ALICE POV
It was a beautiful early summer day in Forks, and I found myself taking a walk through the woods. My family were all off doing their own things. Carlisle was at the hospital working. Esme was finishing up some blueprints for a client's house that was supposed to be built somewhere in Los Angeles. Rosalie had drug poor Emmett off to the mall on a shopping spree, and Edward was doing whatever it is that Edward does. I skipped through the trees humming my favorite song, admiring the rich greenery and sounds of the local wildlife. I try to keep an upbeat attitude, but I do get lonely every now and then. I had been alone since the man I thought was my mate decided that he couldn't handle the lifestyle and diet of our coven. He had left me and the family over forty years ago, and the last I heard he was living back in Mexico with a couple old friends of his. I don't hold any grudges against him. I knew he had lived a very hard life before we met, and he struggled every day against his blood lust.
I had just started singing the chorus of the song I was previously humming when my gift kicked into high gear. Reality blurred and I was pulled into the vision. I saw a good looking older teen of around 18 or 19 years old with eyes of the most gorgeous shade of green I had ever seen. I could tell he was in London, having been to that particular city many times over my long second life. I didn't know why but I felt a connection with this young man. The vision rapidly changed. I could clearly see him as one of us and the emotions pouring off the new vision were almost palpable. He made our family so incredibly happy that I would have cried if it were physically possible. The vision changed again, and this time the young man was leaving a small street festival. It was already dark and since the festival was still going strong, there wasn't anyone else on the street that I could see. Just then I heard a female scream, and the young man ran around the corner to investigate. As soon as he rounded the corner he saw the woman getting mugged by a man with a gun. He already had the woman's purse and was pointing the gun at her. The man cocked the hammer back and smirked at the woman. The young man immediately ran towards the woman and pushed her out of the way just as the gun went off. My breath hitched as I saw the bullet tear through the front of the young man's neck and out the back. The armed assailant fled as the hysterical woman knelt down next to the young man. She didn't know what to do, obviously being in shock from the traumatic experience. She just held his hand as blood pooled over the brick sidewalk and wept as he took his last breathe.
I snapped out of my vision and ran back to the house as quick as I could. I jumped on the internet and searched for street festivals being held in London. There was only one and tonight was the last night it was being held. Luckily I could see Big Ben in the far background during the vision so I new the time. The street signs let me know the crossroads where it would take place. I did some quick mental calculations for the time difference and found I only had a handful of hours to get there. I pulled out my phone and dialed my fathers number.
"Hello Alice," Carlisle answered.
"Carlisle I don't have much time to talk. I had a vision of an older teen boy getting shot in London tonight No one's going to be there to help him He needs me. I'm going after him to either help him or if I don't make it in time, change him," I said, slightly panicked.
"Are you sure that's wise? As much as I hate it, you know we can't save everyone," he said sadly.
"I'm sure Carlisle. There's something special about him He's going to be part of the family, changed or not," I replied.
Carlisle sighed. "Very well Alice. How will you get there?"
"I'll never make it in time by plane. If I run across the country and swim the Atlantic then I should make it in time," I said, checking my watch again.
"I'll arrange a private jet to bring you back. Call me when you get there. Take Edward with you. You may need him."
"I will and thank you Carlisle! You're the greatest," I said happily.
"So I've been told," Carlisle laughed and hung up.
I ran and quickly told Edward what the plan was. I grabbed my credit cards, passport, and anything else I thought I might need and threw them in one of my expensive waterproof handbags. Edward joined me a second later and we ran out into the open country towards the east coast.
HARRY POV
I was not having a good day. First I stubbed my toe as soon as I got out of bed, then I noticed that I had run out of both tea and coffee. I dropped my brand new racing broom and put a small nick on the handle, and later I couldn't find anyone to go to the London street festival with me since nearly all my friends were either dead, busy, or out of the country. Oh yeah! Did I forget to mention that I got shot in the neck by a gun toting madman. Hermione always did say that I was too heroic for my own good. I'm inclined to believe her. 'Fuck! This sucks ass,' I thought. I survived wizard wars, killing curses, dark creatures, and crazy fan girls only to be taken out by a muggle bullet. At least the woman I saved is kind of cute. I'd ask her out if there wasn't a gaping hole in my windpipe. As the darkness crept over my conscious mind I thought it would be good to finally see my parents and all my friends again. The last I saw was a very beautiful black haired girl leaning over me before the darkness consumed me and fire ignited my veins.
