he'll feel it as if it were his own pain," Snape answered when he noticed Harry didn't answer. "His bonded will also become more powerful as Harry will become weaker. If they aren't careful they could drain Harry."
"There's something you're not telling us," Alice observed.
"I could die," Harry said, emotionless.
The silence was deafening. Not even C.J. made a sound. Harry licked his dry lips as he turned back to his previous potion professor. "Do you know who they want me to bond to?"
"There has been talk about one of the Weasley's, Draco Malfoy and even Dumbledore himself."
Harry's eyes locked with obsidian once. "Who else?" he demanded. He felt as if Snape was holding something back. "You?" it dawned on him.
Snape nodded, not able to say anything. Harry may be Lily's son but there was a limit to what he'd do for her and bonding with him wasn't on the list of things he'd do.
"Great, so my choice is to either be locked away forever or be forced into a half bond with someone," Harry shook his head. "I can't believe I actually wanted to be a part of all that." He turned around and sat down on the couch. "The Weasley's agreed to this?"
"Yes," he saw Harry's defeated look and continued. "They think you've gone dark, Harry. Dumbledore has been manipulating everyone around him, making it sound as if you are regrouping somewhere so that you can strike when the time is right."
"And the Weasley's believe him?" A nod was his only answer. "I really know how to pick them, don't I?" he tried to joke but it came out as a sob.
Esme was beside him in a second, comforting him.
Edward was fighting his instincts. He wanted to smash something, hit something, and even kill someone. He was grateful his brother kept trying to calm him down. He saw the memories in Harry's mind. The first time he met the Weasley's. The first time he entered their house. He felt how happy the wizard had been to be part of their family, if only for a little while and now it was all in the past.
"Harry, we will do everything we can to stop this from happening," Poppy seated herself on the other side of Harry. "As soon as you are of age they won't be able to bond you off to someone."
"Yeah, but they can still throw me into Azkaban. Although I have to admit Azkaban is looking like paradise considering the alternative."
"There is an alternative," Snape began. "You've told us…"
"No," Harry interrupted her. "I won't do that."
Both Madam Pomfrey and Snape had learned a long time ago that once Harry set his mind onto something he wouldn't divert from it. He nodded, letting Harry know he understood. "Then you need a plan to keep them at bay for the next month or so. After that they can't take you away from here. You'll be an adult and they have nothing to hold against you."
"Easier said than done," Harry replied. "We've been able to fool them because of their vampire speed but it won't last a month. Especially if they are searching through every house…"
"They have been through your house the day before yesterday," Alice told them. "We made sure they didn't find any evidence of you or C.J."
"Thank you," he couldn't deal if they found out he had a son. They could use his son against him or worse he could lose his son. He thought a moment before he continued. "I don't want to be on the run for a month and I don't want to be away from C.J. for a month." He looked at the people around him. "And I really don't want to put any of you in danger. If they are willing to place me in a half bond there's no telling what they'll do to you."
"Harrison, we've told you before that we are not leaving you," Esme told him. "Do you need to stay at Forks?" she asked after a moment of silence.
"No, why do you ask?"
"We have a small manor in Canada. You are invited to stay there." C.J. made some sort of protesting sound. "And you as well, sweety."
Harry wasn't used to people caring what he wanted or needed. He always had to go after what he wanted or needed and often he wouldn't get it. The Cullens had been giving him so much he was sure it was too good to be true. Suspicion formed in his mind as he thought of what the Cullen's had given him; a place to stay, a free babysitter and now another place to stay. Something wasn't right. What would they get out of this?
"It's time to stop running, Harrison," the musical voice was heard from the far end of the room. "Let us take care of you for once."
Harry thought about it. Was he really ready to put his fate in someone else's hands? His eyes fell on his son, then he nodded; he'd do it for him.
TBC
"You, little man, need to sleep." Harry and C.J. were sitting outside, enjoying the sun. "No, you don't," Harry said as C.J. started to crawl away. Harry picked him up and blew against his belly. C.J. shrieked in delight. "You're a little menace aren't you?"
"I'd imagine he takes after his father," a musical voice answered behind him.
"Now what makes you say that?" Harry retorted.
"Neither sleep much," was the answer.
"Sometimes I wish I could sleep. It would at least make me stop worrying for a while," he confided in Edward.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Edward noticed the moment Harry gave in. "Why don't you tell me about Poppy."
"She's the mediwitch at Hogwarts. I think I spent more time at the hospital wing than I did in class," Harry laughed. "She was one of my confidants. I never told her everything but I told her things I would never tell anyone else or at least that's what I thought at that time.'
"Unfortunately she was often obliviated." At Edward's blank look he elaborated. "Some of her memories were removed. So she often didn't remember our talks."
"Why were they removed?"
"I believe the Headmaster didn't want anyone to know what happened at my relatives," Harry closed his eyes for a moment not being able to see the inquiring look in the vampire's eyes. He hadn't been able to talk to someone this easily since… No, he wouldn't think of that.
He opened his eyes. Edward was still staring at him. He knew the vampire would never ask him the question. Harry was grateful for that. It was one of the things that made him trust the vampire. He couldn't exactly explain it but he felt safe with him. Somehow knowing that the vampire would do anything to protect him, if need be.
"My relatives weren't the nicest people around," he simply said not wanting…not being able to go into detail, at least, not yet.
"They abused you," Edward concluded, a low growl, too low for the human to hear, emanating from his chest.
Pain filled eyes turned away from the vampire. C.J., who was seated on his father's lap, felt his father's pain and reached out to him. "Dada."
"I'm okay, little man." He hugged his son closer, letting him know everything was fine. "Physical abuse, mental/emotional abuse and neglect," he eventually confided in Edward, his son giving him the strength to put so much trust in the vampire.
Edward fought hard to keep the beast inside him under control. He wanted to hunt down these people and kill them, slowly, for hurting his precious human… His? Since when had Harrison become his? He had to swallow down the venom that was pooling in his mouth.
"The headmaster didn't want people to know about this?" Edward inquired.
"No," was the only answer.
"Do you know why?" the vampire prodded. He could read the turmoil going on inside the wizard's mind. He needed to get this out one way or another.
"I would assume he'd thought this way he could control me," Harry shook his head. "And for about four years, in a way, he did but he never took my lack of faith in adults into consideration."
"Something happened to you in that fourth year that made you turn about," the vampire observed. He knew there was something he was missing and he really wanted to find out what.
"You could say that," Harry carefully placed C.J. back on the blanket so he could play with the stuffed penguin. "I mean, for three years someone had been trying to kill me one way or another but to see someone die, to see my friend die…it hurt me more than I could imagine." Harry hadn't realised how close they had gotten until he met topaz eyes with his own. His tongue darted out to wet his lips. "Not to mention I saw my parents that day."
"I thought your parents had died?"
"Yes, it's… complicated."
"Everything in your life seems complicated," the vampire observed. "I feel as if each time you talk to me I gain a piece of a puzzle only to realise the puzzle has becoming bigger."
"What if I tell you the puzzle will only become bigger?"
"Then I shall look forward to piecing it together," the vampire's smile was genuine. His eyes followed the pink tongue that was wetting the wizard's lips again, he'd noticed it was a nervous habit the wizard had. "What about friends?"
Confused eyes looked up at him. "You must have had friends at Hogwarts." A nod was his answer. "Tell me about them."
Before Harry could reply Alice rushed over to them, picked up C.J. and told them she'd see them later. Then she was gone again.
Harry and Edward shared a bemused look. The vampire hadn't been able to read his sister's thoughts because she kept thinking about clothes to buy for the whole family. "Would you like to take a walk?"
Harry nodded, got up and together they started to walk around the rather large garden. "Ron and Hermione," he finally said as they passed an apple tree. "My friend's names were Ron and Hermione. In the muggle world I was a nobody, a freak even, while in the wizarding world I was a hero. On the train towards Hogwarts I was still Harry. Ron and I shared a compartment on the train. At that time, I thought Ron saw me as Harry even though he knew I was the Boy-Who-Lived. I felt as if he wanted to get to know me, you know.'
"So when I was sorted into Gryffindor and Ron as well I knew we were going to be friends. Our first year there was a troll running around. I had this feeling that Hermione was in trouble so me and Ron went looking for her. She had been trapped inside the girl's bathroom along with the troll. Ron and I defeated the troll and she took the blame for it all. The three of us had been best friends since.'
"One day we ended up on an abandoned corridor. We found a three-headed dog that guarded something. I shared information with them, a package that Hagrid picked up when he took me shopping for my school supplies. I found that I quite enjoyed this sharing thing and told them little by little about myself, things about my home life and my dreams or nightmares as they usually were.‘
"We had been through a lot together. In our first year we tried to stop Professor Quirrell from getting this stone, an elixir of life. In our second year we battled the memory of Voldemort. In our third year we went up against a murderer. In our fifth year we went to rescue my godfather.'
"Each time we had our own parts to play. Hermione would get us the information we needed to handle things. Ron would think of the strategy and I would battle them.'
"Our fourth year was a little different. It was the year I was getting suspicious of everything and everyone. I never suspected my two best friends would turn against me though. Not until I was entered into the Triwizard Tournament."
"What is this Triwizard Tournament?"
"It's a magical tournament where the champion has to complete three tasks to gain eternal fame or something. Everyone seventeen years and older was able to enter. I was a fourth year at that time and had just turned fourteen. I had hoped this was going to be an easy year but it turned into one of the worst.'
"My name somehow ended up in the goblet and I was chosen as Hogwarts' second champion. I ended up competing against three seventeen year olds with more magical knowledge than me. Somehow I survived each task.'
"Anyway, Ron thought I had entered my own name into the goblet. I told him I didn't and he didn't believe me. I thought that friends should trust each other, you know, or believe them at least. When he didn't it felt as if… well, I guess you could say it broke my heart.‘
"After that I couldn't quite trust him anymore. I still hung out with him. He was still my friend but I couldn't tell him anything private anymore, you know? It's why I never told him about C.J…"
"What about Hermione? Did you tell her?"
Harry shook his head. "No, I didn't. Ron and Hermione had always been closer to each other than to me. I never minded it. But I knew the moment I would tell Hermione she'd tell Ron and I didn't want that."
"Something tells me this isn't the reason you and them aren't on speaking terms."
Harry cracked a smile. "It's not," he said and stopped walking. "You mind if we change the subject?"
"Of course not," Edward was quick to reply. "How are you holding up?" Harry, C.J., Edward and Alice had moved to Canada. Sometimes the vampires would switch, but they always made sure there were at least two vampires with Harry. The rest of the Cullens stayed back at Forks to keep an eye on the aurors, not to mention if they'd move now they would look suspicious and would surely be followed by the aurors.
"Not so good," Harry admitted. "I'm terrified something will happen to C.J. What if they find out about him? What will they do to him?"
"You are not afraid for yourself?"
"I am. I mean, I really don't want to be in a half bond because that would be worse than death…"
"But?" Edward prodded.
"If it's the only way to save C.J. I would do it in a heartbeat."
"You are a rather self sacrificing human, aren't you?"
"One of my charms," Harry joked. "For C.J., I would practically do anything. He is my life. He's the reason I've made it this far. I have no idea what I would do if he was taken away from me."
"I won't let anything happen to you or C.J. if I can help it," Edward promised him.
"That would mean a lot to me," Harry admitted as he reached out to caress a cold, hard cheek. Coldness swept through his hand but his magic started to warm it up, giving him protection from the sudden chill.
Edward went rigid when he felt the warm, tender hand caress his cheek. The hand, which was warming up his cheek, felt so good against his cold, dead skin. The warmth spread from his cheek to his heart, and eventually warming the rest of his body. He daren't look away from the emerald shining eyes, afraid it would break the spell that seemed to have fallen over them. In this moment he forgot to act human.
The spell was broken when Harry stepped away from the vampire. "All this time we've been talking about me but why don't you tell me something about yourself?"
"I'm afraid there isn't much to tell," He looked into the pleading eyes of the wizard. "Why do you want to know?"
"Let's just say I want to know everything about you just like you want to know everything about me," Harry replied. "When were you born?" Harry thought it be best to start with something simple. He knew how uncomfortable it could be asked to talk about a past.
"I was born a human on June 20, 1901," Edward replied. "I was born a vampire in 1918."
"You were seventeen when you died?" The nod confirmed his answer. "Why were you turned?"
"What makes you think there was a reason?" Edward asked harshly.
"If my suspicions are correct then Carlisle is your sire. Knowing him he didn't turn you without a reason," the wizard concluded.
"You are one bright little human," Edward smiled.
"I'm not little," Harry pouted making the older boy laugh.
"My mother and I were dying of the Spanish influenza. On her deathbed she begged Carlisle, who was our doctor back then, to save me. Unfortunately there wasn't a cure for the Spanish influenza so Carlisle turned me."
"Do you like being a vampire?"
"Sometimes," Edward admitted. "Most of the time I'm just lonely and knowing that I get to spend the rest of my immortal life alone doesn't appeal to me. I thought I had found the happiness my siblings and my parents have found but it was not to be."
"Would you like to talk about it?" The vampire stayed silent. "I can see this…event still hurts you. I'm not stupid, you know. You've listened to me rant about my past now let me help you."
Edward shook his head but gave in. "Last year a new student entered our school, Bella Swan. We had biology together. There was something in her blood that made it call to me. It was the sweetest blood I ever smelled and whenever I got a whiff of the smell I had to control the beast inside of me. It took all of my control not to kill her and our fellow classmates." Edward stopped as he remembered that day. He had never felt so helpless before. His control had been slipping away from him and if the bell hadn't rung he would have killed them all.
"I left to try and get control over myself. When I was certain I wouldn't kill her I returned. Only to realise she still called to me. I wanted to get to know her and eventually I did. I even fell in love with her and told her my family's secret against their wishes.'
"We got along very well, actually, my family, Bella and I. We even worked together to save her from a vampire who tried to kill her.'
"After that, she started to change. She kept telling me that she wanted to be a vampire so she wouldn't feel so helpless again when another vampire attacked her." Eyes full of hurt fell upon Harry's own. "I couldn't change her. I couldn't… I can't condemn anyone to this life."
Harry nodded sympathetic not knowing what else to say.
"She started to change," Edward continued. "I knew she was friends with the dogs but I never knew how deep their relationship went until I caught her.'
"My family and I left for a week. When we returned Bella smelled like dog. Not the normal smell you'd have when interacting with one but deeper. It was under her skin, in her blood. Her usual sweet blood that used to call to me only made me grimace away from her. I didn't realise it then but she had bedded one of them.'
"That night I went to watch over her, as I always did."
"Wait, you watched her while she slept?" Harry was kind of disturbed by this new revelation.
"Yes," Edward admitted. "I have learned from my mistakes." For some reason he wanted Harrison to know that he didn't watch her or anyone else for that matter anymore. "That night, however, she wasn't alone," he continued. "One of the dogs was there with her in a rather compromising situation." Harry understood the meaning right away. "When I confronted her about this she accused me of not wanting her for I've never slept with her. She said she needed a real man, not some whiny vampire that didn't know what a woman wanted or needed. She said I wasn't worthy of her."
"She said that?" At Edward's nod, Harry had to control his magic. It was flaring up, once more, crackling in the air around them. "You sure as hell better not believe her," Harry said after he released his magic back into the earth.
Harry could sense the vampire believed he hadn't been worthy of her, so he reached out to touch the vampire's cheek once more. "She's the one that's missing out on an amazing and wonderful man who cares more about his family than about himself."
Edward closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. "You really believe that?" he breathed. He couldn't get enough of the warmth emanating from the wizard.
"I do," his voice was raspy, harsh as if he hadn't drunk anything for a while. They moved closer, the vampire's unblinking eyes unnerved Harry a little but he couldn't move away. The vampire's hand reached out to caress his cheek. Harry closed his eyes relishing the touch but by doing so breaking the spell that had taken hold of them. "I better check on C.J.," he said, abruptly and walked away, leaving the vampire staring at his retreating back.
TBC
Harry rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he descended down the stairs. His son's cries had woken him and he was about to check on him when he saw Edward cradling the baby. He stopped and watched.
"Calm down, C.J." Edward said as he rocked the baby gently from left to right. "You'll have to let me know what you want because I'm really not good at this." Both his sisters and his mother were able to distinguish the baby's cries but he didn't know the difference. Luckily he was a mind-reader and was able to recognise one word in the baby world that was C.J.'s thoughts. "You're in need of a change of nappy," he stated.
C.J.'s cries seemed to soften, as if it had been the right thing for Edward to say.
"Okay," Edward said as he walked over to the changing table and carefully laid the child down. "I can do this," he told himself as he first removed the pants and then the diaper. When he picked up a cleaned diaper the cries were intensifying again. "You'll have to help me out here. I've never done this before so I need you to tell me what to do, okay?"
The baby's cries grew softer, as if he was contemplating what the vampire had said. Yes, he could do this; he had seen his daddy and his Meme do this a thousand times before.
With C.J. picturing each step in his mind, Edward was able to change the diaper successfully. "We make a good team," he said to the child as he picked the happily cooing baby up.
"You certainly do," Harry said as he entered the room.
"Dada," was heard from the child.
"Hello, little man," Harry said affectionately. "Has Edward been helping you out?"
"Eddy," C.J. replied and pointed to the vampire.
"I guess he has a nickname for you now as well," Harry told the vampire.
"Yes, it would seem so," Edward replied.
"Where's Alice?" The wizard asked after a moment of silence.
"She's gone hunting," Edward explained.
Harry nodded at the explanation.
"You seem anxious," the vampire stated as they sat down. "What's wrong?"
"I'm not sure," Harry replied. "I guess I'm getting more anxious as my birthday approaches." It was July already, and just a few more days before Harry would turn 17 and become off age. "Not to mention my magic's getting more and more out of control." Jack, the headmaster from the magic school had visited him twice a week to Apparate him to magic school where he could learn more tactics to control his magic, he was also able to graduate at the beginning of July.
"Do you know what will happen on your birthday?" The vampire inquired.
"Not exactly, I know my magic will increase and I bet it'll hurt but other than that, I have no idea," Harry told him. He'd been reading up on magic inheritance and hadn't been able to find anything on what exactly would happen to him, only that his body would need to adjust to the magic.
Edward read the thoughts in the wizard's mind and suspected the pain would be excruciating. "I'll be with you throughout the entire time," he promised the wizard before he thought about it.
Harry gave him a weak smile. He knew that Edward wouldn't be able to help him against the pain but to know that someone was there all through the process was a nice thought.
~*~*~*~*~
"You know Harrison, you never did tell us about his mother," Alice asked as Harry put C.J. to bed while she and Edward watched. The distraught expression on his face told her everything. "She passed away?"
Harry gave her a small nod, not wanting to go into it. Softly they left C.J.'s room, not wanting to wake up the recently sleeping child.
"I'm sorry," she said truthfully.
Harry gave her a weak smile but didn't comment on it.
"You are rather young to have a child, though," she probed, not paying attention to the full out death glare Edward was shooting her way.
"I am," Harry replied. He knew she wasn't trying to be mean or judging, just observant.
Alice's eyes glazed over as she looked into Edward's future. For some reason she had never been able to see Harry's future. It always was like a great fog to her as if he never could make up his mind. When she saw that Edward's future was fogged over as well, she quickly left the two off them alone; knowing this meant he'd spend the day with Harrison and hopefully the young wizard would confide in her brother.
"I'm sorry, she can be rather curious," Edward apologised. He couldn't understand why his sister had probed him so much. He hadn't been able to read her mind as she kept reciting the alphabet and wondered what was going to happen now that she had left.
"It's okay, they are just questions," Harry sank into one of the chairs outside in the garden.
"Harrison," that musical voice took hold of him. "I am here for you if you need to talk about something, you know that right?"
Harry nodded but didn't say anything for a while. He was just enjoying the peaceful atmosphere around them. Whenever the vampire was close to him he felt safe, cared for and maybe even loved. He couldn't really understand what made him feel like that whenever Edward was close; he just knew that he liked it and wanted to have it for as long as he could.
"Cedric was my first love," he suddenly said into the silence, shocking Edward who had been relishing the peace and closeness of the wizard himself. "I met him in my third year. We had a game of Quidditch against each other. I fell off my broom when the Dementors came too close," he knew Edward didn't know what Quidditch or Dementors were but he couldn't get himself to explain. "He hadn't realised I was falling of my broom and he won the game. He later called for a rematch but we thought they had won fair and square.'
