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
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