ALICE POV
Edward and I had just arrived in London with only minutes to spare. I quickly pulled a map from my bag and found my location and the location I needed to be at. We ran as fast as we could across the city. As we approached our destination we heard a gunshot in the distance and my stomach dropped in fear. 'What if we're too late!' I thought. We made it to the intersection and found the woman holding on the the boys hand as he struggled to breathe.
"Edward deal with the girl!" I said.
"Excuse me miss. Please go for help while we try to stop the bleeding!" he told her. She nodded her head, stood up, and ran back around the corner towards the festival. Edward having medical experience checked him over. "He's not going to make it Alice. If you're really going to change him then it needs to be now," he told me calmly. I nodded and bent over him. My last thought before I sunk my razor sharp teeth in his throat was that it was a damn shame such a brave person was dealt such a terrible fate.
As my teeth pierced his skin, a flavor that could only be described as unworldly filled my throat. He tasted glorious. I had to use every ounce of restraint I had to keep from drinking his blood and only allow the venom to enter his bloodstream. As his back arched and he cried out in pain, I knew I had delivered enough into his system.
"Call Carlisle and tell him what happened and ask him what to do next," I told Edward. He nodded and called up the head of our family.
"Carlisle we weren't able to save him but were able to initiate the change. Alright. Okay good. Yes we will take him there. We'll call back shortly. Alright goodbye," he said as he hung up. "We need to get him to the house that Carlisle owns just outside the city limits. It's quite secluded so no one should hear him scream as the venom spreads further. He also booked a private jet that I'll be piloting to get us to New York. We have to be at the private terminal in seven hours. Once we arrive in New York to refuel, Carlisle will be waiting there for us. Once we get him situated at the house, I'll go out and rent us a van," he stated.
"Okay good. You carry him and I'll lead and use my visions to make sure we don't run into any unnecessary problems," I said, standing up. Edward lifted the young man into his arms bridal style and we took off before the police decided to make an appearance. We ran through back alleys and down deserted roads until we left the city. We made it to the beautiful cottage and Edward pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. "Place him on the couch," I told Edward and he complied. I really hated the fact that the young man was in such pain. His screams were torturous. I got a hand towel and wet it with cold water to wipe his sweaty brow. As I sat there beside him wiping the sweat from his forehead, I took the time to examine him closer. He had a handsome face. He had a strong jaw and angular cheek bones. He had a very cute little nose but the feature that stood out the most was the jagged scar on his forehead. I briefly wondered how he got it. I decided to check his pockets. During the change, he'll eventually thrash about in pain and personal items that stay in your pockets tend to get destroyed. I checked the front and back pockets of his jeans and only found a small box. It looked like a trunk, only miniaturized. I checked the rest of his body and found a short wooden stick inside a leather holster attached to his wrist. I soon found a second attached to his lower leg. 'Hmm. Maybe he's some sort of Maestro in training or something'. I giggled at the thought. I put his personal belongings into my handbag. Edward said he was going to go pick up our transportation and left. As I sat there watching him, I decided to give our young hero a name. Every hero deserves an awesome name. "I dub thee, Skippy."
HARRY POV
I didn't know how long I was in hell. That was the only explanation. I obviously died and went to hell. What else is capable of burning you from the inside out. It felt like molten rock had replaced my blood. Every second felt like an eternity. I prayed for my heart to fail and allow me to pass into a peaceful afterlife, but my traitorous heart kept beating strong. Seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours. I didn't know what I did to deserve such a fate. With every beat of my heart the pain grew. Every beat fanned the flames of my own personal hell. I wasn't sure if I was screaming or not. I could only assume that I was. Lucifer himself would cry out in agony if he experienced this torture.
ALICE POV
Edward landed the jet at a private airport in upstate New York. Immediately workers and mechanics started refueling and inspecting the aircraft as Edward left the cockpit to go and find Carlisle. I stayed on board to take care of Skippy. His screams were getting worse and I knew that the worse was yet to come. All I could do was towel his forehead and hold his hand so that's what I did. A few minutes later my father and brother climbed into the jet and walked to the back of the jet where me and Skippy were.