"Cedric had felt guilty and visited me a few times in the hospital wing. I guess you could say we became friends. He was three years older than me but it never mattered to him.'
"In my fourth year, I was entered into the Triwizard Tournament and he helped me through the year. I don't know what would have happened if he hadn't been there for me." A soft smile started to play on Harry's lips, making Edward a little jealous. He wanted to be the one that brought that type of a smile to the other boy's face.
"Our second task was to seek that which we would miss the most at the bottom of the lake. I was a little worried Cedric would be the one thing I'd miss the most, because at that time he already meant the world to me but I didn't know what the task was yet.'
"Cedric was the only person I ever confided everything in. I had told him about my relatives, my fears, my dreams and hopes. I confided in him that I'd never learned how to swim and that I was terrified of the water. One night, he took me to the prefect's bathroom and taught me how to swim.'
"I remember that day only too well. It was about three months before the second task. It was one of those nights that I couldn't sleep. I went outside to take a walk when I ended up at the lake. Cedric found me and we started talking. We started to joke around. He wanted to push me in the water but I freaked out and hit him. I was so embarrassed that I didn't talk to him for about a week. He was so worried that he took me out of one of my detentions telling the professor that I, as one of the champions, was needed.'
"He took me to an abandoned classroom where I confided in him. Telling him that I was sorry that I freaked out and that I was sorry I hit him. He told me that it was all right as long as I told him what happened so he wouldn't do it again. You don't know how embarrassed I was that I didn't know how to swim and I had to tell Mister Perfect." Harry closed his eyes. "And he was perfect; everything I had ever wanted to be."
Edward felt as if he should be jealous but somehow he couldn't find a reason to be jealous.
"But he was kind and said that I shouldn't be embarrassed about something as little as that," Harry continued. "That night I met him at the grand stairs and was led to the prefect's bathroom. He took great patience in teaching me how to swim. He held his arms under me as I floated in the water. The minute he removed his arms I went under but he was quick to pick me up. It was then that I received my very first kiss." He licked his dry lips as the memory took over him.
-
Seventeen year old Hufflepuff, Cedric Diggory took in the site of the fourteen year old Gryffindor, Harry Potter. Harry was too short for a boy his age and too skinny. "You need to get undressed," he told the younger boy. They were at the prefect's bathroom to teach Harry how to swim.
He noticed the younger boy hesitating. "You don't need to hide anything from me."
Harry hesitated a second longer and then started to undo his shirt. "You don't have to keep staring," he tried to joke but failed.
"I'm sorry," Cedric replied and turned away. He had already undressed to his swimming trunks. He sank into the bath and waited patiently for Harry to finish.
He turned to the younger wizard who was also down to his trunks and slid into the bathtub.
"You're ready?" He waited till Harry nodded. "Okay, just lay back in the water. Trust me; I won't let anything happen to you."
Harry hesitated and then followed his instructions. He felt Cedric's hands on his back and relaxed into the water.
"Okay, I'm going to let you go now."
Harry wanted to disagree but before he could the hands were gone and he sank under the water. Not a second later the hands were back and made sure he re-surfaced.
"Are you okay?" Cedric's voice was concerned. His eyes worried. Harry just nodded, suddenly realising how close he was to the older boy. He looked up into the grey eyes and licked his suddenly dry lips.
Cedric followed the movement with his eyes. He noticed how small the fourteen year old actually was. All he had to do to kiss him was bend his head in a 90-degree angle and he could claim those calling lips as his own. Instead his hand started roaming the boy's body, going higher until it could cup a rosy cheek. His thumb wiped away some of the remaining droplets from his face.
He cupped his chin and guided them to his own, finally claiming those sweet lips as his own. A moan emanated from his throat as their tongues met for the first time. The boy's kisses were clumsy, hurried, as if he had never kissed before. He probably hadn't. However, It simply made it all the more real.
The older boy broke the kiss only to claim that sweet addicting mouth again. Slowing the kiss down, making the younger boy weak in the knees. His arms encircled Harry as he pulled him closer and held him up.
Harry was grateful that the older boy was holding him up for he knew if those arms disappeared he'd fall to the floor or drown. The older boy's tongue and mouth were slowly driving him mad. Feelings he couldn't describe took over him. His entire world focused on the boy holding him. He wanted; he needed Cedric to kiss him forever and ever.
-
As Harrison relived that memory Edward saw it as well. The beast inside him was screaming that Harry was his and no other should ever kiss him, while the man, inside him, was grateful Harrison had known at least one moment of true happiness.
"It took me two months to learn how to swim. He was so proud of me," Harry continued. It had been the night of the second task, when both had figured out what to do and how they'd do it. Harry had been so worried that he wouldn't be able to pull it off, for he still hadn't been able to find anything to help him out with the second task. That night, Cedric had also taught him how to do a bubble-head charm, "just in case," he had said. When they went on to the swimming lessons Cedric had told him he was ready to face it.
Harry had swum one circle around the bathtub while Cedric sat on the edge watching. Sure, he wasn't the fastest swimmer but he got the job done. Cedric had pulled him into his arms and kissed him deeply. As Cedric went to lie down on the floor, he'd pulled Harry on top of him. Their crotches had met, making both of them moan aloud. The older boy had wanted to pull away but Harry wouldn't let him and had held him tight.
Harry had never felt that way before. His body felt on fire, especially his lower regions. Somehow thrusting against Cedric made it feel ten times better. He couldn't stop moving against the older boy. His body felt as if it had a mind of its own, harder, faster he thrusted until he saw stars before his eyes and had to break the kiss to catch his breath.
"What was that?" he had asked as he gazed down into the older boy's eyes.
Cedric had smirked. "That, I believe, was your first orgasm."
Harry had been slightly embarrassed when Cedric told him about touching himself, for honestly, who would have taught him that? Yet, he had also been grateful Cedric was there to teach him those things.
"You know, I'm very proud of you," Cedric had told him as they dressed. Harry remembered smirking at the older boy, making him chuckle. "I don't mean about that, though I have to say you're a very good student," he had pulled him in for a soul soaring kiss. "I meant about you being able to swim and that you're opening up to me." Cedric sighed; afraid he was going to say something stupid. "I guess I just want to say that I love you." The surprised look on the younger boy's face didn't go unnoticed. "I know you're not ready to return those words. I just felt you had to know that."
Indeed Harry hadn't been able to return those words. Not because he couldn't say them. He just wanted to be sure he meant them when he said them. It was the most Cedric deserved. It had taken him a few months to return those words of love and he'd never seen Cedric so happy.
"I still miss him," Harry said after a short silence. "I still love him."
"It is always difficult to lose those we love, especially a first love," Edward spoke from experience. Although he had broken up with Bella it had still hurt him to lose her. He pulled the young wizard up and into an embrace, gently rubbing his back in soothing circles, trying to comfort him.
Suddenly the vampire went rigid. Pulling away from the wizard, he searched his surroundings, something was off…
"What's wrong?" Harry asked concerned, before there were various loud pops and three wizard's stood in front of them.
Two of the wizards had their wants pointed at them. "By order of the Ministry of Magic of Britain we are sent to take you back to Britain for your trial hearing," one of them said.
Edward crouched down, ready to defend Harry. They weren't going to take Harry away from him not if he had anything to say about it.
Edward, don't, he heard Harry's thoughts loud and clear. I need you to take care of C.J. for me. Edward shook his head. He had made a promise; he would take care of both of them. Please, it was that little word that did it. He turned to face the wizard and nodded his consent. Yes, he would take care of C.J. but he would also find a way to save him.
The wizards took hold of Harry's arms and with one lingering glance Harry disappeared for a second time.
TCB
When Harrison disappeared, Edward rushed back inside the house. C.J. was laying on the floor, crying, while Alice rocked herself, saying; ‘I didn't see' over and over. The mind-reader picked up the baby and tried to calm him down but found it impossible for the child knew his father was gone.
"Alice," Edward said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I didn't see," she repeated.
"Alice," Edward tried again. "You have to snap out of it." Her mind was chaotic, although she hadn't been able to see the Aurors taking away Harrison; she had seen that Edward would rush in to tell her that the wizard had been taken. "You are not to blame," he tried again, knowing his sister was feeling incredible guilty for not seeing this sooner.
Not having the time to snap his sister out of her shock, he dragged her over to the car, placed C.J. in the baby-seat in the back, Alice in the passenger-seat before climbing in himself and driving back to Forks at full speed, not stopping for anything. He reached Forks in record time and, after taking C.J. and Alice out of the car, quickly went inside.
"Edward?" Esme's confused voice said as she saw her son, who was carrying C.J., and her daughter walk in. "Where's Harrison?"
"He's gone, they took him," Edward babbled as he gave C.J. to his mother. Alice was safely stored in her mate's arms, still trying to overcome the shock.
"Who took him?" Esme asked as she desperately tried to calm the crying child down.
"The British!" Edward almost yelled. "Those…what did Harrison call them…aurors?" He wanted to smash something, hit something, kill someone! They'd taken away his Harrison and he was going to do anything to get him back.
Silence fell over the room, nobody knew what to say, the only sound that was heard was the erratic cries of the baby.
"There must be something we can do?" Jasper asked after calming his mate down.
"Severus gave us a list of people we could contact if something should happen to Harrison," Esme explained as she open a drawer and pulled out a piece of paper. "One thing we can be certain of is that they took him back to Britain."
"I'm going to Britain," Edward declared. "I think he should come with me." He pointed to C.J. "When we find Harrison, he'd want to see his son as soon as possible."
It was settled, Edward, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie and Alice would go to Britain to look for Harrison there, while Esme and Carlisle would keep their eyes out in Forks.
~*~*~*~*~
Harry awoke. It had almost been a week since he had been taken from Canada. The aurors had taken him back to Britain and contained him inside one of Dumbledore's buildings, they didn't tell him why. He'd tried everything to get away from there but nothing seemed to work. Today he was suppose to bond to someone and he didn't even know who he was going to bond to.
Someone had left some dress robes for him. The first time he'd woken up in the room he had found a bathroom. He figured they didn't want him dead or at least not yet. He went inside the bathroom to clean up and then dressed in the dress robes. He didn't want to enter a half bond with anyone but if this meant saving C.J. he'd do it. He just hoped his son was all right; Edward would look after him, wouldn't he?
But that didn't stop the feeling of hope that someone would come and save him.
An hour later one of the aurors, Harry recognised as Kingsley from the Order of the Phoenix, came to take him to a grand room where the Weasley's were waiting for him.
"It's good to see you again, Mister and Misses Weasley," Harry told them as he hugged them; he'd always had a soft spot for them. They were one of the only ones that had been obliviated by Dumbledore when they found out about his home life.
"Harry, it's good to see you," Misses Weasley replied. She had missed her youngest son, for that is how she had seen Harry ever since his second year. She hoped that this bond would be good for Harry. She knew that Harry was one of the most powerful wizards alive. Hopefully the bond would make him have control over his magic and make sure he didn't go dark again. Dumbledore had told her all about how Harry had gone Dark and then fled the country. His magic was unstable now, too powerful for him to control and could be a danger to him and everyone around him. They had been lucky to have caught him before he'd ruined himself. She just hoped she was doing the right thing by agreeing to this.
"I'm sorry for what Dumbledore has done to you," Harry told them but didn't elaborate.
He walked over to his ex-best friends. "Can't believe you are actually here," he told them truthfully.
"It's not as if we had a choice," Ron huffed at him.
Harry shook his head and went over to Remus Lupin, saddened to see Dumbledore had gotten to him as well. He hugged him but didn't say anything. Then he saw Snape and Dumbledore. With a determined look he walked over to them.
"I guess you got what you wanted," he told Dumbledore.
"Watch your language, Potter," Snape scolded him. To stop Dumbledore from getting suspicious about their mutual understanding, they'd agreed that they'd act as if they'd still hated each other.
"I wasn't talking to you, Snape," Harry retorted.
"Now, now, gentleman none of that." The usual twinkle in the headmaster's eye had been replaced by an evil one. It made him more cautious about the headmaster. "I'm glad you came, Harry," the headmaster continued.
"Like I had a choice," Harry responded. "You know I could have stayed in America, and then you didn't have to worry so much about me losing control of my magic or going dark." Harry was trying to bait him, hoping he'd get a confession out of the headmaster.
"Now, now, Harry. We couldn't let you hurt those people, now could we?"
"Not once in the year I spent in America did I hurt anyone."
"Are you certain about that?"
Harry's eyes narrowed but didn't answer. "Let's just get this over with."
Before they could continue Harry felt his magic rising. He contemplated in letting it out of control but knew he couldn't hurt all those people even though they'd keep hurting him. He closed his eyes trying to control his magic. Someone grabbed his shoulder but was pushed away by his magic; he couldn't care about it.
"We are not able to bond him if we can't get close to him," he heard someone say and for a second he felt grateful. It felt as if his magic was once more protecting him.
"We will have to wait till tomorrow. He'll receive his full heritage by then and then we can bind him."
Snape led him back to his room when everyone concluded this was for the best. They should wait till he had received his full inherency.
"Take this, it should ease the pain," Snape told Harry as he put a vial on the night-stand when they entered Harry's room.
Harry sank to the floor; his magic was trying to get out. He took all of his control and pushed his magic through the house and back into the earth. He didn't even realise when he was picked up from the floor and placed on the bed. It took him a few minutes to open his eyes. Once he got his bearings, he realised he had been placed on the bed, and so he reached over for the potion vial that Snape had left him.
He quickly downed its contents and grimaced at the bitter taste. It wasn't until he felt the body next to him that it dawned on him that he wasn't the only person in the room. He quickly turned around facing the imposer.
"Edward?" he breathed when he recognised the person, or vampire, in front of him.
Edward nodded, concern shining in his eyes. "How are you?"
"I'm all right," Harry answered. "It'll be my birthday tomorrow. I'll be gaining my full power then. My dormant magic is wakening up, reaching out and my body is changing to acclimate the power."
"That explains the shocks I received when I touched you." Edward observed.
"I didn't realise you were getting shocked," Harry sighed and relaxed now that he knew he was not in any immediate danger. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to rescue you," if Edward could blush he would have, especially after seeing Harrison's grin widening.
"I can't leave," he responded. "The wards prevent me from leaving but I appreciate that you came here."
"I once promised you that I would stay with you throughout the entire process," Edward reminded him.
All Harry could do was nod. He was grateful the vampire kept his promise; he really needed someone close-by, anticipating how much the process would hurt him. "But when they come back, you must leave."
Edward gave him a small nod and let the wizard settled against him.
"How's C.J.?" Harry asked as he closed his eyes.
"He is fine, missing his father." Harry looked up at the vampire and gave him a slight smile. "He's safe," the vampire answered his unasked question.
"You should rest," when Harry hesitated Edward continued. "You'll need your strength tomorrow. I'll watch over you tonight."
Harry nodded and closed his eyes. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.
Edward moved closer to the wizard, gathering him up into his arms as he slept. Before Harrison had been taken by the Aurors, he had made a promise to the wizard. He would watch over C.J. and keep him safe. He had kept his promise, when he took C.J. back to Forks and to Britain, and now that the baby was with his family he could look for Harrison.
The Cullens had tried to get into contact with Severus Snape and Madam Pomfrey, but neither had been able to tell them anything. His brothers and sister had taken him and C.J. to Britain where they'd found a family that could help them. A few days later he'd received a fire call from Severus Snape, confirming to him that Harry was, indeed, in England but he didn't know where yet. He'd let them know as soon as possible.
Another day or two later they'd found out Harrison's location. Using his mind reading ability, he'd been able to pinpoint Harrison's exact placement, and with his vampire speed and strength he had been able to enter the wizard's room and encountered him with Snape.
His eyes had locked with Snape's and for the first time ever he'd been able to read the older wizard's thoughts. Take care of him, he'd thought. For I cannot. The older wizard and the vampire had one thing in common; they didn't want this life for Harrison. Edward had nodded and waited for the wizard to leave before he kneeled down besides Harrison.
Edward had seen the distance the older wizard had put between him and Harrison but he was able to pick the younger wizard up and placed him on the bed where he'd be more comfortable. Although Edward didn't want to lay down next to the wizard, afraid he'd hurt the wizard more and he was already in so much pain, he couldn't leave him. He propped himself up behind Harrison and pulled him close.
He'd been grateful that the potion had been fast working, Harrison wasn't in pain now. He hugged the sleeping form closer to him. He needed to know Harrison was still alive. Fear had taken hold of his heart when he'd seen Harrison disappear with the three other wizards. The only sane thing that kept him going was that little boy Harrison had entrusted in his care.
His feelings for Harrison had quickly changed from friendship to something more. When Harrison had touched his cheek in Canada he'd felt as if he were on fire. His unbeatable heart was jumping inside his chest. Blood started pulsing through his veins. All because of that simple touch.
Every action he'd taken when he was with Bella was to control himself. Her blood had been so overwhelming that he was afraid he'd snap and kill her. Although he'd experienced similar reactions with Bella, it had always been her blood that provoked those reactions, and never a simple touch.
Harrison also didn't smell like a snack to him. His blood smelled of the earth and lilies, the forest and the ocean. It brought out his protective side. He'd never hurt him. He'd rather die than hurt his precious human.
Harrison woke up a few times during the day with a scream. His magic would crackle in the air before he'd send it back into the earth. When his magic was once more under his control, he would fall right back asleep, for the process was rather exhausting.
At midnight exactly Harrison woke up screaming. His magic reaching out to Edward, to the bed, to the cupboard, to everything around him. All Edward could do was hold him close as the wizard's magic kept building up.
A soft golden light illuminated from the wizard's body giving him a warm glow. All the while Harrison was screaming out loud. The pain was excruciating. It felt as if his bones were breaking and then repairing themselves. His magic was pushing against his flesh, trying to get out; only to settle back in.
He'd never felt this much pain before. Even the cruciatus curse wasn't this bad. He couldn't keep the pain inside him and the pain potion wasn't helping anymore. He kept screaming, not even bothering to be embarrassed as he showed his weakness in front of the vampire.
It took up to four hours before the wizard's screams stopped. All the while Edward had held him close, hoping his presence would ease the pain; if only a little. Harrison had closed his eyes and for the first time Edward had actually appreciated his vampiric abilities. He had been afraid Harrison's heart would stop beating but only with his enhanced hearing could he hear the soft thumping it made.
Harry moaned as he opened his eyes, which landed on the person below him. During his screaming he had somehow managed to lie atop of his bed partner. Cedric? – was his first thought but the first thing he actually said was "Edward?"
"How are you feeling?" The slight disappointment that Harrison's first thought was about his dead lover wasn't heard in his voice.
"I'm fine," Harry replied. "I'm not in any pain, just a little sore."
Edward, you better leave, the thought was loud and clear to the vampire and knew Snape had directed it at him. "I have to go," Edward told the wizard.
Harry moved off the vampire and nodded his head. He couldn't move much yet, for his limbs felt as if they weighed a hundred pounds. The vampire was gone before Harry could reply.
The door opened and a moment later a vial was pressed against his mouth. "Drink this, Potter," the snarl was heard in the potion master's voice alerting him that someone else was in the room with them.
He swallowed the bitter potion, at least as much as he could. "He should be up in a few hours," the potion master told the other person in the room. A moment later a door opened and he was once more alone in the room. Not even Edward returned…
TBC
Hours later Harry was, once more, standing in the grand room, surrounded by his old friends, ready to be bonded to Percy Weasley as it turned out. He didn't understand why they thought it best to bond him off to Percy. The only thing he could think of was that Percy had made some kind of deal with the headmaster.
Harry looked around the room. Why did no one understand what was happening to him? He was about to be placed into a half bond. Something that had been illegal for decades, yet no one seemed to care about that little fact; not to mention the half-life he'd live for the rest of his miserable life. For that is what his future had in store for him. Not only would he be dependent on Percy Weasley or never be able to leave him, he'd also have this need to be close to the older wizard. His life and his magic wouldn't be his own anymore; it'll be Percy's.
"So, it has come to this?" he asked into the silence, his eyes landed on the Weasleys. "You rather force me into this half bond that put your trust in me?"
"It's for the best, Harry. You are not only a danger to yourself but to those who love you," Misses Weasley said, tears forming in her eyes. She didn't want to see her youngest son enter this half-bond but Dumbledore told her it was for the best.
"Really?" Harry asked. "Tell me then, why I spent nearly a year in America and never hurt anyone?" The words echoed into the room. "I never hurt anyone, yet you all seem bound on hurting me."
"We're not doing this to hurt you, Harry," Misses Weasley continued. "We are doing this to help you."