"How is he?" Carlisle asked.
"He's as good as can be expected. The pain seems to be getting worse," I replied. Carlisle nodded his head knowingly. He checked his watch.
"He's following the normal schedule so that's good. He should be waking in a little over two days," he stated professionally.
"Have you told the family yet?" I inquired.
"Of course," he said smiling. "Esme was absolutely thrilled. She has already began decorating a room for him. Emmett was very excited to have another male around and Rosalie is angry that she wasn't consulted before the decision was made," he laughed.
I rolled my eyes. Typical Rose. It's always about her. "She'll get over it. I have seen the future after all. Sooner rather than later she's going to absolutely adore him."
"I'm sure you're right Alice. How much longer until we take off Edward?" Carlisle asked.
"Approximately fifteen minutes," he answered.
"Good. The sooner we get him home, the better I'll feel," he said, feeling Skippy's forehead.
The four hour flight was uneventful and after we landed, Esme met us near the hangar of yet another private airport. Thankfully this one was only a couple hours drive from Forks. As soon as Esme laid eyes our newest guest, she instantly fell in love. She squealed and cooed about how cute he was much to Carlisle and Edward's amusement. We all loaded into the van that Esme had brought and drove home.
We pulled into the drive way and were met by Rose and Emmett. Emmett wanted to see his newest brother. He probably wanted to brainwash him while he's still in the middle of the change. Rose was being Rose and sneered. "Why did you have to bring someone new into the family? He could endanger us or wipe out half the town!" she said angrily.
"Stop it Rose. He'll be fine. We'll all help him," said a smiling Emmett and was rewarded with a glare from her.
"Ugg! Fine! Just don't come complaining to me when we have to pack up and leave in the middle of the night because he couldn't control himself!" She stomped her way into the house.
"Don't worry, she'll come around," I said smiling. "Let's get him inside."
We carried him into the house and put him in an unused room upstairs. After that was taken care of I showered and changed my clothes. I then did what any girl would do with too much time on their hands. I went shopping. Since I wasn't able to leave my dear Skippy's side, I brought my laptop and sat by his bed and shopped online. He was going to need new clothes after all. That's how the following two days were spent. I kept my visions trained on him so that I would know when it was time for him to wake. As the hours passed I finally got the vision I was waiting for.
"Everyone! It's nearly time!" I called out. The whole family were at my side in an instant.
"How much longer?" Carlisle asked. The boys stood nearest to him since waking as a newborn vampire can be quite confusing and scary. They wanted to make sure he didn't attack the female members of the family.
"He'll open his eyes in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... "
HARRY POV
The fire was getting worse. For a moment I thought it was about to end. The flames slowly started leaving my limbs. Unfortunately the flames in my chest grew exponentially. My heart started beating faster and faster. The pain was too much to bear. Once the pain reached it's apex, my heart gave its final failing beats and stopped as did the pain. My eyes snapped open.
The first I saw was the ceiling of a white room. I could see the many imperfections of the plaster. I could see tiny dust particles with such clarity that it amazed me. I heard someone clear their throat and another voice say, "He's so beautiful." Startled, I jumped up and spun around faster than I ever though possible. I backed into a corner and let out a low growl that shocked me.
"Calm down. No one here is going to harm you," said a man with brown hair. "My name is Carlisle Cullen and this is my family," he said, gesturing towards the others in the room. "This is my wife Esme," he said as he wrapped his arm around the waist of a very beautiful woman with long chestnut colored hair and a kind aura. "This is my son Edward," indicating towards a young man with bronze colored hair. He nodded and smiled. "This is my son and his wife, Emmett and Rosalie." The male was a hulking man with huge muscles, curly black hair, and a wide smile. His wife, a statuesque blonde with a curvy body, and while gorgeous, wore a sneer that would put a Malfoy to shame. "And last but certainly not least, my daughter Alice," he said pointing to a short, beautiful, young woman with short, spiky hair. She had a large smile stretched across her face as she stood there rocking on the heels of her feet. I examined each of them trying to determine if they were a threat. I thought it was strange that they all seemed to have golden colored eyes. The leader of the family spoke again. "I know this must be confusing to you. Please tell me, what do you last remember?" he asked.