"Yes, even though you turned your back on your best friends," Ron mumbled but Harry had heard him.
"I seem to recall it was you that turned your back on me when I told you I was gay," a gasp was heard throughout the room but Harry didn't dwell on it. "Yet, you are eager to bind me to your brother," his eyes narrowing. "Have they not told you what has to be done to establish this bond and make sure it stays strong?" The silence told him everything. "He has to bugger me."
"What?!" A loud scream was heard from next to Harry. An angry Percy advanced on Harry. "What are you saying?"
Harry had the grace not to smile, but damn did he want to. "The dear Headmaster didn't tell you?" he asked innocently, he knew the headmaster would never tell them that little fact. "We have to have sex, at least every month, to re-establish the bond. Make sure it's strong enough so we're able to part every morning."
"I never signed up for this," Percy's voice was outrageous.
"SILENCE," Dumbledore's voice was heard throughout the room. "Percy, he's only making you reconsider the bond."
Harry felt his magic rise, how dare he make him the liar? When everything came out of the headmaster's mouth were nothing but lies?
"Now, let us begin. Severus, the potions please."
Snape walked over to the headmaster with two vials in his hands. The headmaster grabbed Harry's hand, cut it and let the blood fall into one of the vials then repeated the gesture with Percy.
They watched as the Harry's potion turned red and eventually white while Percy's potion turned red and then blue.
"He cannot go through with this bond," Snape's voice was heard. The relief that shot through him wasn't seen nor heard. "He's already blood bonded."
"To who?" Dumbledore's voice was angry.
Cedric? Harry thought. It was the only possibility, wasn't it?
"I do not know, headmaster," Snape said sincerely. "All I know is that we cannot force him into a bond for he's already blood, magic and soul bonded to someone else." Snape had never been so relieved to hear this. He felt someone try to force himself through his occlumency shields and for a moment was afraid it was the headmaster. When he realised it was the vampire he lowered them. If you're here to take him away you better do it now. The wards are down.
"Then we shall bind his magic," Dumbledore said, thoughtfully; binding his magic would mean that Harry wouldn't ever have any access to his magic again… He'd become a Squib. He was about to say something else but a loud crash was heard and three beings rushed inside. Before any of the wizards could grab their wands they had arrived next to Harry and rushed him away at vampire speed.
Harry recognised the familiar arms around him and couldn't hold back the cry of joy. Edward had come to save him. His arms tightened around the vampire, afraid he'd disappear the moment he'd let go, that it was just his imagination or wishful thinking. It was only when the vampire slowed down that he realised Edward was still there with him and had not come alone. Jasper and Emmett were there as well and he realised that was why Edward hadn't returned; he'd gone to find Jasper and Emmett.
"We'll take you somewhere safe," he heard Edward whisper in his ear. He could only nod, emotions were taking over him. He felt the calming waves Jasper was sending him and felt grateful. He didn't want his emotions to get too out of control and start tampering with his magic.
It wasn't until he entered the house that he recognised it. "Severus gave us a list of wizards who'd help us out," Edward explained before Harry was pulled into the embrace of Misses Diggory.
"Harry, we've missed you," she said as she pulled away. "Come there's someone who has been waiting for you."
Harry was pushed inside the living room and smiled when he saw Mister Diggory playing with C.J. "It's good to see you again, Harry," he said, shaking his hand and then handing C.J. over to him.
"And you as well, Mister Diggory," Harry replied before hugging C.J. close to his chest. "How I missed you, little man," he breathed into his son's soft dark hair, taking in the familiar scent. How he had missed him.
"Dada," C.J. said happily as he took hold of a handful of his father's shirt. He wasn't going to let go, not ever. "Dada, gone."
"Yes, little man, I was gone but I'm back now," he smiled down at his son, hugging him close once more before he sat down. "Have you had a nice time with your grandparents?"
The moment he sat down on the couch, with C.J. dangling on his knees, he felt a chill. Not a moment later a form materialised and a very familiar pair of grey eyes gazed into his own. "Cedric?" he breathed and was rewarded with a smile. "How?"
"I'm only here for a few moments," he replied as he became corporal. "I'm so proud of you, my love." He sat down next to his husband and smiled down at him. Even though he had been dead for over two years he was still taller than his husband. "You have raised our son well." He smiled down at the child in his husband's lap.
"C.J." Harry turned to his son. "There's someone I want you to meet," he pointed at Cedric. "That's your father."
"Dada," C.J. said happily and pointed at Harry.
Harry smiled again. "Yes, I'm your dada but Cedric's your father as well," he knew C.J. might be too young to understand him but he felt the need for his son to know who his other father was. He turned to face Cedric again. "This is Cedric James Diggory." He needed Cedric to know that he hadn't forgotten about him and their promise. "I named him after you and…" Harry began but was interrupted by Cedric.
"As well as yourself and your father. You always wanted to call your first born after your father…" A tear fell down Harry's face and Cedric quickly wiped it away.
"I shorted it down, I couldn't see your name without crying…" He admitted, remembering the moment he'd named C.J. The child had been staring up at him with his grey eyes that reminded him so much of Cedric that he couldn't find a better name for him. "Welcome to the world, Cedric James Diggory," he had said and burst out crying. When people asked him what his son's name was, he'd tell them but had to fight back tears so he decided to shorten it. He wasn't able to say ‘Ced' or even ‘Ric' without tears running down his face so he'd shorten it to ‘C.J.', still liking the name.
"I know, I've been watching over you," Cedric admitted. He had liked the name his husband had chosen for their only child. "I told you I'd never leave you." He gave Harry a kiss on the top of his head. "I'll always be with you," he promised. "Just remember that."
Harry wanted to ask how it was possible that he was there but all he could say was: "How?"
"I'm not sure," Cedric replied. "There's this old myth, where those who come into their full power get a special reward. The thing that you need most or the person you need most will come to your birthday for a few moments. You needed your son and some guidance which I'll be providing." He traced Harry's cheek with his hand as if he was memorising it. "I will always love you, no matter what you decided," he gave Harry his permission to find love although the younger man wouldn't understand it now; he would when the time came.
"I love you," Harry replied.
Cedric gave Harry a smile before he turned to his son and gave him a kiss on top of his head as well. "I look forward to seeing you grow up, little man," he used the nickname his husband had given their son knowing it would get a reaction out of him. "Take care of your dada for me."
"Dada," C.J. said happily once more.
Cedric stood up and walked to his parents, who had been watching the intimate scene in silence. "Mom, dad," he said not having any other words. He'd been so thankful for them for everything they had done for him when he was alive and had been so thankful they had taken care of Harry and C.J. for him after his death.
He had watched more than a year ago when Harry had arrived with a huge stomach, ready to deliver their son. He explained that Cedric and he had been lovers, husbands in their own eyes and that they'd spent one night together and his huge stomach was a reminder of that night. He had asked if he could give birth to their child, their grandchild, and had asked them if they were willing to raise him so he'd be able to finish Hogwarts. His parents had welcomed his husband in with open arms and loved C.J. as if he was their own.
He hugged his parents close. All three of them knowing there was nothing to say. "Thank you," Cedric whispered in their ears only loud enough for them (and the vampire) to hear. His mother sobbed into his neck and he gave her an encouraging smile, letting her know that he would never leave her as he would never leave Harry and their son.
He walked over to the vampire, who had stopped at the door frame. Not wanting to intrude, yet not wanting to leave Harry. "He wasn't ready before," he told the vampire only loud enough for him to hear. "He is now."
Edward gave him a slight nod. Knowing that he would heed the advice and grateful for the permission given to him.
Cedric turned to his husband one more time and smiled before he slowly faded away.
Harry stared at the now empty spot where his husband had stood only moments before. Tears were running freely down his face. He turned back to C.J. and hugged him close, sobbing silently into his son's hair. The emotional roller coaster he'd been on for the past few years finally getting to him.
Edward contemplated giving the wizard a moment alone with his son but his pain was calling to him and he found himself seated next to him with his hand placed on the wizard's back before he knew it.
Harry's head shot up, his eyes locking with the vampire's before another sob broke from his body and he buried his head inside the vampire's neck with C.J. between them.
Edward rubbed the wizard's back, hoping it would comfort him. The wizard's thoughts were too confusing for him to read. Images from his time with Cedric shot through his mind, the first time he held C.J. the betrayal of his friends, the betrayal of the headmaster. Everything shot through him at once. If he could, he'd take all the hurt away from him.
Jasper and Emmett, who had been scouting the area – making sure they weren't followed, entered the living room just as Harry was calming down. He pulled away from the vampire and nodded gratefully before settling back into the couch.
Edward reached out to wipe away the lingering tears, letting him know, by that little gesture, that it was fine.
"There are still some things I need to talk to you about," Harry began as he turned to Edward. "But let us first concentrate on Dumbledore and find a way for me to get out of this mess…" He was interrupted by the doorbell. Not a moment later Snape walked in.
"Thank Merlin, you're all right," his words were whispered; when asked he would deny it but he'd been rather worried about the young wizard. "Dumbledore has ordered everyone to look for you," he began, not waiting for the pleasantries but getting right into business. "He has convinced everyone that it would be best to bond your magic now that you cannot be blood bonded."
"Yeah, who the hell is he bonded to?" Emmett asked. He and his brothers had heard what was going on inside the room.
"I don't know," Harry admitted. "I assume it's Cedric because he's the only one…" he stopped, rather embarrassed especially with Emmett smirking at him.
"I don't care who you're bonded to, Harry, as long as they cannot force you into this half bond," Wizarding magic was specific. A life bond is forever. No one can severe it. It also meant that you can't be bonded twice.
"How did he convince them?" Harry changed the subject. "The Weasley's have always been trying to help me. I doubt they'd force me into a half-bond especially with their son."
"It turns out that the bond with Percy was just a cover," Snape began. "With Percy being the dominate partner with full control of your magic. He'd give all the extra magic up to Dumbledore for a price." Snape stopped not wanting to continue.
"Then why go through all the shenanigans?" Harry asked confused. Why would Dumbledore force him into a half-bond with Percy only to get the magic himself? Why not bond to him immediately?
"Dumbledore is your guardian," Snape had to stop for he was interrupted by Harry's yell. "He made your relatives sign their guardianship over to him. It would have been illegal for him to bind himself to you as he is now your legal guardian."
Harry's world started to spin. This would mean that he'd spend another year under Dumbledore's orders. "He'd kill me to get my magic?" he suddenly realised. "What, does he want to be the only powerful wizard?"
An owl burst through the room, landing on Harry's shoulder. He careful removed the letter and read it. "It's from Gringotts. I've been given full control over my funds."
"You better go, right away," Snape said. "Before Dumbledore can do something to prevent you from getting your money."
Harry nodded and gave C.J. over to Misses Diggory. "I'll be back before you know it, little man," he told him before placing a kiss on his forehead and leaving with Edward, Jasper and Emmett following them.
TBC
Harry and Edward flooed into Gringotts Wizarding Bank and walked over to the counter. "Hello, I'm Harry Potter, I wish to see my vaults."
"Mr Potter, of course," the clerk said. "Please, wait here while I get someone to help you out."
Not five minutes later someone was showing them down to Harry's vaults. "You have 14 vaults in the Potter name, 5 vaults in the Black name and one the Harry James Potter-Diggory name," the goblin informed them.
"Can I empty all the vaults and place the contents into other ones?" Harry asked, a plan already forming in his mind.
"Yes, that is possible," the goblin informed him. "This is a list of all the contents of your vaults except for the one on the Potter-Diggory that's a private vault and we have no list of contents of it."
Harry scanned the lists and had to hold back a gasp. He knew he was rich but never knew how rich he actually was. "Okay, everything in the Potter vaults and everything in the Black vaults I want to move to another vault and in a different name."
"Okay, what name would that be?"
"Harrison Diggory," Harry responded. "And I want visitation rights to "Cedric James Diggory," he thought it best to give his son full rights to his inheritance. "And Edward…" Harry looked over at Edward.
"Mason," Edward quickly said.
"Edward Mason Cullen."
"All right, I shall take care of that after we're done here."
"Would you mind doing this as soon as possible and as fast as possible?"
"Of course." They arrived at the Harry James Potter-Diggory vault. "Only Harry James Potter-Diggory can enter this vault," the goblin told them before opening the vault.
Harry nodded at Edward, letting him know he'd be fine and stepped inside with the door automatically closing behind him. He looked around and not a minute later a virtual image appeared of his ex-potions professor.
"Welcome Harry," the virtual image said. "You must have many questions and they shall all be answered. I know you can be an impatient brat at times, but it is imperative that you listen."
"It's not as if I have a choice," Harry muttered.
"Long before I became a death eater I was good friends with your mother. We spend a lot of time together which made your father jealous. He made my life at Hogwarts hell. My relationship with your mother quickly came to an end when I called her a mudblood, as you've seen in my memories. I never meant to hurt her. It just came out. I tried to apologise but she would have none of that. Then the whole incident happened with Black trying to kill me.'
"I was so angry at everything. I thought Voldemort was the answer. I started having doubts a month after I joined the Dark Lord. It wasn't until after I told the Dark Lord the prophecy and he decided that you were the one that was going to defeat him that I wanted to leave. I pleaded with him to spare your mother but it made no difference. He still killed her.'
"Not knowing what else to do I went to Dumbledore, hoping he could help me rectify this mistake I made. It cost me more than I could imagine.'
"I've always known that the Dark Lord would be back. I also knew that he'd return when you'd come to Hogwarts. The minute I saw you enter the great hall I knew who you were. It wasn't your distinct father's features but more your eyes; Lily's eyes, they reminded me of what I'd done.'
"The moment our eyes met and you touched your scar I knew I was right. The Dark Lord would return and that year would be when it would begin. I put my plan into motion and made sure to snarl at you every chance I got. The death eater's children were in your class and if they'd reported back to their parents that I actually helped you, I'd be dead the second the Dark Lord would rise and if that was the case I wouldn't be able to do anything to save you.'
"The moment I found out Lily had died, I promised myself I'd try anything to protect you, for I knew that was what she wanted.'
"I hope you really aren't as incompetent as I've always thought you were but every year you've been to Hogwarts was to train you. The headmaster could have destroyed the stone and never taken it to Hogwarts, Fawkes could have rescues you from the basalik. You've told me you and Miss Granger used a time turner to go back and save Black on the headmaster's orders…again he could have done this himself. He could have taken you out of the magical contract for the Triwizarding Tournament and yet he didn't.'
"You must understand that everything that happened to you at Hogwarts has been staged to train you. The headmaster could have put a stop to this but he never did, always trying to push you.'
"You fifth year was the hardest, no one believed you and you realised Dumbledore didn't have your best interest in heart and you were pregnant. In that year you showed more courage than any other year put together. I'm positive it would have made your parents proud.'
"Of course none of this should ever happened to you or any other child but it did and I'm proud of how your pulled through every single time." The virtual image shook his head. "You know better than anyone what you've been through those five years you've been at Hogswarts."
Harry nodded his head, even though he knew the virtual image couldn't see him.
"You probably know that I was a spy for Dumbledore pretending to be a spy for the Dark Lord. What you don't know is that since you're fourth year I've been spying against both of them. I gathered as much information as I could about their plans. I found out that the Dark Lord had only one ultimate goal; to kill you so he could rule the world. ‘
"You are familiar with the Dark Mark, what you don't know is that the Dark Lord controls his Death Eaters through it. The Dark Lord and the Death Eater had a special connection in which he stole the their magic from them through.'
"I found out that the headmaster has a similar connection with the Order of the Phoenix. In order to join the Order, you would have to sign a contract with your blood and you'll be bound to the Order forever. By a simple autograph we've given the headmaster control of our magic whether we wanted to or not, whether we know about it or not. The only way to get out of this is when the contract holder or yourself dies.'
"The headmaster was positive it would take years to train you in order to kill the Dark Lord but as always Harry Potter is as stubborn as they get and killed him before it was expected of him. The headmaster hadn't counted on that little fact and had to adjust his plans.'
"You see he wanted you to join the order when you turned 16 or 17 so he could tap into your magic whenever he wanted. I even believe he would have used your magic to kill the Dark Lord himself.'
"When you found a way to kill the Dark Lord, he had to come up with a different plan. You know he'd ordered Poppy and myself to place you in a coma. I didn't tell you that this was so he could find a spell that would relinquish your magic to him but again you escaped ruining his plans.'
"He had to come up with a different plan and found that the first thing he had to do was become your legal guardian so he would be able to control your every action. After that he'd need to find someone willing to be placed into a half-bond. As you now know, he chose Percy Weasley.'
"Percy had been working with him since he became a prefect and agreed to the bond. Once the bond was completed Percy would give your magic to Dumbledore while he got all your money. I hope you're competent enough to understand you'll die in the process.'
"I'm not telling you this so you could go and kill Dumbledore or do any of your foolish Gryffindor stunts. I just thought you should know why your being hunted once again. I also never cared whether you killed the Dark Lord or not, I just wanted you safe. I wanted to protect you as I couldn't protect Lily."
Harry could see that this was hard for the virtual image of Snape to tell. "I…never told you this but I've come to see you as my son and would do anything to protect you."
A feeling of dread passed through Harry at virtual Snape's latest words. "Even though Dumbledore adopted Harry Potter and the whole Boy-Who-Lived image, Poppy and I adopted Harrison Diggory, the boy, young man I must say, you have become. If anything should happen to me, I want you to know this."
"What are you up to?" Harry asked the virtual image, not caring the image wouldn't even answer his question.
"Be safe Harry, and know that there are still people around who love you for who you are."
Harry looked around the vault as the virtual image disappeared. He noticed an envelope and picked it up. After opening he read the letter inside. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Harrison Diggory was the official adoptive son of Severus Snape and Poppy Pomfrey. All he ever wanted in life was a family who loved him and now he had one. He just hoped Severus wasn't up to anything stupid, then again he was a Slytherin so he should know how to save his own tail.
Swiftly going through the rest of the vaults, he realised it was all the evidence Severus had collected, over the years and some valuable items that Harry assumed were from Snape; potions, books and journals. One of the journals got his attention for it had the initials ‘L.E.' carved on the cover. Lily Evans? Harry thought as he browsed through the journal and noticed it was his mother's journal. He had to swallow back the tears, everyone always talked about his father but never about his mother…this was the most precious gift anyone had ever given him.
He swallowed back the tears and noticed his old school trunk. He walked over to it and found his father's cloak, the marauder's map and the photo book Hagrid had given him. He shrank them and his mother's journal before pocketing them. He left the vault, clutching the envelope against his body. "We've successfully transferred your belongings to different vaults, sir," the goblin informed him.
"Thank you, and am I to understand no one else beside the three persons mentioned will be able to open those vaults?"
"Yes, sir."
Harry nodded his thanks as his eyes landed on the vampire, still waiting for him. "Are you all right?" the vampire asked him and he merely nodded again. "We have to leave soon, Dumbledore is on his way."
"How do you know?"
"Jasper told me," at Harry's confused look he elaborated. "Jasper and Emmett followed us, making sure we weren't followed. They saw Dumbledore enter the alley and rushed to the bank." He saw the question in the wizard's eyes. "Rosalie and Alice are protecting the Diggorys. They have been there all along."
Harry nodded, not knowing what to say. "Let's go then."
"Did you learn anything interesting," Edward asked when they were seated in a booth still at the bank but hidden from view. Harry wanted to see the look when Dumbledore found out the vaults were empty. "You were in there a long time."
"Yes, I did," before Harry could continue the headmaster entered the bank and walked over to the front office. "He's here," Harry told Edward. "The letter Gringotts sent me told me someone took monthly withdraws. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out that he can't touch a penny of my money anymore."
They watched as Dumbledore was led to the vault room. "You know, I never cared for money or fame. If he had asked I'd probably had given all of it to him but to learn he stole from me, without my knowing…it's just another stab in the back, you know? I just get so tired of being used all the time. I don't even know what normal is." His eyes landed on the vampire. "That was until I moved to America, if you don't notice the fact that I hang out with vampires."
"You will have your normal life again, vampires included, I promise you," the vampire's words went straight to his heart and he willed himself to believe them. He gave the vampire a small smile, showing his appreciation. "I'll make sure of it," the vampire promised; his eyes sincere. Harry had no doubt the vampire would do anything in his power to make his promise come true.
A ruckus was heard on their left. Harry glance over and saw the headmaster fuming as he made his way from the vault room, trailed by two goblins. "How can you say that? I've been robbed!"