I thought about it for a fraction of a second. "The last I remember was a woman in trouble and me getting shot. After that, I just remember pain." MY eyes widened at the sound of my voice. It was so smooth and silky. For some reason it reminded me of the way Veela sound. Almost perfect. "What's wrong with my voice?" I asked shakily.
"I'm sorry to say that you were indeed shot and when my daughter and son found you, you were seconds away from death. My daughter Alice is a seer of sorts. At the moment we are in Forks, Washington in the U.S. She had a vision of you dying in London and immediately went to your aid. Unfortunately she was unable to keep you from getting injured. The next part my shock you. Once she was unable to stop your assault, she decided on another course of action. You see, my family and I are vampires," he said sounding a bit on edge.
My eyes widened even further. I went through what I knew about vampires in my mind. I found it much easier to recall and sort through memories and knowledge now. "You changed me?" I asked, already knowing the answer. The short pixie like girl answered for him.
"Yes. I had a vision of you dying. But I also had a vision of you as one of us. In the vision you were part of the family, and you made us so incredibly happy. And we made you happy in return. I'm sorry. I really am but if you give us a chance I know what I saw will be true," she said sounding nervous and a little sad.
It was a lot to take in. I didn't have anything against vampires other than the fact that they hunt humans. But I knew with a few specialized potions, I wouldn't have any problems avoiding feeding from humans. I didn't know much about vampires other than they're faster and stronger than normal people. Something she said did hit a sore wound that had never fully healed. Family. I had never truly had one. My parents were murdered when I was too young to remember them. The Weasley's were like a family but most were dead now. All my friends were gone. The only person that I considered family that I had left was Hermione, and she moved to Australia to make up for lost time with her parents. I had been completely alone while living in England. My only company was the occasional roll in the sheets with random fan girls. I was very lonely. "Family," I whispered. Something else struck me and I started to panic. Had I lost my magic? Looking around the room, I spotted a vase sitting on a side table. I waved my hand and it instantly turned into a house cat. Letting out a breath of relief, I transfigured it back. I looked up and saw everyone looking at me with wide eyes.
"What?" I asked defensively.
"How are you able to do that?" the boy I knew was named Edward asked.
"I thought vampires knew about magic. Most vampires can't use it the same way I can but even so, they are still magical creatures," I said warily. The man named Carlisle shook his head.
"I've never heard anything about it. I'm sure we will have plenty of time to discuss it later though. I must say, you're doing incredibly well for a newborn. Most are very wild for the first year of their new life. You seem very well adjusted. Even so you must be thirsty. You need to go hunt."
"I won't harm a human," I stated with a glare.
"My family and I are vegetarians of sorts. We only hunt animals," he said smiling. That did make me feel a lot better. Perhaps they can help me keep from hurting anyone. "By the way, can you please tell us your name? I doubt you want my daughter Alice to keep referring to you as Skippy," he asked.
"My name is Harry Potter," I said. The burning in my throat was getting painful and I subconsciously rubbed it. The girl named Alice must have seen because she came up to me and grabbed my hand.
"Come on. We'll hunt together," she smiled at me. I gave her a small smile as she dropped my hand and walked over to the window and threw it open.
"Make sure there are no humans in the area," Carlisle reminded her.