"Begging your pardon, sir," one of the goblins tried. "The vault is address to Harry Potter and he was the one to empty the vaults, sir."
"I am his guardian, he had no right!"
"He has, sir. There's nothing in our records that claims he's unfit to handle the money. He's an adult in the eyes of the wizarding world and he had every right to do as he wished with his money."
Harry had to snigger when he could see Dumbledore get redder in the face then walking out of the bank, almost bursting with anger. "Now that's entertainment!" Harry burst out, laughing behind his hand. Even Edward had to crack a smile as he watched the angry headmaster exit the bank.
TBC
After Dumbledore had left, Harry and Edward had gone back to the vaults to find out what else there was in there. One of the things they'd found out was that Harry was Sirius' sole heir. That meant that he had inherited Number 12, Grimmauld Place; the Order of the Phoenix' headquarters.
The three vampires and Harry stood outside Grimmauld Place. Edward had informed him that several people were inside, including Snape. "Can you make sure Severus knows we're here?" The wizard asked the vampire, hoping he got the message that he'd want to talk to him later.
Edward nodded and reached out with his mind as he concentrated on Severus Snape. He knew he wouldn't be able to read the potions master's mind but he could probe the shields; letting him know he was trying to contact him. There was a slight opening and Edward reached out to it. Dumbledore is here, the thought was heard loud and clear before he was pushed out. "He knows we're here," he confirmed to the wizard.
Harry told the vampires to wait outside and walked into the house, grateful the curtains on Mrs. Black portrait were closed and headed straight for the kitchen. He could hear an order meeting was in progress and took a moment to listen to what they were saying. He felt his magic rising when he heard them discussing his future.
He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and then made his presence known by walking inside the kitchen, quietly warding it so no one could get out, grateful he'd been able to learn the advance magic at Magic School. The discussion immediately stopped as Harry crossed the room.
"Harry, my boy…" The shock was evident in the headmaster's voice, apparently he hadn't counted on Harry finding them.
"Headmaster, I haven't been ‘your boy' for a while now." Harry looked around the room and noticed a lot of order members were present. Ron, Ginny, Mister and Misses Weasley, Hermione, Remus, Tonks, Kingsley, Moody and of course Snape and the headmaster.
"I hear you are discussing my future. Shouldn't I be present for this little discussion? I am of age, after all."
"Harry, dear, we are trying to find a solution," Mrs. Weasley said calmly, obvious believing they were trying to help him. "We don't want you to have another outburst, do we?"
"Another outburst? Is that what he told you?" He had pointed to the headmaster. "In the year I spent overseas I haven't hurt anyone, I haven't had a magical outburst nor have I lost control. When I started to realise my magic may become dangerous, I asked my headmaster for help. He was the one who taught me our magic is controlled by our emotions, something you'd never learn at Hogwarts. Did you even know you don't need a wand to cast magic? Well, I sure as hell didn't! Until I was taught in America and guess what…I even graduated!"
He almost had to smirk at Hermione's gasp. "Yes, Hermione, I graduated a year earlier…" He stopped; he wasn't going into this now. "But I am not here to boast."
Harry smirked when he saw that the Headmaster as well as Moody were trying to reach for their wands. "Yeah, you can't reach for your wands," he told them. "I also warded this place so no one can leave, not even me."
"Are you holding us hostage?" Moody asked. His wand was in his sleeve but for some reason he couldn't reach it. It was as if he'd forgotten how to do so…
"No, well, yes. I just want to clear something up and then you're all free to leave. The wards are only here as a precaution since you have me at a disadvantage considering you are with a larger group than I am."
"What do you want?" Moody asked.
"To be left alone," Harry answered immediately. "Now, tell me what your little plan was now that you know I'm already bonded. Force me to relinquish my magic? Bind my magic?" Everyone in the room stayed silent but he could see by some of the guilty looks that this had been the case or at least this had been discussed.
"Yet, what you didn't include in your plan was the fact that I would be able to control my magic because who would have thought that little Harry Potter could control such powerful magic?" He was getting a little sarcastic, not to mention angry but he didn't care. He turned to the headmaster. "You thought I'd come to you for help and then you'd either control me or trick me into giving you my magic." The accusation hung heavily in the air but before Harry could continue he felt it. Someone was trying to get inside and he could tell it wasn't the vampires.
He turned away closing his eyes, trying to pinpoint who it was that were trying to get inside. "Death eaters," he breathed and quickly removed the wards. How did they get past the Fidelius Charm?
Immediately everyone sprung into action. Wands were out, some of them pointed at Harry but he didn't care. The Death Eaters were already inside and advancing on them. The first spell hit Kingsley and that's when everything broke loose.
Harry had taken his own wand out and was pointing it at the Death Eaters. Hitting them with any Hogwarts spell he could think of, not wanting any of them to know just how advanced his magic was; not to mention not willing to let his magic get out of control. Spells were flying around him and he tried to dodge them. He saw Mrs. Weasley was in trouble and quickly hit the Death Eater with a spell of his own.
He felt his magic rising, trying to break out. He channelled all his magic unto disarming the Death Eaters. Their wands came flying at him and he caught all of them in one hand. Then he performed a stupefy spell on all of them, making them fall motionless to the floor. His magic was pulsing around him and everyone in the room noticed.
He dropped the wands to the floor and tried to calm down but it wasn't working. He couldn't release his magic into the earth, the house somehow preventing him from connecting to the earth. His magic crackled in the air and he knew anyone who tried to get close to him would get shocked.
It wasn't until he felt arms circle around him that he noticed the vampires had entered the room. "Easy," the word was breathed into his ear and he felt a calm wash over him. He looked up at Jasper, who was sending calming waves to him and he nodded gratefully. Then he turned to the vampire who was holding him. He could feel the excessive magic leaving his body when he looked into Edward's eyes.
"And you say you have full control." The remark was snarled at him. He knew immediately who it was.
"I controlled it, didn't I?" He retorted, controlling the urge to roll his eyes at the potions master. It wouldn't do to let the headmaster know they were on friendlier terms than they led on.
"We have to take the Death Eaters out of here," Kingsley said. "Tonks, Moody and I will take them to Azkaban." The two of them gathered the Death Eaters together and left via Floo.
Harry stepped away from the vampire and looked around the room. Some were breathing heavily, while others looked at him with fear. "I haven't come here to fight any of you," Harry told them. "I'm here to show you the truth."
"We already know the truth," Ron told him. "We saw what happened."
"You know only what Dumbledore has told you. What you don't know is that he's obliviated you." Murmurs were heard through the room as eyes fell on Dumbledore.
"Harry, I command you to stop with this nonsense." The headmaster pulled out a document. "This states I am your legal guardian until you turn 18, and so I can command you to stop."
"There's a slight little problem, you see," Harry began. "This states you are my legal guardian in the muggle world. Technically we're in the wizarding world now so you have no say over me. Also that documentation is only legal when the guardians are or have been fit to take care of a child." Harry checked his watch. "And since about now my relatives will be seen unfit to be guardians, it will make those signatures invalid. I guess abuse and neglect will do that."
About five minutes later the Dursley's signatures disappeared from the document, leaving only Dumbledore's signature, rendering the document invalid.
"I made a trip to the ministry before coming here," Harry continued. "I told them all about how the Dursleys mistreated me and was told they'd investigate right away. It's what I love about wizarding care for muggle households; they take their jobs seriously. I guess this means they found them unfit, making this little document useless."
"Abuse? Neglect? Harry, what are you talking about?" Mrs. Weasley asked, when Harry stayed silent she turned to the headmaster. "Albus?"
"It seems I underestimated young Harry here, once more," the headmaster said as he stood up. "This isn't over," an evil glint twinkled in the headmaster's eyes when they landed on the younger wizard. Before anyone could react Dumbledore disapparated.
"Harry, what's going on?" Mrs. Weasley asked again.
Harry sighed and walked over to the Weasley's. "The headmaster removed some memories from you that are about me."
"How do you know?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"When I was younger I may have thought you didn't really care but I know better now," was his only answer. "I can give you your memories back."
"How?"
"Little something I picked up. Turns out I'm a natural healer, runs in the family. I'll be able to find the memories that were obliviated and restore them." He waited for Mrs. Weasley's permission before he turned to her. He waved his arm from left to right in front of her. It took her a moment to process what happened, the minute her memories returned and she got a hold of them, she led out a sob. He did the same to Mr. Weasley.
"Why would he obliviate us?" Mrs. Weasley sobbed as her husband tried to comfort her.
Hermione and Ron were looking at him with suspicion but he just walked over to them and did the same as he did to the older Weasley's. He did the same to Ginny and Remus. It was obvious when all their memories returned when they all seemed to shake themselves out of some trance. Turns out that most of them had realised Harry was being abused by the Dursleys and when they went to the headmaster about this he'd obliviated them not wanting his plans to fail. He needed Harry to be depended on him and if the Dursleys treatment made him look up to him he'd let him stay there.
Harry walked over to the potion master and looked deep in his eyes. A slight frown appeared on his face. Edward? He thought, catching the vampire's eyes. Write a message to Severus that I'm not returning his memories and I'll explain later.
The vampire moved too fast to be noticed by the wizards and witches in the room.
Harry made a show as if he was returning the potions master's memories when he noticed they were being watched. "Interesting," he said as he walked away from Snape.
"In case you're wondering," Harry began. "I know what memories were taken from you. Most of them consist of you finding out that I was abused by the Dursleys. One thing I don't understand is why you went to Dumbledore with this and not to Family Services?"
The room was filled with guilty looks but no one answered his question.
"Why would Dumbledore want to remove those memories?" Mr. Weasley asked.
Harry couldn't help but chuckle when he heard Snape utter a sound of disbelief. "I believe Dumbledore wants my magic for himself."
"And how do you suppose he wants to accomplish this," Hermione asked.
"I don't know exactly how, but I suppose he'd either use a potion to remove my magic or a spell."
"But removing your magic will kill you in the process," Hermione observed as Snape made another snort.
"And now you understand why I fled the country," Harry remarked. "I haven't come here to ask for forgiveness for leaving so abruptly but I felt it was the best thing I could do and it was. I've started a life in America which I always wanted. I've not come back to claim my former life. Dumbledore can have it."
"Why did you come back then?" Ron spat at him as he crossed his arms.
"First of all, I was dragged back to England," Harry turned to his once best friend. He couldn't believe how much Ron had changed. "I won't even mention the fact that I was forced by the headmaster to bond with someone I don't even like, no offence to you Mrs. and Mr. Weasley, and in the process giving up my magic. I came here, to Grimmauld place because I found out Sirius left it me as his heir. I wanted to see if the house was as I remembered," he lied through his teeth but he didn't care.
"I didn't expect to find the whole Order here. I thought since Voldemort was defeated the Order wouldn't exist anymore. Imagine my surprise when I found everyone gathered here and discussing my fate. I guess with me as the new Dark Lord you'd need an order but let me tell you that it will not be in my house," his tone was commanding. The wizards and witches had once heard him use the same tone. It was when he commanded the order to tell him what was going on.
"So, now I'm going to ask you kindly to leave," Harry's facial expression hadn't changed. He was still determined. He didn't think Sirius would like it that the order was using his house, not after they'd turned on Harry.
"But Harry, dear," Mrs. Weasley began but Harry interrupted her.
"Mrs. Weasley I don't mind anyone in this room using this house," he began. "I really don't. What I don't like, however, is the fact that my house was used to decide my fate without me," he'd wanted to use ‘to kill me' but he changed his mind on the last second. "Now, if you all will kindly leave my house."
"What has happened to you, Harry?" Hermione asked. "What has happened between us, Harry?"
"I started seeing things as they are," Harry replied. "And I think you know what has happened between us. I told you I might be gay and you flipped. You told me I was a disgusting little creep who should be sent to Azkaban." Shocked faces were all around him but he couldn't tell whether it was by his admission of by what Hermione had said to him. "And Ron, you agreed with Hermione only to tell me that you felt dirty because I slept in the same dormitory with you for 5 years."
Harry shook his head as he unconsciously stepped closer to the three vampires who had all been silent during the whole thing. "Can you actually believe deep inside I had hoped that these reactions were because of something Dumbledore had done or said?" His eyes landed on his once best friends. "But it was all you. I guess I should have known, for all you two really saw was the Boy-Who-Lived when you looked at me. But the two of you were my first friends and I often made excuses for your behaviour to me because I figured that was what best friends did. But even I ran out of excuses and I have had enough."
Harry looked at Ginny who had a shocked look on her face. "You're gay?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.
"Yes," Harry replied, firmly.
"But how?!" She suddenly exclaimed. "We were supposed to marry, start a family."
"Who gave you that idea?" Harry demanded but Ginny stayed silent. "Ginny, I've only ever seen you as a sister; nothing more, nothing less."
"I hate you," she spit out as tears started to run down her face.
Harry actually smiled. "I don't mind," he told her. "I'm sure you had reason to believe we'd start a family but I already have one."
"You mean them?" Ginny nodded to the three vampires.
Harry turned around and looked at the three vampires. First looking Jasper, then Emmett and eventually Edward in the eye as he considered her question. "Yes," he replied before turning back to Ginny. "I never meant to hurt you or anyone for that matter. It's just the way it is."
"Now, If you all will be so kind as to vacate my house," Harry said after a few moments of silence. The room had become eerie, emotions running high and he was sure Jasper would burst soon with the emotion overload. He watched as the Weasleys, Hermione and Remus walked to the door. "What do you want, Snape?" Harry asked, knowing that the potion master wouldn't leave but couldn't announce that. They weren't certain if they could trust everyone and if they reported back to Dumbledore that he and the potion master were on better terms than they led on, Snape would be cast out or worse.
"I left a potion brewing, I'm sure even someone with your incompetence can understand what will happen if a potion brews too long," the potion master snarled.
Harry had to groan out loud. Of course he had to use a potion as an excuse! "Fine, deal with that then I want you out!" He threw back and watched how Snape retreated into the basement. It didn't take long for the remaining Order members to leave and Harry was left alone with the three vampires.
TBC
Harry rested his head on his arms, it had been a long and tiring day for him. Jasper, Emmett and Edward had gone out, hunting. Jasper had told him that Edward hadn't fed since arriving in Britain so Harry had told them to go and Rosalie and Alice were still protecting the Diggorys; although he hadn't seen the two vampires, he was told they had come and would be watching over C.J. and the Diggorys so Harry wouldn't have to worry about them while he handled things here.
Severus Snape exited the basement. He saw the young adult sitting at the kitchen table; his head in his hands and a soft glow surrounding him as if he had erected a privacy shield around him. Snape held out his hand, expecting it to shock him. When it didn't, he stepped inside, noticing that it was indeed a privacy shield.
"Where are your body guards?” He asked the silent figure.
"Hunting,” Harry replied as he looked up. He blinked as he noticed the shield. He hadn't heard Snape saying the spell.
"Your doing, not mine,” the potion master told him as if reading his mind.
Harry nodded. Figures; his magic was once more protecting him. He needed to talk to someone, privately, and wasn't certain the house wasn't bugged with recording spells. "Luckily my magic knows when I need something before I do,” he shrugged.
"How are you holding up?” Snape asked him as he sat down next to Harry.
Harry sighed and shook his head. "I'm okay, not exactly how I suspected things would happen.”
"What was that thing with the memories?” Snape asked curiously.
"I'm a natural healer,” he finally told Snape, whom raised an eyebrow in question. "I found out today at the vaults. Dad was one and now I'm one as well.” Harry shook his head as if trying to clear his thoughts. "I actually found out by accident a few years ago. I didn't know what I was or how I did it but I healed Cedric at that time.” He closed his eyes as the memory took hold of him.
It had been a few weeks before the third and final task. Cedric and Harry had hooked up, so Cedric could teach him a few hexes which he may be able to use in the final task. Harry had hit Cedric with one of the hexes which he hadn't been able to dodge. The Hufflepuff had fallen to the ground, hitting his head. Harry, in a panic had run to the older boy and placed his head in his lap. Somehow he'd been able to tap into his healing powers and healed the wound on the back of Cedric's head. For a moment the two boys had looked at each other in shook.
"Did you just heal me?” Cedric had asked.
"Yes,” Harry had replied. "I think so.”
Neither had known what else to say but Harry had leaned down and kissed the older boy; realising that he could have lost Cedric he'd asked him to hold him through the night. Cedric, also realising what he could have lost, held him close till the morning light.
After that he'd tried many a time to heal someone but it never worked again, until he started studying it at the magic school in America and learned how to tap into that power.
"How do you return obliviated memories?” Snape inquired. "I never heard of anyone being able to return the memories before.”
"I just repair them,” Harry shrugged at his explanation. "When you obliviate a memory you basically just tear it apart. All I did was bring the pieces back together.”
"Why didn't you heal mine?”
"I take it Edward had given you the message then?”
Snape nodded. "I hadn't even noticed he'd moved until I felt him probing my mind. He looked at my pocket and I felt a note inside it.” The potion master shook his head. "I never knew vampires could move that fast.”
Harry nodded. "I didn't heal your memories because I saw that the headmaster wasn't the only one who obliviated you. Voldemort has done so as well. Not to mention that some of your memories were tampered with because you wanted it to.”
"You could see all that?”
Harry shook his head. "No, I just figured that some memories you needed to remove in order to become a spy but, like I said, some memories were obliviated by Voldemort and I wasn't sure you'd want them back since I don't know how to select just one. I'm only able to heal all your memories.”
Snape took a moment to think about this. "Maybe it's best we leave my memories as they are until every thread had been dealt with.”
"You like living in America?” Snape asked after a moment of silence.
"Yes,” a small smile grew on the young healer's face. "After the Aurors first arrived in America I moved in with the Cullens at Forks before I stayed at a house they owned in Canada when the Aurors found out where I was. They have been very kind to me.”
"It seems as if you've found your family,” Snape observed.
"Yes, I believe I have. I mean I see Esme as a mother figure…or at least how I'd think a mother should act. She's been very helpful ever since I met her. She's helped me out with C.J. a lot. As has the rest of the family.”
"What about Edward, you seem rather…attached to him and you've told Poppy you like him.”
A slight blush covered the healer's face as he looked down at his hands. "I like Edward…a lot,” he admitted. "But I don't think I was ready. I mean, in the beginning he reminded me a lot of Cedric. The first time I saw him I thought he was Cedric, to tell you the truth. I could only see his profile. He looked so much like Cedric and for a moment I believe it was him who had returned to me but then he turned and I realised he wasn't Cedric. I had felt disappointed but I got a chance to know Edward and I really like him.'
"But even though Cedric's dead I still felt as if cheated on him, it's the reason why I told you no when you suggested to bond with him…” Before Harry had moved to Canada with C.J., Snape had wanted to suggest to bond with Edward for this way he'd be safe from the half-bond, but Harry couldn't do that and cut him off before he could even suggest it.
"And now?” The potion master persisted.
"Now I don't know…” At this point he wasn't certain of anything. He liked Edward, he really did, and there was this pull towards him but what if things didn't work out? Was he willing to risk his heart again?
When Cedric had died, part of him had died as well and it was only because he had C.J. that he was willing to go on with his life. Was he willing to risk his heart as well as his life and that of Edward? He knew the vampire was almost impossible to kill but there was still a risk, and if you hang out with one Harry Potter trouble would find your way and sooner or later everyone around him dies…
"Do you love him?” He was shocked out of his musings by the next question.
Harry took a moment to consider the question. Did he love Edward? He couldn't deny that he felt attracted to the vampire nor the fact that he had feelings for him but did he love him? "No, I don't,” Harry replied. "But I might.” He suddenly realised, he was willing to risk his heart, maybe not their lives but they could work on that…couldn't they?
"You might?”
"I didn't let myself fall for him, you know? I felt as if I would be betraying Cedric and so I never allowed myself to feel more than friendship towards him but I cannot deny there's more to my feelings than that.” A soft smile played on his lips. "I think Cedric knew…” he suddenly said, as if just realising something.
"Cedric knew what?”
Harry turned to his ex-potions master. "He came to me, when I was at the Diggory's. We're not exactly sure how, something about a myth,” he told Snape before he could ask. "He was just there. He'd told me he's been watching over me, that he would never leave me and that he'd always love me no matter what decisions I made. I think he was referring to finding love again. He knew I'd feel guilty to open my heart to anyone else.” He shook his head as another bright smile graced his features. "He always knew things before I did.”
Snape couldn't help the slight curl of his lips at the contented look that had graced his ex-student's features. "It seems as if you've found your place in the world and a family for your own. All you ever wanted.”
"Yes,” Harry confirmed. He then turned to look at Snape. "I went to the Potter-Diggory vault,” he made sure Snape knew which vault he was talking about. "You and Poppy have stood by me when no one else would and more times than I'd like to remember both of you have saved my life by risking your own. Not to mention that without the two of you, C.J. would never have been brought into this world.'
"I may still be Harry Potter, especially when I'm in Britain, but the moment I set foot in America I shall be Harrison Diggory again and it shall be my honour to call you my father and Poppy my mother.”
Snape swallowed and nodded. All he had ever wanted for Lily's son was for him to grow up and have a relatively normal life. The year that Harry Potter had come to Hogwarts, the headmaster had asked him to act as he did towards Harry. At that time he'd agreed; he hadn't wanted the death eater children to run to their parents and tell them their beloved Head of the House was getting friendly with the Boy-Who-Lived. If he had known then what he knew now about the supposedly boy hero he would have never treated him the way he did.
The moment he'd found at that Lily's only son had been abused and neglected by her own sister, he'd thrown a fit and destroyed half his potions lab. After Harry defeated the Dark Lord he'd tried everything he could to get Harry away, not only from his relatives but from the headmaster as well. He'd been so relieved he and Poppy had been able to secure a flight to America for the new parent and his son. It sometimes helps to have contacts in high places.
After that he'd kept a close eye on Dumbledore's actions. When the headmaster had found out Harry was in America he'd already been too late. Dumbledore had grown suspicious of him but he had been able to earn back the trust by finishing the bonding potion that would make sure Percy Weasley would be able to give the headmaster his newly acquired magic. He had thought Harry was safe so he was shocked when he found out Harry had been brought in.
The week Harry had been with them he'd tried everything he could to make sure Harry could escape. Alas, he had not been successful but he had come up with a plan. He'd already heard from the Diggory's that the vampires had arrived and were ready to break Harry out. When he found Edward in Harry's room he knew what had to be done and when. It was their only shot. During the Bonding Ceremony the vampires had to rush in and take Harry away…luckily that had all worked and they even received a new obstacle, at least for Dumbledore; Harry was already bonded, which meant that he couldn't be entered into another bond.
This boy, this young man, had gone through so much in his life and never had anyone heard him complain. Snape remembered the first time he laid eyes on the legendary Harry Potter, a small and skinny boy with a thin face. He had his father's untidy black hair and his mother's bright green eyes which were open in amazement.
This young boy had to grow up way to fast. For most of his life he's known pain and loss and only glimpses of happiness. Yet, none of his experiences in his life had brought him down. He was still hopeful and kind and generous. Not to mention protective of those he loved even those who have hurt him in the past.
Snape licked his dry lips. "And I am proud to call you my son.”
TBC
Harry hugged C.J. close to his chest as he stepped outside and closed his eyes. It felt good to be back. After his talk with Snape he'd gone back to the Diggorys where he'd picked up C.J. and then had travelled back to America. Snape decided he would stay in Britain and find out what Dumbledore was up to so he could warn Harry. Harry didn't know what it was about America but he somehow felt freer here.
This very morning he had written a letter to Remus Lupin to give him the deeds to Grimmauld Place. He wanted to cut all ties with the British Wizarding World and the last thing he needed to do was send the deeds to Remus for he wanted nothing to do with that creepy place. He was more than glad to be rid of it.
He had closed his eyes when he stepped outside and when he opened them he noticed Edward had laid out a blanket on the ground and had placed some toys for C.J. on it. He smiled when he caught the vampire's eye. "Morning Harrison," the vampire greeted him. "Did you sleep well?"
Harry nodded and put C.J. down. "Yes, good thing I didn't sleep much in Britain otherwise I would have gotten jet-lag."
The vampire chuckled as he sat down besides the small family; watching them as Harry played with his son. Ever since Britain something had bugged him but he hadn't known how to bring it up.
When they were at the Diggory's house, Cedric – Harrison's old boyfriend or husband as Harrison liked to call him – had visited them. He wasn't quite sure how since Cedric was dead. However, the mere presence of his former boyfriend had somehow made a change in Harrison. He was more at ease with everything, now. Sure the presence of his former headmaster still lingered on the front of his mind but there was also a certain calm around him. As if he found peace at least. Maybe he had. Cedric did give him permission to love again and to move on with his life.
"Harrison," Edward began.
Harry turned towards the vampire, a smile lingering on his lips.
"There's something that has been bothering me," he continued. "Something I wanted to ask you." His own topaz eyes locked with Harrison's green ones. "In Britain, at the Diggory's, you said that Cedric is C.J.'s father." Harry gave him a small nod. "And from your actions and thoughts I get the impression he's been the only one for you." Another nod followed. "I don't understand–who is his mother?"
"I am," Harry replied, voice thick with emotion. Although he'd never been ashamed that he had carried C.J. for nine months in the womb, he knew it wasn't something that happened every day. Men just didn't get pregnant. That is, unless you are a wizard…
Harry broke the stare and turned his attention back on C.J. who had started crawling towards the edge of the blanket as he picked some grass. "I met Cedric during my third year. We played a game of Quidditch against each other's houses and they'd won. That year the Dementors were guarding our school. Whenever the Dementors are close I can hear my mother's screams as she died protecting me because Dementors drain away all your happiness and leave you with only your worst memories. During that game the Dementors were there. I fell off my broom and ended up in the hospital wing.'
"Cedric didn't know what had happened to me and caught the Snitch, resulting in them winning the game. He had felt so bad about it that he came to see me in the hospital wing."
Harry could remember that day clearly. His friends had just told him that the Whomping Willow had broken his beloved Nimbus 2000, the pieces still shattered on his bed. He had been so angry, not at the Whomping Willow but at himself. Why did I have such a powerful reaction to the Dementors? Why didn't anyone else faint? He had thrown the pieces of his beloved Nimbus 2000 around the room in anger and resentment.
"I felt as if I had lost my best friend that day," Harry remembered that feeling all too well.
He had just laid back in self misery when Cedric had walked in. He had apologised and told him he'd be willing to do a rematch but Harry had told him not to worry about it. He'd won the game fair and square. The next few moments had been rather awkward for neither boy knew what to say but soon the silence was broken as they started talking about Quidditch. That day had been the start of their friendship.
"During my fourth year we became rather close. I could tell him everything, from my fears to my dreams. Never once did he judge me. He became my confidant. There really wasn't anything I didn't tell him.'
"The day after our first kiss, I freaked out."
Harry remembered how confused he had been. It was wrong to like a boy, wasn't it? His aunt had always looked with disgust when they'd see two men together and his uncle would always say they were ‘queer', ‘poofter', ‘faggot' or ‘fairy'. He never had liked those words. At the time he may not have known what they meant but he knew it was something bad and something you'd never want to be. That was until he'd talked to Cedric about it.
"I was taught to believe liking boys is wrong and I didn't know how to tell anyone this. At first I tried to deny it but it soon came apparent that I liked boys or at least one boy.'
"Cedric taught me how love was love and that if you loved someone it was a beautiful thing. It didn't matter what sex they have. I remember that conversation clearly."
~*~*~*~*~
"Harry, what's wrong?" Seventeen year old Cedric Diggory asked fourteen year old Harry Potter. Last night they had shared their first kiss and it had felt wonderful. Over the last few weeks he'd started developing feelings for young Harry and he had been rather ecstatic when they'd kissed but now Harry was pulling away from him. Had something happened?
"I feel as if I'm losing you," Cedric admitted after a few moments when the younger boy stayed quiet. "If I did something wrong, please tell me. I don't want to lose you."
"You did nothing wrong," Harry quickly told him but didn't elaborate.
"Tell me," Cedric probed. "Maybe I can help."
Harry felt silent once more. He opened his mouth a few times but no sound came out.
Cedric felt a pang shoot through his heart. Harry had never been unable to tell him anything. He'd confided in him about the emotional and physical abuse those awful muggles had put him through. He also told him about the neglect. Why would that be easier than what was bothering him now? He'd finally given up hope that Harry would confide in him as he gazed down the lake when he heard a small voice ask a question.
"My relatives taught me it was wrong for two boys to kiss," Harry began. "Is it wrong?"
It finally dawned on him what was bothering his young friend. Those awful muggles had filled the poor boy's head with so much rubbish and he actually believed most of it. He shook his head. "No, there's nothing wrong with it."
"How do you know you like someone?" The next question was innocent and it reminded the older boy how young Harry actually was. Most of the time Harry acted many years his senior but sometimes he would act his real age, sometimes even younger.
"I guess you'd just know," Cedric replied, shook his head and tried to give a better answer. "You'd know because every moment you're not together with that person you'd wish you were together or you'd think about that person. Just a glimpse of this person would make your day. You'd do anything to make that person smile and hope he'd never have a bad day for if he did; all you'd want to do is take him in your arms and kiss the pain away. You'd know because your heart tells you it's right."
Harry swallowed. He'd noticed the specific use of pronoun but didn't comment on it. "And how do you know that that person likes you as well?"
Cedric sighed. "I guess the only way you can be sure is when you ask that person how they feel about you."
A comfortable silence fell over the two boys as they took in the words. Harry turned his head as he thought about what Cedric had said when you'd know you like someone. He'd said that you'd know when all you wanted to do was make that person smile and not cause him pain. When he'd seen the hurt in the Hufflepuff's eyes, he'd felt a stab at his heart. He had been the cause of that hurt and it broke his heart. He'd never wanted to hurt Cedric. When Cedric turned to him and gave him a small smile he'd felt butterflies in the pit of his stomach. He looked away when he felt his face heat up.
"Cedric?" he asked after he licked his dry lips.
"Mmm?" Cedric had been lost in thought, contemplating his own words and only now did he notice how close the two of them were.
"If that person smiles at you, can it make your heart beat faster?" Harry was certain the Hufflepuff could hear his heartbeat.
Cedric smiled at the innocent question. "Yes," he simply answered.
Harry picked up Cedric's hand and placed it against his heart. "My heart's beating really fast."
Cedric swallowed, the meaning behind the words was heard loud and clear but he still needed to know what Harry was really talking about.
"It's you I think about every minute of every hour of every day. I'd never want to see you hurt. You're smile can light up even the crappiest day. All I can think about is the kiss we shared and how much I want to kiss you again…"
Their eyes locked and before Harry knew it the older boy had pulled him close and crushed their lips together in an exploring, breathtaking kiss.
~*~*~*~*~
"But I was a little skittish about it still so I asked Cedric to keep it quiet. He had agreed and we just kept seeing each other in secret.'
"The time I spend with him was the happiest of my life." Memories of their time together flashed before his eyes. "We were young but somehow we knew we were meant to be together. In the wizardry world you need witnesses to become engaged so Cedric asked me to marry him like a muggle. He told me how much he loved me and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. He even went down on one knee, pulled out a ring and asked me to marry him."
Just as the words left Harry's mouth a ring appeared on his finger, one Edward had never seen before.
"We put an invisible spell on it. Only those who know about it can see it." Harry fingered the ring. "I haven't been able to take it off yet." Harry took a deep breath before he continued his story. "The night before the third task we felt as if we were going to lose something. Although it wasn't legal to the law it was to us, that night we pledges ourselves to each other. We carved a letter into each other's shoulder." He lowered his shirt to show Edward a carved ‘C'.
"We shared that night together," his eyes fell on his son, as if to say that he was the result of their night. "Then he was taken away from me." Pain filled his heart. "I was in shock for weeks. So when I got sick I figured it was because of the shock but when the symptoms didn't disappear I started to look them up in a medical book."
Harry remembered the nights he'd spend at Grimmauld Place going through every muggle medical book he could find.
"I found that a pregnant woman shared the same symptoms I had but decided that was not my case, for how could a male get pregnant? Yet, my symptoms didn't disappear nor did I find anything else so I started searching the wizarding books and to my shock found out wizards can get pregnant."
The moment he realised he was pregnant he'd actually fainted but, once he was conscious again, he had seen it as a blessing. Now he was going to have the family he'd always wanted or at least part of it.
"In the book they mentioned a potion that could determine whether you're pregnant or not. I wanted the confirmation so I looked at my options. I wasn't going to tell my friends for they didn't even know I was gay. I couldn't tell Sirius or the Headmaster this. I didn't want them to be disappointed by me. So, I looked to the only person who couldn't think any less of me.'
"I told you that Severus and I didn't see quite eye to eye," a small nod confirmed him. "But I knew that he was the only one who could help me and that wasn't only because he's a potion master. I asked him to help me out but not before making a vow between the two of us that stated that he couldn't tell anyone about this to those who don't know about it. He agreed and made the potion. It turned out that I was pregnant…"
Harry picked his son up when he started to crawl towards him. "What are you doing?" he asked him and smiled when C.J. reached out to him. He placed him in his lap as he continued his story. "We had to include Poppy but I didn't want too many people knowing about this."
"How did you hide your condition?"
"Glamour," Harry replied. "We made it look like I was before I got pregnant."
Harry remembered when he had gained some weight and how he had to hide this from his friends. He had to make awkward turns. Quidditch was hell, although it was his only outlet he was grateful he had been banned from it by Umbridge. That way he wouldn't have to come up with excuses not to go to practise for fear of them finding out he was pregnant or worse, fear of losing his child.
"Poppy was placed under the same vow and together, the two of them made sure I was looked after during my time at Hogwarts.'
"When C.J. was ready to be born, we had to sneak out of Hogwarts. Luckily there was a Hogsmeade weekend and we were able to sneak out easily. We went to the Diggory's, hoping they would help us. Not to mention, we figured it was the best spot. No one knew about my relationship with Cedric so no one would know C.J. was mine."
Harry remembered clearly showing up at the Diggory's very pregnant. He could barely stand on his own and was leaning heavily against the potion master. He'd explained how Cedric and he had bonded and had shared a night together. Though the Diggory's were a little offended, because their son would never go against the vows. It was then that he showed them his ring and the mark on his left shoulder.
"We made vows and in our hearts they were legal, that's all we needed to know," Harry had said before screaming out in pain. His child wanted to be brought into the world now.
The Diggory's had promised to help out as much as they could. The hardest thing Harry had to do was leave C.J. with them hours after he'd been born but he was able to visit him whenever he wanted.
Snape and he made a plan. He'd try and get a detention, not that he'd have to try hard with Snape for he still treated him as he always had, mostly to keep his cover. He'd Floo over to the Diggory's using Snape's floo and spend an hour or two there and then another hour in detention with Snape. This way neither would get into trouble.
"I don't know how but we pulled it off. No one there knows I have a child and I'd like to keep it that way," Harry ended his story.
While Harrison had been remembering his past life, Edward had seen it with him. He'd been a little shocked to find out that Harrison had actually carried and given birth to C.J. but he'd seen the day as if he was there. Poppy had cut open his abdomen and carefully removed him from the womb, cleaned the babe up and then stitched Harrison back together. He'd felt as if he had been there.
He'd watch how Poppy had placed the babe in his arms. The huge smile that occupied his face from the gesture. Edward had never seen Harry smile like that before. It was something he wanted to see on his face all the time and he was going to make sure Harry had more things to smile about.
As he watched the memories play in Harrison's mind he felt the beast, deep inside him, roar. It was angry that someone else had touched his Harrison. Yet, he couldn't stay jealous after knowing so much about Harrison. It was easy to love this young man and to know that he had been through so much pain and suffering; any happy memory was a gift for him.
"Stop that C.J.," Harry's voice filled the silence. C.J. was trying to pull his hair out. "You are a naughty little man, aren't you?" He picked C.J. up from his lap and proceeded to lay him down in front of him. Then he started to tickle him.
C.J. squealed in delight. He'd felt that his daddy was feeling sad and tried to make him feel better. He hadn't wanted to hurt his daddy but he'd been trying to get his daddy's attention for a while now and the only thing that seemed to work was pulling his hair.
"Dada, happy?" He asked when his daddy stopped tickling him. He wanted to know if he had succeeded making his daddy happy again. He really didn't like feeling his daddy's sadness.
"He's an empath?" Edward had heard Harry say this once before but he'd never seen the youngster at work.
Harry nodded. "He seems really in tune with my feelings."
"He wanted to know if he'd succeeded in making you happy. He doesn't like seeing you sad," Edward told him after reading the youngster's thoughts.
"I'm very happy, little man," Harry told his son as he picked him back up and sat him down in his lap again. "Seems like he only picks up on my feelings."
"Eddy, happy?" C.J.'s voice was heard, cutting his father off. He'd felt Eddy's sadness and angriness as well.
"And he surprises me once again," Harry said while laughing. "I guess he's in tune with your feelings as well." This could only mean he sees you as family as well.
"I'm very happy, dear one," Edward told C.J. as he picked him up when the youngster reached out to him. C.J. cooed happily as he felt the love wash over him from both his Daddy and his Eddy.
Harry looked at Edward as the vampire communicated with his son and smiled. When Cedric had visited him on his birthday he'd been so happy to see him. Nothing mattered to him anymore for Cedric was once more with him. But then he'd remembered his growing feelings for Edward and he'd felt so guilty. There was a time when he'd promised Cedric that he'd be the only one and there he was growing rather close to another person.
On his birthday, however, Cedric had given him his blessings. He hadn't realised it back then but now it was crystal clear. His husband had given him permission to move on and he knew exactly with whom. If only he dared to ask him…
"Who do you want to ask what?" Edward's voice broke through his musings.
He'd forgotten that the vampire was able to read his mind. A blush covered his face as he looked away. How do people do it? How do you ask someone you like out on a date? He closed his eyes when he heard Edward's chuckle. He had read his thoughts, again.
Edward looked at the wizard with a smile on his face. Harrison wanted to ask someone out but didn't know how to do that? "Why don't you just try it?" He suggested, although he felt a feeling of dread, he figured it was best to calm the embarrassed wizard down. "Practice on me."
Harry's head shot up, a horrified look on his face. "No!" He practically shouted. "I mean, I don't need to practice." He once more lowered his head, mortified.
Silence fell over the small group. Harry licked his dry lips, thankful Edward's attention was back on C.J. "Do you mind it that I can read your mind?" Edward's voice broke through his musings.
Harry took a moment to reply. Most of the times he didn't mind that Edward was able to hear his thoughts, sometimes he was even grateful for that way they could communicate without anyone else hearing about it; like when he asked Edward to give Severus a message. But sometimes, like when he was trying to figure things out, he wished he didn't. "Sometimes," Harry admitted. "But most of the time I rather like having you in my mind."
When the vampire cracked a smile, Harry blushed. "I sometimes wish I could turn it off as well," he admitted. "Yet, other time I am rather grateful." His eyes fell on C.J. as he heard the rambled thoughts. "C.J. doesn't like this feeling you're projecting. He's trying to figure out how to make you stop."
"Neither do I," Harry admitted. He had always hated feeling nervous. He should just get it over with, shouldn't he? His eyes landed on his son, who was babbling to himself. Sometimes he really hated Edward's ability, especially now when the vampire was able to hear what his son was thinking and he wasn't.
C.J. turned to his father. There was a new feeling coming from him. What was wrong with his daddy?
When the searching grey eyes of his son locked with his own he decided he should just get on with it. He took a deep breath, making the vampire look at him, before he asked his question. "Edward, would you liketogoonadatewithme?"
A human wouldn't have been able to decipher what Harry had asked but luckily Edward wasn't a human and had heard the question loud and clear. "I'd love to go on a date with you," he answered.
Relief shot through Harry, who knew that asking someone out could result with so much pressure? Then it hit him…what do people do on dates? Edward was smirking at him, which also didn't help. Why can't the ground just open up and swallow me whole?
"Don't worry about it," Edward told him. "I'm sure we'll have a good time."
All Harry could do was smile at him, hoping the vampire wouldn't read his troubled thoughts. He needed help and he needed it now. Another chuckle was heard and Harry couldn't contain his blush. "I'm just going to put him to bed," he said trying to put some distance between them. "Or drown myself or something…"
There was another chuckle as Harry grabbed C.J. and rushed off. It had been a long while since he had been able to be himself and all he wanted to be with Edward was himself. That included the uncertainty, embarrassment and idiocy, unfortunately.
~*~*~*~*~
Later that day he found Esme in the kitchen making dinner for him. "Esme, I need your help," he told her as he sat down. "But first Edward has to leave the house." A musical chuckle was heard and Harry knew the mind-reader had heard him.
"If you wanted me out of the house you could have just asked," Edward told him as he entered the kitchen.