"I will Carlisle," she said as she threw her short legs over the window's ledge and dropped out of sight. I walked over to the window and looked down. It was quite a drop. Luckily heights never bothered me so I threw my legs out the window and jumped as well. It was a very strange feeling. I was falling the same speed any normal human would fall but at the same time, it seemed much slower. I easily landed without a sound. I smiled at Alice and she smiled back. "Let's go eat," she said as she continued to smile. She took off and I followed after her. Running so fast was fantastic. It was quite an experience. We ran blindingly fast but everything stayed crystal clear. I could see tiny insects scurrying amongst the moss covered ground. I could see each of the minuscule veins on a leaf as it slowly fell to the floor. My smell and hearing were amazing as well. I could smell every animal in the area and I instinctively knew what they were. I could hear bugs crawling up the tree trunks searching for food. I was studying the sights and sounds of the forest when Alice stopped me. "Right here is good. Now use your senses and let your instincts take over," she said as she backed up and gave me room. I stood there silently examining my surroundings. I could hear four heartbeats about a quarter mile south. Without realizing it I was already running towards the smell of blood. Venom pooled in my mouth as I broke through the tree line and tackled a large buck to the ground. I sank my teeth into his neck and drained him dry of his life giving fluid. One buck not nearly being enough I chased after the others that had been spooked. I easily caught up and drained the other three. Looking down at my clothes I could see they were a mess. They were covered in blood and dirt. I wandlessly cast a cleaning charm on myself and looked for Alice. I turned around and found her smiling at me. "Thirst under control now?" she asked.
"Yes much better thank you," I said, returning her smile. "Do you need to hunt as well?" I asked.
"No I hunted yesterday. C'mon lets walk back to the house," she said grabbing my hand. "You're doing great you know. Most have trouble adjusting to the life of a vampire."
"It's really not much different from my normal life. I'll live a lot longer and I can't eat normal food anymore but it's not so bad. At least not so far," I said. Besides I already knew about vampires and I knew what to expect. Luckily the wizarding world didn't have many prejudices against vampires. At least not nearly as many as they did against werewolves. It was probably because vampires in the wizarding world used potions to curve their blood lust and generally stayed to themselves, only venturing into magical alleys when needed.
"I'm glad," she smiled. "I know you're probably nervous. I would be too if I had a bunch of strangers telling me the life I knew was over and they would be my new family. Try not to worry too much. I have seen the future after all and everyone is going to love you so much," she said, stopping to give me a tight hug. I stiffened up for a second before I let myself hesitantly hug her back. We broke apart and continued our journey home.
"So how do your visions work exactly?" I asked. I studied Alice's face. She was very beautiful and looked like the type of person who was always happy. She wore a cute smile and a dreamy expression. She reminded me very much of Luna. Alice had porcelain skin and short spiky hair that oddly enough worked well for her.
"Well my visions are subjective. I can only see the consequences of decisions. If someone decides to do something, then I see what's going to happen to him. If he changes his mind and does something else instead, then my vision changes as well."
"Hmm that sounds useful. Although it does take the mystery out of life," I chuckled.
She giggled. "Yeah it can be really useful at times and a real headache at other times. Do you know that I can't even sit through a movie because I'll see what happens at the end?" she pouted. I laughed.
"I would hate that. Although I haven't seen a movie in ages," I stated.
"Oh don't worry. Now that you're living with us you'll watch plenty. There's always a movie on at the house and we go to the cinema nearly every week. You are going to stay here right?" she asked hesitantly.
"I've thought about it and I think I would like that. I don't have anyone to go back home to. I don't have any responsibilities back in England either. I will have to make a trip back there soon to get a few affairs in order but that won't be a problem for me." I enjoyed our walk through the forest. It was a beautiful collage of greens and browns. The weather here was similar to the weather back home. It was kind of comforting.
"Great!" she squeal as she twirled around. Every step she took made her look like she was dancing. Every word she spoke sounded like a melody. She was a very strange creature. Quite adorable but definitely strange. "When you go back, I'll go with you. Someone has to be there to keep you in line Harry," she stated cutely.
"Fine," I laughed
We made it back to the house and my nerves kicked back up until Alice hugged me and said everything would be okay. We walked through the door to find the rest of the family sitting in the living room. Emmett and Edward were watching sports on the tele, Rosalie was reading a magazine, and Carlisle and Esme were quietly conversing in hushed tones. The house was quite lovely. It had plenty of large windows and had a very open kind of feel to it. It was decorated in mostly whites. Carlisle looked up and smiled at us. "Welcome back," he said. "How was your hunt?"
Alice answered for me. "Oh it went quite well."
"Excellent. Now why don't we sit down and talk for a bit," he said. I nodded and Alice and I walked over and sat next to him on the couch. "Do do you have any questions so far?" he asked.
"Yes. Alice explained about her being a seer. Do all vampires have special abilities?"