"No, because then you'd ask me why and I'd think it and you'll read my mind and ruin the surprise," the wizard retorted.
Esme watched the two men interact with each other and smiled. "Jasper and Emmett will take him hunting," she told them and not a minute later the two vampires entered the kitchen.
"We'll help you out," Emmett told his youngest brother. Ever since Harrison had begun living with them he'd seen him as his brother, same for the rest of his family.
"Now, tell me what's wrong," Esme asked when the three vampires had left and she could no longer hear them.
"I asked Edward out on a date," he told her, making her smile, "but I have no idea what you do on dates."
Esme had been delighted to hear her youngest sons got along so well and now they may find they have more in common than they realised. "Well, I suppose most people go out to dinner," she replied.
"I thought so, but I don't want to do that since Edward doesn't eat." After Cedric he had been on one date and they'd gone to this tea shop, he figured that wasn't something he wanted to do with Edward. The dates he had with Cedric were planned by him and most of them were just a one-on-one Quidditch game. He wanted to do something special with Edward, something he'd like.
"What about a movie?"
"Well, I've never been to the cinema before but I want it to be special and a film just seems so impersonal, you know? Like something you'd do when you don't have any other options."
"You want something personal, something Edward will like?" Esme guessed.
"Yeah," Harry answered as he sank into one of the kitchen chairs. What would Edward like? He thought. "Music, Edward likes music."
"Why not take him to the concert hall?" Esme suggested.
"That's a good idea," Harry said and walked over to the phone to order some tickets. Half-way there, he stopped. "And then?"
Esme smiled; sometimes he was such an innocent. "Why not take a walk through the park?"
"That's a good idea!" Harry exclaimed. "Do you think Edward will like this?"
"I'm sure he will." Now that Harry's nerves were eased, he could order the tickets and look forward to their first date.
TBC
Harry stared at his reflection in the mirror. Esme, Rosalie and Emmett were helping him get ready for his date with Edward, while Alice and Jasper were helping Edward. He was so nervous that he wasn't even able to button up his shirt, Rosalie had to do that for him.
"What if he doesn't like where we're going?" He asked for the fifth time that day.
"He will!" Rosalie comforted him. "Now stop worrying, it will be fine."
Harry nodded, but it didn't calm his nerves down. He wanted tonight to be perfect. He felt as if he needed to prove something to the vampire, prove that he could be normal. That's why he didn't go to the wizarding world for their first date. It was then that it hit him; this was his first date with Edward.
He sank down to the floor. "I can't do this," he said as he buried his head in his hands.
"Why not, dear one?" Esme asked as she sank down next to him.
"I don't know anything about dating," Harry told him. "I've only ever been with Cedric and he was the experienced one…in dating at least. I've been on a date with Cho before but that was a disaster." Pleading eyes begged with topaz ones. "What if my date with Edward will turn out to be a disaster?"
"Harrison, do you like Edward?" Esme asked him. When Harry nodded she continued. "Do you think Edward likes you?" A hesitated nod followed. "Then the date will be perfect."
At least, he was fairly certain the vampire liked him. It was hard to tell for the vampire showed no emotions. The boy had told him he wanted to know everything about him. What if he meant as a friend? If he meant to be just friends then he wouldn't have agreed to go on this date—would he? But what if he was trying to be nice as to not hurt his feelings? What if he was mistaking his feelings for something else?
"Harrison, stop it," Rosalie told him as she kneeled down in front of him. "Stop worrying and just go enjoy your date."
Harry gave her a weak smile and a nod. It was time. He stood up, checked his appearance in the mirror one more time and gave the three vampires a hug before he turned to his son. "You behave, you hear, little man?" he told C.J. before giving him a kiss on top of his head.
During his stay at the Cullens he'd been staying in Edward's room for it was the only one that wasn't occupied. But now he'd changed in Rosalie and Emmett's room while Edward had changed in his own.
He walked over to Edward's bedroom, took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He was grateful the vampires gave him this moment for himself. He knew they'd picked up his steps long before he knocked on the door. He bit back a gasp when the door opened.
Edward was wearing black dress slacks and a buttoned-up light blue shirt that Harrison was almost positive was silk. Beautiful, was the only word that came to his mind.
In Edward's room the vampires had heard the conversation Harrison had had with Esme and Rosalie. The nervousness had washed over Jasper and he had related this to Edward. Multiple times he'd wanted to rush into the room to comfort the wizard, but somehow he'd managed to control these urges. Especially when he'd heard Harry's thoughts. He was going to make sure that the wizard would know by the end of their date that he'd fallen in love with him.
"You look wonderful," Edward told him after taking in his appearance. Harrison was dressed similarly to himself, although he had a jacked that he was holding, something that a vampire would never need.
A blush graced Harrison's features. "You look beautiful, as well," he replied. "Shall we go?"
With a farewell and a ‘My little brother is growing up so fast' from Emmett, the couple left the house and took the Volvo to the concert hall.
"I thought it would be nice to go to a musical concert," Harry told Edward as they got out of the car.
Edward merely nodded. The beast inside him told him to be the dominate partner in this… relationship? His human mind knew that this was important to Harrison, however. He needed to do this and for that reason alone, he control the beast, at least for now.
"Hello, I'm Harrison Diggory I ordered two tickets," Harry told the man at the counter.
Great, two poofs, Edward heard the thought but decided to ignore it.
The clerk made to check the system. I'm not going to let those two fairies into the hall. "I'm sorry, there seems to be a problem," he told them kindly. "I have no one under that name."
O, no! Harrison's thoughts screamed at him. "C-could you c-check under Cullen?"
The clerk checked again and then shook his head. "Nothing, sorry," he pasted a sombre look on his face to give it some credit.
"Are there still two tickets left?"
"No, everything's sold out."
"Thank you," a crestfallen look appeared on Harry's face and Edward didn't have the heart to make sure the clerk let them in. For by doing so he'd have to reveal why they weren't allowed in and that would only break Harrison's heart.
"I'm sorry, I wanted our date to be perfect and now it's all ruined," Harry had turned to Edward. Dark thoughts were starting to take over but Edward quickly pulled him out of them.
"Harrison, why don't we see what else they have?" He looked around and noticed a restaurant. "How about a restaurant?"
Harry shook his head. "No, it would be awkward for me to eat while you watch." Harry looked around as well and noticed a museum. "How about the museum?"
Edward hastily agreed, not wanting some dimwit to ruin their date. Nothing could stop him from making this the most perfect date ever…
~*~*~*~*~
Edward and Harry left the museum, looking as if they'd seen a ghost, or at least Harry did. Edward just looked his normal self, while Harry was trying hard not to rip his eyes out and considering using Obliviate on himself. "That was…" Edward began but couldn't continue.
"Horrible!" Harry finished for him. "I can't believe they showed the photos so…graphically…"
"Yeah, they were rather…detailed."
"Merlin, I can't seem to do anything right on this date. First I forgot to order the tickets and then I take us to a war zone where you could actually see guts pooling out of someone's ears…" Harry shook his head, trying desperately to get rid of that picture. "I'm sorry I ruined our date."
"Don't say that," Edward stopped him and made him look at him. "Our date isn't over yet and nothing could ruin it. Not those rather graphic photos of a war or some idiot who wouldn't let us in." Edward bit his tongue realising what he had revealed. "What else had you planned for our date?"
"A walk in the park," Harry replied. He had figured the clerk didn't want to let two gay men inside the concert hall but to have it actually confirmed did sting a little.
"Shall we then?" Harry nodded and together they walked over to the park.
"You know, I've been thinking," Harry began, breaking the silence. "I've told you so much about my life yet you've not spoken much about yours. Why not tell me something more about you?"
"What do you wish to know?"
Harry took a moment to think of some questions before he asked the first one. "Do you like being a vampire?"
"Sometimes," the vampire confessed. "But most of the times I see myself as a monster."
They stopped at a bench, which overlooked a small lake, and sat down. "I don't think you are a monster," Harry told him. "I think you are a kind and generous person. Someone who cares more about the welfare of others than he cares about himself. Someone who keeps to his promises, even when something happens that could break them, he'd try anything to keep them. Someone who I'll entrust my son to and know nothing will have happened to him. Someone you could love uncontrollably and without fear…" Harry stopped knowing he started rambling. "There's no way you could be a monster."
Edward had stopped breathing, stopped moving, stopped acting human. His eyes fixed on the wizard. "If you knew what I've done you wouldn't think so…"
"Edward, don't think I'm naïve. I know you are a vampire and I'm guessing you've tasted human blood once or twice in your entire life and I know this means you've killed but that doesn't make you a monster. I've killed people; does that make me a monster?"
"No, of course not," Edward was quick to answer him. "But there's a difference."
Harry nodded. "You are right. First and foremost you are a predator who hunts to feed. You've killed because you need to feed, while I've killed because I could. If you want to point out a monster, point at me because not once have I felt guilty when I took Voldemort's life while you seek remorse for almost all your actions. I'm not saying you should go and kill humans; all I'm saying is that I understand why you had to. I don't condemn it but I understand. It still doesn't make you a monster, Edward."
Did Harrison really think like that? When he had told Bella he'd killed before she had said that she didn't care. What did that make her? Harrison told him he didn't like it but he's willing to overlook that fact.
Edward closed his eyes as he looked away and started acting human again. "How can you say that?"
"Because I know it to be true," Harry lifted his hand to caress the vampire's cheek and made him look at him. Their eyes met and as one they leaned closer.
The kiss was clumsy. Teeth scraping against each other, noses bumped, tongues almost choking each other. "I'm sorry," Harry said as he pulled away but Edward didn't let him pull away too far. He placed his lips against the wizard and left them there for a moment.
"Let's try this again," he said against the wizard's lips before sweeping his tongue over Harry's lips. The next kiss was slow, searching, exploring, perfect. The vampire pulled the wizard closer to deepen the kiss. A moan that emerged from the pit of his stomach escaped him when Harrison ran his fingers through his hair.
A moment later the kiss was broken, for the wizard needed to fill his lungs with air. Harry was breathing heavily as his eyes locked with the vampire. The normally topaz coloured eyes were now black and for a moment Harry thought the vampire needed to hunt but then he realised the colour change was because of something else. A flush spread across his cheeks and he was pulled in for another deep kiss.
Moments later the vampire broke the kiss when he noticed the wizard needed air. "Forgive me," he said. "I sometimes forget you need to breath."
"Never had a kiss before that could literally take away my breath," Harry joked and was rewarded with a chuckle. He rested his head on the vampire's shoulder as a comfortable silence fell over them. "I'm sorry our date was a disaster," Harry said after a few moments.
"I don't think it was a disaster, although I could have lived without the photographs from the museum," Edward replied, smiling. "I think our date was perfect."
"You do?" The question was soft, innocent.
"Yes, I got to spend the evening in your company."
A flush graced the wizard's face. "You're such a smooth talker sometimes." Harry joked. "But I'm glad."
Before Edward could reply he suddenly went stiff. "What is it?" Harry asked, concerned as he raised his head to look up at the vampire.
"Complications," Edward only answered.
Harry looked around trying desperately to find out what Edward was talking about but found nothing. That was until he looked over at their right and noticed the small group advancing on them. He recognised one of the women as Bella Swan, Edward's ex, and the boy she had been with when he and Esme had seen them when they'd gone shopping.
"Are they coming here?" A nod answered his question. "Do we have to leave?" Harry wasn't quite sure what the status was between them but he knew neither like the other.
"No, we are allowed to be here," Edward answered and turned his attention back to the wizard. He really didn't want to see his ex on the first date he had since he'd broken up with her. There was a time when her smell had been so overly sweet to him that he would have killed her on the spot but now it seemed unimaginable almost bitter. Though she still carried around that distinct smell that had called to him about a year ago, it was overwhelmed by the smell of dogs, not something he enjoyed. Especially not when he had that delightful earthly smell that was Harrison with him.
"It must be difficult to see her with someone else," Harry observed as his attention fell from the laughing couple to Edward.
"Not anymore," Edward admitted. "I believed I loved her and seeing her with that dog had hurt."
"I feel as if there's a ‘but' coming," Harry remarked, smiling.
"But, now I know that I never loved her. I was rather protective of her, that's for sure, but I think it was mostly her blood that called me to her. Her blood had been overwhelming sweet to me and I had a hard time controlling myself when we first met. When I overcame my desires to kill her I started to feel rather protective of her. I saved her life once and after that moment I couldn't stay away from her. I thought myself in love, that I'd finally found my mate…"
"I'm guessing she wasn't?" A nod confirmed his suspicions. "What made you realise she wasn't your mate?"
"You did," Edward replied as his eyes locked with the wizard's. "When I was with Bella, I wanted to protect her, mostly from myself and my family, for one wrong move could hurt her. While with you I need to worry about the world for neither I nor my family could ever hurt you. I'm not sure how to explain this but there's something about you that makes us all want to protect you, and C.J. of course"
"Hey, leech; did you lose your way?" Bella's group had caught up with them and stopped in front of them.
Edward's whole demeanour changed, he grit his teeth and went stiff. He recognised the boy with Bella as Jacob, then there were David, Jimmy and the last two were siblings, Leah and Seth Clearwater. Harry looked from the vampire to the boy who'd spoken.
"You should watch out who you hang out with," David told Harry when he had the wizard's attention. "You never know when they might decide to kill you."
"I'll keep that in mind," Harry replied, trying hard to be polite. It just wouldn't do if he hexed that boy into oblivion.
The group walked off but not before throwing some insults at the pair. "Couldn't keep his girl so he turned to boys," could be heard as well as. "Can't see what you saw in him Bella, not only is he a leech but a poof as well…"
Edward watched the group walk away. The looks Bella was throwing at him had him puzzled. He'd never been able to read her mind but had been able to guess it from time to time. Now, though, it was a total blank and it rather unnerved him. "Why does she keep looking at me like that?" he wondered out loud.
"I think she's realising what she has lost," Harrison told him, he had seen how Bella kept checking the vampire out and he couldn't blame her. Edward really looked amazing tonight. He hadn't worn anything special, just some black pants and a blue shirt but damn did he look good in them. "You're looking extremely handsome tonight," he told the vampire cheekily, a small smile pasted on his face.
"I'm not the only one," Edward replied.
Harry looked away from Edward. "You're right, that guy over there looks good too," he said, trying to hide his embarrassment.
Edward let loose a low growl as he advanced on Harry, trapping him between his body and the bench. "Careful, Harrison, I don't like sharing," he said before he crashed their lips together.
Harry moaned into the kiss. The possessive streak that Edward kept under control the entire time was finally emerging and Harry found that he liked being possessed by him. He had appreciated that Edward let him lead during their date, for he had needed that little control. He needed to prove to himself that he could do this; he could date someone new and not feel guilty or feel as if he was betraying Cedric.
"Neither do I," Harry told him when they broke the kiss. "If she even looks at you again I'll hex her."
"And I'll let you," Edward replied before claiming those luscious lips again for a short kiss. He couldn't get enough of kissing Harrison. He turned on the bench so Harrison was resting against him.
Through the trees they could see the stars. Harry sighed in contentment. "Cedric and I used to do this," he said after a few moments. "We'd sneak out of our dormitories and go to the Black Lake where we'd watch the stars…" he bit his lip. Why was he bringing Cedric up on their date? Their first date? "I'm sorry; you must hate it when I bring him up."
"There are times when I'm jealous of him, for he owns a part of you that I'll never have," Edward admitted. "But I also know that he's given you happiness at a time you needed it the most. I cannot hate him for that nor can I hate the fact you bring him up. I don't mind because when you do I feel you opening up to me, giving me another part of you that I will always cherish.'
"I know that part of you will always love Cedric and that there's a part of you I shall never have but I'm willing to compromise."
Harry gave him a weak smile. Why did he always have to open his mouth at the wrong times? "I guess everything that could have gone wrong on our date has gone wrong," he said. "Do you think that's a sign?" He was trying to joke but it didn't work. He was a little afraid that the universe was telling him he and Edward weren't meant to be together or that he was betraying Cedric or something.
"Yes," Edward answered him truthfully. Harrison's confused and slightly terrified look didn't go unnoticed by the vampire. "It's a sign that we are able to overcome anything sent in our path."
TBC
Edward and Harry drove back to the Cullen residence, the vampire opened the car door for Harry and now they were standing at the front door. "I had a really lovely time," Harry said with a smile. Although the music hall and the museum hadn't gone well, he had an amazing time when they were at the park. Never before had he felt so comfortable and peaceful in another person's presence.
"So did I," Edward smiled down at the younger boy. He was about to lean down to kiss him when he heard his family's voices. Release him, he heard Carlisle saying. We won't let you take him.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked when he noticed Edward starting to walk away. Being a human, he wasn't able to hear the ruckus in the backyard.
"I'm not sure," he led Harry to the back, where his family was crouched down standing in a defensive position, surrounding someone.
Harry quickly recognised the headmaster. Fear took hold of his heart when he noticed what the headmaster was carrying. The headmaster had yet to notice their arrival. "No," the word escaped him before he could control himself, alerting the headmaster.
Dumbledore turned around and faced the two newcomers. "Hello, Harry, my boy," he said. "I just got acquainted with your family and may I say you've been holding out on me. I assumed you were working with vampires considering your rapid escape in Britain but I never suspected you lived with a whole coven. Not to mention this little fellow. He's yours I assume," Harry didn't say anything. "I'm curious as to whom his mother is."
"What do you want?" Harry asked, ignoring the question.
"That's no way to talk to you old headmaster, now is that?" Dumbledore replied. "Now as for what I want, I think you already know that. I want your magic but seems like I have an even better option." He raised the baby in his arms. "At such a young age, this one is rather powerful. When he comes to his full powers, he'll be the most powerful wizard alive."
"Give me my son," Harry demanded.
The headmaster took a step back. It was then that Harry noticed the heap on the floor. His old potion professor lay on the floor, bruised, bloodied and not moving.
"He's alive," Edward whispered in his ear after reading his thoughts. The vampire was able to hear to slow heartbeat. It was faint, but it was there.
Dumbledore followed Harry's stare. "Yes, Severus… Did you know he tried to kill me?" He asked, cheerfully as if they were old friends. "He made a potion and all. But I've always suspected he's not as loyal as he claimed to be, with him being Slytherin and all. You can never trust them, you know? Also there was the fact I wasn't able to see into his mind at times, especially where you were concerned," he looked at the sleeping bundle in his arms. "This is just an assumption but I think you've made a vow with Severus so he wasn't able to talk about this at all, nor was I able to read his mind about this. One thing I do enjoy about you Harry, my boy, you are too predictable. You do anything to protect those you love.'
"I wondered why you never really fought back, back in Britain. Now I know, you wanted to protect your new vampire family, Severus and your son."
"Give me my son, now," Harry demanded, his magic crackling in the air.
"I don't think so," Dumbledore replied. "I am going to be the most powerful wizard alive, Harry, my boy, and I need him to do so. I'm going to take him. Do I have your blessings? No? Oh well…" and Dumbledore Disapparated.
"C.J. No," Harry screamed.
His daddy's screams woke him up. "Dada?" He asked, looking up at the man carrying him. But this man wasn't his daddy. His daddy didn't have a white beard. His daddy was soft and kind and he felt safe in his arms, while this man was hurting him. He didn't like it. He wanted his daddy.
His daddy was hurting; he could feel it. He didn't like it when his daddy was hurting. He needed to go to his daddy to make him laugh. It hurt so much, his daddy hurt so much. He would kiss the hurt away just like Dada taught him. He needed to go to his daddy and he needed to go now. He wished with all his might he was with his daddy again.
Harry stared at the space his son had previously vacated. His son was gone…C.J. was gone. What kind of father would let his son be taken? On the day C.J. had been born he'd promised him he'd keep him safe, that he would protect him forever. He'd failed his son. The one thing he should have done as a parent he'd failed at.
C.J. was gone. His reason for living was gone. C.J. had been the only reason he had gotten out of bed every morning. The reason why he'd fled Britain. The reason he did anything and now that reason was gone. What point did living have now?
In the corner of his eyes he could see the vampire family getting closer to him, all wanting to comfort him. Edward, the thought entered his head before he could stop it. Thinking like this wasn't fair to the vampire but how could he go on without his son?
Harry's magic crackled in the air, pushing every one of the Cullens away from him except for Edward. Edward was the only one who could get close to him. He kneeled down, just as the wizard fell to the floor, cradling the wizard against his chest. The wizard's thoughts had broken his heart but he understood, for he felt the same way.
C.J. had quickly become a part of his life. Every day he needed to see him. If he didn't he felt so lost.