He shook his head. "No most don't. Out of the six of us, only Alice and Edward have extra abilities. Alice as you know can see possible futures and Edward can read minds."
My eyes widened at hearing about Edward reading minds. I immediately drew on my Occlumency and threw up the strongest mental shields I could muster. Needless to say that they were quite strong. Edward's head snapped up and looked at me.
"How are you able to block me?" he asked sounding intrigued. Everyone else looked at me as well.
"It's called Occlumency. It's the art of shielding one's mind against outside intrusion," I stated sheepishly.
"Fascinating," Carlisle said, rubbing his chin in thought. "I take it you weren't exactly the average human before the change?"
I laughed at the thought of me ever being normal. "No I was a wizard. I went to a school called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for seven years starting at the age of eleven. During that time me and my friends got sucked into quite a few adventures. Later I was trained by some of the best in their magical fields. A dark lord named Voldemort took power and a prophecy was made stating that I was the only one that could stop him, hence the need of extra training. There was a civil war and many of my loved ones were killed before I finally defeated him," I said sadly. Alice grabbed my hand and held it tight. I looked up and gave her a small, caring smile which she returned.
"I'm terribly sorry for your loss," said a sad Esme, holding on to her husband's hand.
"Thank you Esme," I said. "I'm sure you have many questions about the magical world so I'll try to answer all I can."
"That's wonderful," said a happy Carlisle. "How is it that no one has ever seen or heard of the so called magical world?"
"Because we hide from the mundane world. We have wards that keep our homes and businesses invisible to those who don't have magic. We have hidden alleys and villages where we shop. We have charms that make ourselves unnoticeable and usually if someone accidentally finds out about our world, they get Obliviated. Obliviation is when a piece of information is erased from someone's mind. In this case it would be the knowledge of the magical world. Some do find out legally though. Sometimes children are born with magic from two parents that aren't magical. These children are called muggleborns. Obviously their parents learn of the magical world once the children turn eleven and they get their invitations to attend a magical school," I said looking around to gauge the other's reactions.
"That's quite fascinating. What all can you do with magic?" he asked hopefully.
"You can do pretty much anything from cooking and cleaning all the way up to making yourself immortal. There's really no limit if you truly understand how to use it."
"Can you show us some magic?" Emmett asked smiling. His smile was infectious. He seemed very carefree and easy going.
I smile back and said, "Sure, stand in the middle of the room please." Without asking any questions he got up and stood in the middle of the room with a wide smile on his face. Without further notice I started waving my hand at him in intricate patterns. First his hair turned blonde and grew halfway down his back, his clothes turned into a beautiful red backless ballgown, and his sneakers became five inch high heels. To add the cherry on top, his breasts grew into phenomenal D-cups. Everyone sat there in utter shock until Alice burst into a fit of giggles.
"Why is everyone looking at me like that?" he asked, obviously confused. I conjured a full length mirror for him and laughed when his eyes went as wide as saucers. "Damn! I always knew I'd be hot as a woman!" he said while fondling his new fun bags.
"Emmett! Control yourself!" said a still in shock Esme. I laughed and waved my hand to change him back to his normal appearance. Another wave of the hand and the mirror vanished.
"That is quite extraordinary! Are there perhaps any books available on the magical world?" asked Carlisle. He looked very excited to be able to study something new.
"I have two large libraries back in England that I'll have to go get eventually. I had a few books in my trunk that I was carrying at the time of my attack. Do you know what happened to it and my wands?" I asked hopefully. I really didn't want to lose the trunk or the wands.
"I have them in my purse," replied Alice and zoomed off and returned in less than a second carrying her handbag. She reached in, pulled out my wands and shrunken trunk and handed them to me. I thanked her and put my trunk on the floor. With a wave of my hand the trunk reverted to its normal size. I placed my thumb on the first out of seven locks and the lid popped open. I moved my invisibility cloak and tossed it to Alice to hold while I rummaged through it and pulled out books on ancient magical history, magical creatures, and a few old spell books. I handed them to Carlisle.
"That's so cool how it shrinks!" Alice squeaked out. "Can you do that to other things?" she asked.
"Yeah most things," I laughed at her enthusiasm.