"We'll find him," he promised the sobbing wizard. He'd hunt the headmaster down and tear down everything that would cross his path if he had to.
The words made Harry sob louder. He willed with all his might C.J. was back here, with him…and Edward. "Edward," he sobbed into the vampire's shoulder, grabbing a hand full of the vampire's shirt, reassuring himself that he wasn't alone.
A loud crack was heard and the vampires looked at what had happened. A confused Dumbledore stood on the same spot he'd just vacated.
C.J. saw his daddy and called out to him; his daddy looked up but was still sad. He willed himself to his daddy's arms so he could comfort his daddy; he wasn't able to help him from this distance.
If it wasn't for Edward's vampire speed, C.J. would have fallen to the ground, but he caught him as soon as he appeared in Harry's lap. Harry's arms quickly went around his son holding him close. "C.J! Oh Merlin, C.J." he whispered into his son's hair, breathing in his smell. He's really in my arms again.
Edward sprang into action, when he knew C.J. was safe in Harrison's arms, quickly pushed father and son behind him, ready to protect them at all cost.
Jasper and Emmett had also gone into action and grabbed the confused wizard by his arms, preventing him from leaving. Dumbledore started to struggle but he was no match against the two vampires. "Release me at once," he ordered but the vampires paid him no heed. They looked with worry as Carlisle had kneeled down besides the unconscious potion master and was now checking his vitals: all the noise made it difficult for the vampire to hear the soft heartbeat.
"He's barely alive, we need to get him to the hospital," he told his family. Rosalie had already sprinted into action and came back with one of the cars. Carlisle and Esme carried the unconscious form into the car before turning back to the rest of their family.
"What shall we do with him?" Emmett asked, nudging his head toward Dumbledore.
Harry, still safely hidden behind the mind-reader, looked to see what had happened while he checked his son over, making sure he hadn't been harmed; he hadn't realised what had happened for he had only eyes for his son. The question registered and he took a step towards the headmaster, with Edward still protecting him and his son while he thought about the options. He didn't want the family to kill him nor did he want to do it himself.
Before he could make a decision, several cracks were heard and a handful of wizards and witches appeared. "Harrison, are you all right?" One of them asked and Harry recognised him as Jack, the headmaster of the American school.
"Jack," Harry said gratefully. "I'm fine…" before he could ask how he knew to get here he was pulled into the arms of one Poppy Pomfrey.
"Thank Merlin you're all right," she said then looked down at C.J. "Is he all right as well?" Harry confirmed her question with a nod.
"But Severus isn't," he told her and looked over at Carlisle.
"We were about to take him to the hospital," he told the mediwitch and led her to the car.
"Take him to the house, I'll take care of him," besides the fact that she knew Severus would never forgive her if she brought him to a muggle hospital, she knew she was his only hope, being the only one who knew how to treat him.
Carlisle and Esme sprang into action and took the unconscious form of the potion master inside with Poppy following them.
"Albus Dumbledore, you are hereby charged with conspiracy against the British government, the endangerment of a minor and attempted murder," one of the newcomers said as he advanced on the restrained wizard.
Jasper and Emmett watched as Dumbledore was bound before releasing him. The wizards took hold of him but Dumbledore found a way to release the bond and was able to break free. Another of the wizard anticipated this and fired of a hex.
Dumbledore jumped out of the way and blocked it, sending a hex of his own. The wizard was hit in the arm, but had already fired off another hex which hit the headmaster in the leg. The spells were flying from all the different wizards and witches, taking Dumbledore down. He fell to the floor and one of the witches grabbed his wand making sure he couldn't use it anymore.
Dumbledore still struggled just as another hex was thrown. The hex hit him straight in the chest sending him skidding across the ground, lying deadly still.
Harry had combined his magic with his son's and Edward's and created an anti-Apparate shield around them, preventing them from Apparating away. It wasn't until the death of the headmaster was confirmed that he removed the shield; he didn't want the old man to escape. Although he'd never wanted Dumbledore dead he knew that this was the only way for him to be truly safe from the vile old man, especially now that he knew about C.J. He would hunt them down until he got what he wanted. Even prison wouldn't stop him.
"Looks like we got here just in time," Jack said as he walked over to the small family.
"Actually, you got here too late," Harry told him. "He'd already Apparated away."
"Then how come he was still here?"
"C.J. somehow intercepted his Apparation and brought them back here, before Apparating into my arms," Harry explained, fondly smiling down at his son. He'd never been more proud.
"That is one powerful child," Jack sighed, amazed.
"How did you know to get here?" Harry asked.
"Madam Pomfrey contacted me. She told us she had received a message from Professor Snape, telling her that Dumbledore was on his way to America," Jack explained.
Harry nodded. He'd told Poppy all about the headmaster at Magic School and knew he could be trusted. He must have contacted the British and the American Ministry of Magic and sent Aurors to help. He looked around and noticed everyone was all right, some wizards and witches had been hexed but they were taken care of. The remaining Cullens were all right and had stood aside while the wizards and witches battled Dumbledore. He turned to look at Edward, who gave him a nod, letting him know he was all right as well. Harry gave him a weak smile before turning his attention back on his son, who was smiling happily up at him. He kissed the top of his head before he remembered Severus had been badly hurt. He rushed into the house, with Edward on his heels. After tonight, the vampire wouldn't leave him alone even for a second, knowing the young wizard needed the support.
Harry froze once he was inside. Severus was lying still bloodied and bruised on the couch with Carlisle kneeling down next to him, performing CPR. Poppy lay on the other side of the room, also bloodied with Esme kneeling next to her. "What happened?" Harry whispered, not being able to speak out loud.
"We don't know," Carlisle told him. "Poppy was checking him over, said some words. A red light illuminated from Severus and flung her across the room. His heart stopped and he isn't breathing, neither is Poppy, for that matter."
Harry looked between Severus and Poppy. These were the two people that had always protected him. They had been the ones that had given him a chance to live. In the process, they would have given this cause their lives. They had given it their lives, all to protect him. Severus had brewed a potion which would kill the headmaster. Dumbledore had found out and somehow hexed the potion master so when someone performed a standard check up spell, they'd get hexed themselves… killing both, patient and healer, in the process…
This wasn't happening! Hadn't he lost enough already?! He'd lost his parents, his husband, his godfather, his friends and now his adoptive parents, the people who'd given him the world. Was it never enough?
Edward quickly pulled the wizard into his arms. If he could he'd give them back to him but he couldn't. They were gone, dead, not even the venom would work to turn them. He could feel his shirt getting wet as Harrison sobbed into his arms.
It's all my fault, the thought came into his mind and he knew it was Harrison's. "Much has happened in your life which you had no control over. Yet you take all the blame upon your shoulders," he made Harrison look at him. "This is not your fault. You are not to blame."
Harry nodded but the words weren't really registering.
Edward, why don't you make sure Harrison gets some sleep. He must be exhausted, Esme's thoughts ran loud and clear in his mind and he nodded. "Come, Harrison, let's get some sleep. Both, you and C.J. are exhausted."
Harry nodded and let himself be led towards the vampire's room. Edward helped him, first undress C.J. and then himself before changing into their night clothes. He carefully placed C.J. on the bed and then spooned behind him, not wanting to leave his son.
Edward gazed at parent and child before he turned off the lights and made to leave. "Edward?" the voice was soft, innocent like. He turned, easily finding the wizard's eyes in the dark and waited for him to speak. "Stay? Please?"
The vampire didn't reply but softly walked over to the bed, raised the blanket and slid into the bed, spooning up behind Harrison and holding him close. He would watch over parent and child tonight; nothing would harm them as long as he's there.
TBC
Edward watched over the two sleeping figures that night, making sure their slumber was peaceful. He read the youngest mind and noticed his dreams were happy; mostly of being safe in his daddy's arms. The youngster had been through enough and had been very upset when he couldn't find his daddy. Now he was the happiest person alive.
Harrison had placed his son on top of the blanket, to make sure he wouldn't suffocate him but the child was shivering slightly so the vampire quickly got up, retrieved a second blanket and placed it around the sleeping child. When a smile appeared on the child's face he returned to his position, snuggling closer to the wizard.
He took a moment to read the wizard's thoughts. "Cedric, no," the wizard mumbled in his sleep as Edward saw what was happening; he was at some graveyard, together with Cedric. They thought it was part of the task when Harry remembered he'd been there before, in his dreams. Realisation struck him and he told his husband to get back to the cup, but Cedric wouldn't leave him. They were in this together and nothing would keep Cedric away from him.
"Kill the spare," was heard from their left and before anyone knew it Cedric was hit by a bright green light, sending him flying backwards. He had died before he hit the ground. Harry had cried out but couldn't go to him. He was trapped.
The scenery changed as they entered the graveyard again. Cedric was alive, once more, but it didn't last long, the same scene played out but this time when Cedric hit the floor Harry rushed over to him.
The vampire knew the first had been a memory while this one was definitely a nightmare.
Harry threw himself over his husband's dead body, crying out for his love, but he wouldn't answer him. People were surrounding them, people he once knew. Dumbledore, Sirius, his friends from Hogwarts, the Diggorys; everyone he once knew. "You killed Cedric," they all blamed him.
"No, I didn't," Harry cried out, his voice but a whisper. "I could never hurt him." The accusations kept going around; everyone blamed him for Cedric's death, just as Umbridge had done in his fifth year. He kept shaking his head. It wasn't true, he'd never hurt Cedric.
Suddenly the body beneath him started to move. Surprised he looked down. "You killed me, Harry," the body accused him, reaching out to him but before he could reach him the scenery changed.
"I love you, Harry," Cedric told him as he kneeled down next to his husband. It was as if he had felt his husband's anguish and had come to chase the nightmares away.
Harry looked up into his beloved husband's grey eyes and threw his arms around him.
As the vampire watched this intimate scene, he felt as if he was intruding. Yet, the beast inside him was telling him to tear them apart. Harrison was his now and no one else should ever touch him, even in his dreams.
He watched as Harrison leaned up to kiss Cedric. Cedric kissed him back passionately only to change into his own image. He watched as Harrison opened his eyes and smiled. "Edward," he whispered before kissing the dream version of him deeply again.
It was then that the vampire understood. He would never replace Cedric in Harrison's eyes, for Cedric was the first person to love Harrison without wanting anything in return. The first person Harrison trusted completely. The first person to give him hope. The first person he'd known and lost. His world had been shattered when he'd lost Cedric. Nothing had held any interest to him anymore, except for C.J. and now Edward.
Although his heart had been shattered before, he was willing to risk it again with Edward. He was willing to risk it all for him and that gave him a warm feeling in the gut of his stomach.
Harrison's dreams changed again. This time he could see his godfather being lost in the veil. He kept calling to Harrison to help him but there was nothing he could do. Then his image changed into that of Edward. Harrison reached out just in time to catch him. "Don't ever leave me," Harrison told him as he pulled him into his arms.
"Never," the dream version of the vampire promised him.
"Never," Edward echoed.
Again the images changed. Harry and Edward were at the park, almost the same one as the one they'd been on their first date. They sat as they gazed at the stars, just as they'd done on their date. It seemed like a normal dream. Until Dumbledore showed up and killed Edward.
Edward knew that in real life he couldn't be killed by a simple hex but that was a dream and he was dying. He gently shook Harry, not wanting him to go through that not even in his dreams…or nightmares.
The wizard woke up, checked to see if his son was still asleep. Satisfied that he was he looked over his shoulder to see if Edward was still there, when he saw that he was still behind him he smiled and laid back, taking hold of the vampire's hand and holding it close to his heart and closed his eyes.
Edward had to smile at the wizard's antics. He began to sing a lullaby hoping to make the wizard fall asleep again and hopefully with good dreams instead of nightmares. The rest of the night he watched over the pair, waking them up if they had a nightmare.
The next morning Edward noticed C.J. was waking up. Because he was still trapped by Harrison he couldn't go over to C.J. to make sure he wouldn't wake up Harrison. Before he could decide how to solve this little dilemma his sister, Alice, came in quietly and picked up C.J. She walked to the door before she sent a thought at her brother.
Let us take care of the little one, while you take care of Harrison, it said. Edward gave her a slight nod, to let her know he had heard her before she left.
Edward knew how nervous Harrison had been the day before; the date had weighed heavily on his mind. He had been afraid that he'd screw it up somehow and that Edward wouldn't like him anymore. Edward was still amazed at how low Harrison's self esteem really was.
Even though on their first date things had gone wrong, he really had an amazing time. He got to spend some time with Harrison, getting to know him more and Harrison getting to know him in turn. They even shared their first kiss… No, nothing could compare to their first date. It was, in one word, perfect.
The events after their date didn't help with Harrison's exhaustion either. So, now, he let him sleep as much as he wanted. This way he would be able to forget about all that happened these last 12 hours.
As he held the sleeping figure closer to his dead, cold body he was amazed at how the cold never affected the wizard. When Bella had touched him she had always felt the cold, even for just a second. She always tried to hide it but he could see her flinch every time. Yet, with Harrison, it felt as if his skin was warming up right before impact; to accommodate Harrison's temperature.
Some things were different; he'd noticed some slight changes these past few days. Like he could tune out anyone else's thoughts and focus on Harrison's or C.J.'s only. He'd never been able to do that. He'd been able to focus on one's thoughts alone but he'd always heard a whisper of other people's thoughts. However when he focused on either Harrison or C.J. no other thoughts could be heard. Not even a whisper. What he also noticed was, when Harrison's magic pushed everyone away; he'd let Edward in.
Harrison stirred about an hour later. His first thought was ‘where's C.J?' and looked around.
"Alice took him so he could get cleaned and fed," Edward softly told him, not trying to scare him.
Harrison visually stilled and tried to calm his erratic heart. He had been certain he'd fallen asleep with his son in his arms and to find him gone had been quite a scare. He turned around to face the vampire. "He's all right?"
"Yes," Edward replied. "You have but to say the word and she'll bring him right back."
For the first time that morning Harrison smiled. "No, if he's all right then that's fine."
Harrison noticed he was still holding one of Edward's hands in his own and entwined their fingers, not the least bit embarrassed about it. The events of the previous day rushed up to him and he needed the support that he knew only Edward could give him. His eyes locked with those of the vampire. "They're really gone, aren't they?" he asked him.
"Yes," was the vampire's only reply. There wasn't anything else he could say. There were no words that could comfort the wizard, no words that would bring them back. Harrison had told him how Poppy and Severus had adopted him as their own. He'd been so happy to finally have a real family and to have them taken away from him again before they could be a family was devastating.
Harrison closed his eyes and nodded. Yes, they were really gone. The two people who wanted to be his parents were really gone. Tears were making their way down his cheek and he could feel Edward wiping them away with his free hand.
"Harrison, you may not want to hear this right now, but know that you have a family here," Harrison opened his eyes and looked at the vampire as he continued. "Esme has seen you as her son ever since she had to babysit for you. We all see you as part of this family. We all have since the moment you stepped into this house. I don't know how to explain this but you've been a member of this family the moment we met you."
Harrison knew that the Cullens were also his family but somehow he'd always felt a little separate from them. His search for a normal family had made him blind to what was right in front of him. His real family. His real vampire family.
"Carlisle and Esme see you as their son and C.J. as their grandson. While Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Alice see you as their brother and C.J. as their nephew."
Harrison liked his dry lips. "And how do you see me?"
"You are the most precious thing in this world to me," Edward told him as he caressed the wizard's cheek. "You are a part of me as I'm a part of you and I would never ask more of you then you are willing to give."
"You should really stop reading romance novels," Harrison blushed. The vampire had a way with words that shot straight to his heart.
"Be that as it may, it is still the truth," the vampire replied as he rolled on top of the wizard.
The wizard gazed into the vampire's eyes. "I like it when you tell the truth," he whispered before crushing their lips together. Harrison moaned into the kiss as his body came alive under the ministrations of the vampire. As was his stomach; it growled, loudly, breaking the two of them apart.
"Come, you should eat something," the vampire said. "I'm sure Esme will whip something up for you."
Harrison smiled. "That sounds like a good idea but I think I'd like to shower first."
Edward kissed the wizard once more. I love you. The thought came unbidden but he'd meant it and was glad he was the only mind-reader in the house. He wasn't sure Harrison was ready yet to hear those three words.
Harrison shot him a smile and he could have sworn he heard the words "I know you do" in the wizard's mind. It was as if they wizard had read his thoughts. "I'll wait for you," he said before he rolled away.
"I know you will," Harrison told him before he went to the bathroom to shower.
They walked downstairs together, holding hands as they descended them. Together they entered the living room and watched how Emmett threw C.J. in the air and ran away only to rush back and catch him again. C.J. was squealing in delight asking to do it again and again.
Edward sat down on the couch and pulled Harrison down with him. Harrison settled back against the vampire just as Rosalie was scolding her husband. Emmett huffed and then pretended his arms and C.J. were a plane and started flying him around the room.
Harry smiled at the picture that his son and Emmett presented. It finally dawned on him that he did have a family. He told Ginny in Britain that they were his family; it hadn't really dawned on him back then, but as he looked around the room – with Jasper and Alice sitting together watching the scene before them just like he and Edward were, Rosalie scowling at her mate and C.J. laughing with Emmett – he realised that these people, vampires, could be his brothers and sisters…no, they are his brothers and sisters. He may have lost his family yesterday but he's gained a new one as well.
"Yes, you have a family," Edward whispered into his ear. "A family who wants you here, a family who loves you."
Harrison smiled up at him and gently placed a kiss on his lips.
"Harrison, there's a woman asking for you in the fireplace," Esme told him as she entered the living room.
Harrison stood up and cautiously walked to the fireplace, Edward following him. When he recognised the face he breathed a sigh of relief. "Professor McGonagall," he invited her in.
"Mister Potter," disbelief showed on her face. "So, I guess, Poppy's big secret turns out to be you."
"Yes," Harry only said, he wasn't sure what Poppy had told his ex-head of house.
"I received a note from Madam Pomfrey which told me that if anything should happen to her a Harrison Diggory would tell me what happened," Professor McGonagall took out a note and let Harrison read it.
"Please come in and I'll explain what happened," he led his ex-professor to the living room. Esme gave the professor some tea before sitting down. Harrison decided to stay standing, Edward right behind him.
Harry took a deep breath before he began after introducing her to his family. "Before I can tell you what happened to Madam Pomfrey I'll need to give you some history. You might know that after I defeated Voldemort, Dumbledore and the Ministry declared me the next Dark Wizard. I can assure you that I've not gone dark nor have a lost control of my magic."
"I never believed you'd turn dark, Mister Potter," Professor McGonagall told him, honestly.
"Thank you," Harrison said. "I fled the country because I had to take care of my son."
McGonagall had noticed the young child in the tallest vampire's arms. She knew he must be Harry's son, the dark messy hair was a good give away. But the eyes, the grey coloured eyes, reminded her of another student she once had; Cedric Diggory. The name Harry had adopted as his own had confirmed in her mind that Cedric was, indeed, the other father of the child.
"Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape were the only two people who helped me escape. They've been watching over me since I was eleven. I may not have noticed it then but I do now. Without them I wouldn't be here." Harry shook his head. "Dumbledore found out where I lived and tried to take my son away. Professor Snape had found out what he planned to do and tried to poison him. Dumbledore found out about it and, well, pretty much beat him up. He put him under some hex so when Madam Pomfrey performed her basic scanning spells on him, she got hexed," Harrison swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Edward felt his pain and tried to comfort him, pulling him into his arms loosely around him.
"The hex killed…" He wet his lips before he continued. "The hex killed both of them instantly."
McGonagall nodded her head. "She didn't suffer?" Harrison shook his head. "What happened to her body?"
"I don't know," Harrison told her and looked around the room.
"They were taken with the American Aurors," Carlisle told them. "They said the funeral would be held in the next few days."
"Thank you," McGonagall told him.
McGonagall spent the rest of the afternoon with them while Harrison talked about what Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape had done for him and his son. When she left Harrison, Edward and C.J. went outside to take a walk.
Edward was carrying C.J. with one arm while the other was slung around the wizard's waist. C.J. kept slipping so he had to readjust him. "You know, you could use your other arm."
"I don't think I'm ready to let go of you just yet," the vampire told him.
"And I'm not ready for you to let go," the wizard replied as he snuggled deeper into the vampire's loose embrace.
"You okay?" The vampire asked.
"Hmmm…." Harrison only replied. "Just processing things, you know?"
"Much has happened in these past twelve hours that have hurt you and I wished I could give them back to you or that they hadn't happen but there are also things that I'm grateful that has happened. I'm sorry you lost your family but I'm grateful you realised you have a family and you do have a family with me."
"I know I do," Harrison said as he turned in his arms. "And I'm grateful for what I have," he told the vampire before capturing his lips in a passionate kiss; realising for the very first time that not only did he have a family but that he was safe from Dumbledore and the British Wizarding World. Finally, life was perfect!
TBC
The funerals were a few days later; only the Cullens, Harrison and Professor McGonagall attended them. Dumbledore's body was released to the British Ministry. Harrison really didn't care what would happen to his ex-headmaster.
Professor McGonagall told him he was cleared from all charges that were made against him in Britain. He had been relieved to hear that for he was now able to use his magic openly without worrying that someone could track him.
He had realised that the British Aurors had been able to track him with his magic when he released it into the earth. It had been a hard task for them but eventually they were able to track the trace.
It was another week after the funerals that Harrison asked Edward out on a date again. Both of them were on their way to the magical community for that's where Harrison decided to go for their second date.
"Why are we at a restaurant when you didn't want to on our first date?" Edward asked as they were being seated.
"That's because this is a magical restaurant," Harrison told him. "I need one specials menu, please," he told the waiter after they were seated.
"Specials menu?" The vampire inquired after the waiter walked away.
"The America magical community is a little more tolerant to those who are different, like vampires," Harrison clarified. "In this restaurant you can be yourself. No one would judge you. No one will kill you because you are different or will even care that you are. Vampires are welcome here.'
"The specials menu is made for magical creatures, like vampires or werewolves. Anything you order will taste like blood."
"So, I can actually eat something," Edward smiled. "Without killing?"
Harrison laughed. "Yes, you can. I thought it would be nice."
"It's better than nice, it's perfect," the vampire took hold of the wizard's hand and kissed it. The waiter came back and both ordered. Edward was a little sceptic but he figured he could try it at least.
"Why do I not hear anyone's thoughts?" The vampire inquired; since setting foot in this place, it had been rather quiet in his head. He had been so used to hearing everyone's thoughts that the possibility of not hearing them had never occurred to him. If he had to be honest with himself he found it a little eerie; this way he wasn't able to know if there were any treats to them.
"The restaurant is magically protected and doesn't allow the use of magic in here. You're ability is a magical one and therefore it won't work," Harrison explained. "It's protected by earth magic, the most powerful and ancient magic there is."
"Amazing," Edward observed. "It's weird not hearing anyone's thoughts." He was so used to hearing everyone that it was too quiet not hearing anything but his own.
"You're not enjoying the quiet?"
"I don't know," the vampire admitted.
All Harrison could do was smile, while the waiter brought over their dinner. The vampire looked at his food with a critical eye. The wizard had told him that it would taste like blood but could it really?
Deciding it couldn't hurt to try, he carefully lifted a bit of the steak and took a bite; moaning in delight. He opened his eyes, not realising he had closed them, and looked up at a smirking Harrison, watching him.
"That good, huh?" he asked.
Had Edward been human, he would have blushed. "It's been a while since I had mountain lion," he replied, a little defensive; it only made the wizard's smirk brighter. The vampire took another bite of his blood-steak. "It doesn't bother you that I eat blood?"
Harrison shrugged. "Not really," he answered. "Probably as much as what I'm eating bothers you." The wizard took another bite of his chicken. "But I have to say that this makes it easier than to see you actually drink blood straight from the source…" One thing Harrison loved about the wizarding world; they could make everything seem normal. The blood-steak Edward was eating looked like a normal steak; the only difference is that once the vampire eats it, it dissolves and becomes liquid.
"I'd suppose it does," Edward observed. A comfortable silence fell over the couple as they ate their dinner. The vampire took some sneak peeks at the dance area before making his decision. He stood up and held out his hand to the wizard. "Harrison, would you do me the honour of dancing with me?"
Harrison, flabbergast, nodded. "I have to warn you though; I'm not a good dancer." Images from the Yule Ball shot through his head and for the moment he was glad Edward wasn't able to read his thoughts for he didn't want him to see how much of a fool he had made himself while dancing with Parvati Patil.
"I'm sure we'll manage," Edward told the wizard and led him to the dance area. He carefully took one hand in his own and guided the other to his shoulder before placing his own hand on the wizard's waist. Slowly they started to move to the music.
Harrison looked down at his feet, not wanting to step on Edward's toes, before he felt the other's fingers under his chin and lifted his head. "Don't worry, you'll do fine," the magical voice took over and all he could do was obey.
Slowly, the couple moved to the music – letting it take hold of them for once no one else but them existed in the entire world. The wizard felt the hand run through his hair as his eyes drifted shut in contentment. He lifted his head, silently asking the vampire and once the question was received, he moaned as he felt his lips being claimed by the creature.
The need for air tore him away from the vampire, a slight flush covering his cheeks as he opened his eyes. The love that was shown at him through topaz coloured eyes took him aback. He never believed he was the type of person who deserved someone's love and not only had he had someone to love him once but twice. Cedric had loved him for who he was and he had loved Cedric. Edward loved him for who he was and who he would become. Although the vampire had never told him aloud he loved him, he could see it in his actions and eyes. He may not be able to put into words what his feelings were for the vampire but he was certain he could love him just as he was loved.
He gave the vampire a shy smile, suddenly uncertain at the intensity he held his stare. "Are you ready to get out of here?" he asked the vampire as he slightly pulled away from him.
After the vampire confirmed he was ready, the wizard paid and together left the restaurant. Harrison entwined their fingers together, not ready yet to let the vampire go. He led the vampire to a stadium and Accio'ed a broom to him which he caught in his free hand.
"Where are we?" Edward asked, as he looked around. He'd seen Harrison summon a broom but wasn't sure what he'd do with it not to mention he realised that this was the first time the wizard had used his magic in front of him.
"This," Harrison said, gesturing around as he let go of the vampire's hand. "This is a Quidditch stadium. Quidditch is a sport in the magical world that I really loved. It was the first thing I was good at and people respected me for my skills. When I'm on a broom I feel free and alive. I got banned from Quidditch in my fifth year. At that time I was pregnant with C.J. so I didn't really mind and then when the British Aurors were after me I thought it better not to fly anymore for the single bit of magic used would be able to track me, which is how they actually tracked me; when I realised my magic into the earth." Harrison sighed and looked back at the vampire. "Flying was one of the things I loved doing… I forgot how much I loved it."
Harrison mounted the broom and flew a circle around the vampire who looked at him amazed for he had never seen a flying broom before. "This was one experience I shared with Cedric. We were both Seekers and we were both really good at it. There are a lot of things that he and I did that I won't be doing anymore but I don't want to give this up." he told the vampire, sounding a little apologetic, and locked his eyes with the vampire. "However, this is one experience I want to share with you if you're willing."
"I'd be honoured," the vampire replied, honestly. Anything Harrison was willing to give him, he'd take.
Harrison smiled. "Just mount it behind me and hold on tight."
Edward climbed on the broom behind Harrison and held on to his waist. "Show me what this broom can do."
Harrison smiled, again and then urged his broom on, circling the field many times on full speed. Harrison loved every second of it and so did the vampire. Edward was used to the speed but he enjoyed the feeling of flying. It was new to him and it was such an amazing feeling.
Harrison slowed the broom down. "I love flying," he told the vampire. "It was the first thing I really did that I was recognised for. ‘Harry Potter; The youngest seeker in the past century.' I liked being recognised for something I did but most of all I like how flying makes me feel. Free, in control, alive."
Harrison sighed. "I have really missed it."
"Why were you banned from flying?" Edward asked.
"I wasn't banned from flying, just from playing Quidditch but the reason I didn't fly back then was because I was pregnant with C.J. and I was afraid it would hurt him…" Harrison replied as he looked over his shoulder at the vampire. "After his birth I just seemed to have more important things to do than fly. My godfather gave me a Firebolt, at the time it was the fastest broom, and I still have it…maybe now I'll be able to use it again."
"Ah, so that's the broom in my bedroom?" Edward told him.
"Yes," Harrison laughed but quickly sobered up as he thought of something. "I never quite asked you if I could move into your room, did I?"
"I never minded that you moved into my room," the vampire whispered as he caressed the wizard's cheek.
"You didn't?"
"No," Edward kissed the wizard. "I don't mind having you in my room at all."
"Something just occurred to me," Harrison said. "Emmett told me you'd never had a bed until a few months before I came into your life…why's that?"
"As a vampire I do not need to sleep and therefore have no use of a bed," Edward explained.
"Then why did you have one, now?"
"I…" A painful expression fell over the vampire's face. "I bought it in case Bella wanted to stay over, this way she could sleep in a bed instead of a couch."
"I'm sorry," Harrison didn't know what else to say. He knew how hard it was to lose someone you loved and although Bella had cheated on Edward she had been the first person he'd loved.
Harrison swung his leg over the broom so he could partially face the vampire. He took the vampire's head in both hands and then kissed him passionately; his hands roamed to the vampire's hair and pulled him even closer, hoping to let the sad memories go.
Edward's hands started roaming the wizard's body; tongues duelling for dominance, lips clashing against each other and moans were swallowed by the other's mouths.
It wasn't until Edward flipped them around that Harrison realised they were falling off the broom and broke the kiss, a little amazed that the vampire had been able to kiss him through it. The impact with the ground hit Edward hard. "Are you all right?" Harrison asked him concerned.
"I'm fine, you?" The vampire replied. He had made sure that he was the only one who connected to the ground at impact; he didn't want Harrison to be hurt.
"Yes," Harrison replied, breathless whether this was from the kiss or the adrenaline rush of their fall, Edward didn't know.
Vampire and wizard stared into each other's eyes before bursting out laughing. "I guess that taught us the lesson of not kissing when you're up in the air…" Harrison said between laughs.
When their laughter subsided, Harrison rested his head on the vampire's chest and sighed in contentment. "I used to do this with Cedric…" He bit his tongue, he had blurted it out before he realised. How could he be so stupid? Why did he have to bring up Cedric every time he was together with Edward?
The reassuring touch told him that it was fine and he continued. "At night we used to lay together like this in the grass, looking up at the stars. Well…usually Cedric would gaze at the stars and explain to me what they meant while I listened to his heartbeat…The steady pace of his heart never failed to calm me down." He pressed his ear to the vampire's chest and waited a moment before he continued. "I have to get used to not hearing a heartbeat," he smiled up at the vampire, silently telling the vampire that he was willing to give their relationship a chance.
Harrison snuggled closer, enjoying the warmth the other's body was giving him. He knew vampires are supposed to be death cold to the touch, yet, Edward was always warm to him. Not too cold, not too hot, just the right temperature. The rest of the Cullen family was cold to the touch but not too cold. He had long reassembled all the pieces together and knew why the vampire's touch was not cold to him or why there had been some subtle changes between the two.
For Harrison had discovered that he was able to hear Edward's thoughts, always knew where to find him and knew what he was feeling. Yet, these abilities weren't strong, most of the time it was only an echo he could feel but it was enough to confirm his suspicion.
"Edward," Harrison said into the silence as he lifted his head to look up at the vampire. "There's something I have to tell you."
If Edward's heart could beat it would start racing now. He had watched some of those movies that when a person said they had to tell you something, it usually meant something bad. But what could have gone wrong? Wasn't Harrison happy? Weren't they happy? It didn't make sense; on their date Harrison seemed to be happy, his thoughts reflecting his emotion. Why then did he have to talk to him? He tried reading the wizard's mind but felt he was shielding those thoughts from him, confirming his suspicion. Something wasn't right and he was about to find out…
"Will you take a walk with me?" Harrison needed to do something and figured walking would help.
The vampire nodded and was on his feet in seconds when the other sat up, and then helped Harrison stand up.
They walked in silence for a few moments until Harrison broke it, "You know back in Britain when they said I couldn't be entered into their half-bond?"
"Yes, Severus said you were already bonded to someone else," the vampire replied. "You thought you were bonded with Cedric." He had heard the thoughts in the wizard's mind and was grateful at the time that they couldn't enter him into this half-life but now…his jealous side didn't like this. Was that what he wanted to tell him? That he had to break things off for he was bonded with his dead husband?
"Yes," the wizard replied. "I found out that wasn't true."
"What do you mean?" His head shot up, he hadn't realised he had lowered it, and looked straight at the wizard as they stopped walking.
"Cedric and I may have performed an illegal bonding ceremony where we carved our initials in each other's skin and we may even have been bonded but it's not a life bond. A life bond is when you are bonded to your soul mate. The bond Cedric and I had, severed when he died. We loved each other, I still love him, but what we had was meant for a short period and not for life."
The vampire felt he should be upset that Harrison still loved his dead husband but somehow he couldn't find the will to do so.
"You see when a wizard or witch bonds with their mate they cannot be separated. You'd feel your partner's pain, her or his thoughts. When your partner dies you'd die. You're connected on a level that I cannot explain," Harrison continued, although he was certain for the vampire's feelings for him, he was still a little nervous.
"You must have noticed the little changes between us. Like your ability to read my thoughts; when you focus on my thoughts you won't be able to hear anyone else's? That sometimes I'm able to hear your thoughts? That you always know where to find me? That you sometimes can feel what I'm feeling…"
Edward nodded. Yes, he had noticed that. "I have noticed," he confirmed, a little uncertain; he still wasn't sure where this was going.
"Normally a life bond establishes after you and your partner spend the night together after taking vows that would bind the couple in sickness and in health, in pain and in sorrow, in happiness and joy…magic to magic, blood to blood, body to body and soul to soul, till death may take us. You could sort of see them as marriage vows except for both dying at the same time." He added the last as an afterthought. A life bond could never be broken and if one of the bonded died, the other would die as well.
"Are you saying that we are bonded?" Edward needed the confirmation and when Harrison nodded he had it. "But how did it happen? We never…" Spent the night and took vows, he wanted to add but couldn't.
"I think it happened on the night of my birthday," Harrison explained. "Because my magic is so powerful it needed to be confined before it would get out of control. When it found you with me it bonded us together. My magic knew you are my soul mate and since you were already there it created the bond."
"Are you saying that, in a way, we are married?"
"Yes, but the bond isn't too strong yet. It hasn't settled. In order for the bond to be complete we'd have too…" Harrison stopped, blushed and looked away.
Edward pulled Harrison into his embrace. Now that Harrison explained what had happened, he was able to read the wizard's thoughts. The wizard had been afraid he would deny the bond and pull away from him…as if he could do that. "I really don't mind being married to you," he told him before gently kissing his lips.
In the back of his mind, Edward had always known Harrison was his mate but after the fiasco with Bella he hadn't acted on it, wanting to be certain the wizard was indeed his. Knowing he was Harrison's soul mate had confirmed his suspicion and he found he rather liked having a mate.
"Neither do I," Harrison replied and caressed the vampire's cheek. There was still something he needed to tell the vampire. "I know I haven't always been fair to you in this relationship, especially when I keep bringing Cedric up. But I want you to know that I'm willing, Iam giving this a shot. I have feelings for you and once I figure out what they are I will tell you. I know I have no right to ask you this but are you willing to wait for me while I figure things out?" Please, don't leave me…
The thought had been well hidden but Edward was still able to hear it.
"Harrison, I've been waiting over ninety years for you. A few more days, weeks or even months doesn't really matter," he leaned in closer. "Yes, I'll wait for you," he breathed into the other's ear before kissing him deeply once again.
~*~*~*~*~
Harrison Diggory stared up at the building in front of him. He was standing in the same spot he stood a year ago when he first went to muggle high school. There were a few things different, for now he was a senior and this would be the last year he'd spend in high school and this year he wasn't alone.
His hand found that of his mate and entwined their fingers together. He turned to his mate and cocked his head. "Tell me again how you failed your exams?" He asked the person next to him.
The vampire looked down at his mate and smiled. "I was a little distracted," he replied. "Had more important things to do than study."Like protecting you and C.J.
The amused look didn't go unnoticed by the vampire.
"I'd figured with all the exams you've taken in your life, you could take it with your eyes closed," Harrison joked. Edward had told him how often they'd graduated from high school. He mentally cringed; he couldn't imagine spending eternity at high school.
"I could," Edward replied. "I figured this way I get to spend more time with you."
"You're a hopeless romantic," Harrison playfully hit him in the chest. "Does this mean you share all my classes?" He asked hopefully, he would kind of like having the vampire close all the time. He may have yet to say the words to the vampire but he'd fallen madly in love with him.
Edward chuckled, "I made sure most of our classes are the same." Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to share all the classes for some had been full.
"So, I don't get to spend all my time with you?" A small pout grew on the wizard's face. "But at least we'll have all the other classes together…and lunch…" Harrison shot a smile at the vampire. "Oh! And our afternoon and our nights and the…"
Edward stopped Harrison and pulled him into his arms before kissing him. "I'd like that," he breathed against his lips, knowing what the end of that sentence was.
"Are you ready to go," the vampire asked after a moment of comfortable silence; well except for the students pulling in.
Harrison nodded. "Yes, let's go," he said and together they walked inside, passing a bully who was treating a smaller boy rather badly. He noticed it was the same as last time and stopped to observe. A stray thought could be heard, it's the only way I can touch you…Harrison raised an eyebrow and looked at Edward, who confirmed the thought was, indeed, from the bully.
"Poor, little, fairy boy is scared…" The bully mocked.
Harrison walked over to the couple and pulled the bully away. "Why don't you just ask him out? That way it'll be more pleasurable for both of you," he said, leaving the bully speechless. He gave an encouraging smile to the smaller boy then walked back to Edward, entwined their fingers and walked to their first class.
~*~*~*~*~
At the end of the day, Edward drove Harrison back to the Cullen's home. They entered the living room and noticed the entire family was waiting for them.
"Something wrong?" Edward asked as Harrison walked over to his son. He shared a look with the wizard when no one answered his question.
"Dada," C.J. yelled when he saw his daddy, trying to crawl over to him. His daddy picked him up and he smiled happily.
"Hello, little man, how was your day?" Harrison asked his son.
"Papa," C.J. said as he reached out to Edward. He wanted a hug from his Papa as well; he'd missed both of them so much…
A silence had fallen over the room; all the vampires forgot to act human, except for Emmett who was smirking at his youngest vampire brother. The smirk told Edward that he was the one who'd put that inside C.J.'s head.
Harrison looked from C.J. to Edward and back again. "Papa, huh?" he asked. He looked back at Edward and cocked his head as if he was considering it.
Edward was feeling slightly nervous, especially when he couldn't read the wizard's thoughts, knowing he was deliberately shielding them from him. He wanted to tell his mate that he had nothing to do with it; that, although he felt very protective of C.J., he would never ask him to call him ‘Papa' or ‘Father' or anything else other than ‘Eddy', as C.J. had seem to take a likening to the past couple of weeks.
"Harrison, I've never…" Edward wanted to explain, to tell him that he wasn't the one to put these ideas in his son's head.
"I know," Harrison cut him off. "But C.J. is right; you've been his ‘papa' since about my birthday. It is only fair that he gets to call you that."
"I'd be honoured to have him call me that, but I'd never…" He, again, wanted to explain but Harrison had, once more, cut him off and placed his fingers against his lips to silence him.
"I know," the wizard said. "Cedric may be his biological father and when he's old enough to understand that I want him to know but I don't want him to exclude you from his family. He already thinks you are family…as do I." Harrison handed C.J. over to the vampire. "C.J. loves you and wants you as his papa." He cocked his head and added cheekily, "You should just accept that."
Edward chuckled and watched the happy child in his arms. He felt honoured that this beautiful angel wanted him to be his other parent. "I'd be honoured to accept," he told the wizard and pulled him in for a quick kiss.
Harrison smiled down at his son, who was cooing happily in his mate's arms. Then he looked up and watched his mate's face. Often he couldn't find a trace of emotion on the vampire's face but now he could read him like a book; contentment, happiness but most of all love shown from his eyes. The topaz eyes lifted and met his own green ones and the love didn't fade. "I love you," the wizard told him and realised the slight shock in the vampire's eyes, for this was the first time he'd said it out loud or even admitted it to himself, let alone to the vampire.
"And I love you," was the answer before he was pulled into a breath taking kiss.
C.J. smiled happily at his two parents. It had taken him a while but his daddy was finally happy and he was going to make sure his daddy stayed that way; for all he wanted in his life was to make his daddy and his papa happy. Although he had to wonder what took them so long; after all he had seen it from the very beginning.
The end
August 8th, 2009