"Oh I am definitely taking you shopping with me then," she said smiling and clapping her tiny hands together. Everyone laughed. "By the way Harry, what exactly is this that I'm holding? It doesn't feel like any material that I've ever touched," she inquired, holding up the cloak and looking it over.
"It's my invisibility cloak. It's been in my family for hundreds of years," I simply stated.
"You mean this can make you invisible?!" she asked in wonder. I nodded and told her to wrap it around her shoulders, much like I did when I first received it. I laughed as her body disappeared and all that was left was a floating head.
"Wow that's cool!" yelled Emmett. He went up to Alice to look closer. "Let me try! Female locker room here i come!" he said trying to grab it away from her.
"I'm not done yet!" she said, dancing away from his reach.
"Children please. Try to act your age," said an amused Esme. The next hour or so continued in the same fashion. Eventually Esme led me up to the top floor and showed me my new room. It was enormous and was already furnished with beautiful oak furniture. The walls were a deep burgundy red. There was a king size bed which she said she added because she didn't know if I wanted one or not. There was a large elegantly crafted desk which I loved. There was also a couple of night stands and a large empty bookshelf against one wall along with a large set of dresser drawers against the opposite wall. Esme led me to the closet and I was mesmerized when I opened it up. It was nearly half the size of the room! Not only that but it was packed full of brand new clothes and shoes. She explained that Alice went a bit overboard. I walked inside and explored a bit. It seemed all the clothes were high quality and expensive. I noticed a full length mirror placed along the back wall of the closet and my mouth dropped wide open from what I saw. I barely recognized myself. Sure I knew my voice changed some but I assumed I would look mostly the same. I was wrong. Yes it seemed the old me was the basic template but I doubted anyone I knew would recognize me now. I was quite a bit taller. I guessed around 6'2. I had thin, lean muscles that made me look like a professional swimmer. But my face and eyes were by far the biggest change. My eyes, once emerald green were now scarlet red. I knew that would change in a couple months but it was still shocking. My face changed quite a bit. My jaw was more defined and my lips were much fuller. At least my nose was still the same. My skin was paler than before but that wasn't such a big deal. I had always been fairly pale. My eyes seemed bigger and my eye lashes were extremely full and long. My eyebrows seemed thinner and neater. Overall, I thought I looked okay. Definitely better than before. My hair was no longer a wild mess. I had used my Metamorphmagus abilities to keep my hair short and manageable but since I was unconscious for over three days, my hair reverted back to my base state. It had been quite a long time since it was last cut. It flowed over my shoulders and halfway down my back. It was raven black and very thick and full. I concentrated on my metamorphing ability and was happy to find my eyes change back to their normal color. My eye color was the only thing I had left of my mother and I didn't want to lose that.
I exited the closet and unpacked some of the items in my seven compartment trunk. I placed my cloak in a bed side drawer along with the photo album Hagrid had given me. Most of my items were left in my trunk. I did pull out my money bag though and counted out how many galleons I had with me. A little over three thousand would last me until I visited England and made a stop a Gringott's. I really needed to do something about this blood lust though. I had fed a couple hours ago and my throat was already burning. If a human were to walk by they probably wouldn't stand a chance of making it out alive. I reached into my trunk and pulled out my mail order catalog for the apothecary in Diagon Alley. I flipped to the section that had ready made potions for magical creatures. I had never realized how expensive the Wolfsbane potion really was. No wonder werewolves could rarely afford it. The potion I was looking for was just as expensive though. The potion reduced the blood lust of vampires down to practically zero. Only when extremely thirsty would you actually feel the burn. In my opinion it was money well spent. It had to be taken monthly though so I would eventually have to get the ingredients and learn how to brew it myself. Three hundred and fifty galleons for seven doses was quite pricey but beggars can't be choosers. I filled out the form and conjured a money sack in which I placed the correct amount of gold and the order form. "Fawkes!" I called out. A flash of fire later and Fawkes landed on the dresser, trilling away his phoenix song. Instantly the whole family came into my room to see what the commotion was about.
"Everyone this is Fawkes. Fawkes this is Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett." Fawkes let out another trill in greeting. The family just stood there not knowing what to do. I laughed and said, "It's okay. You can pet him. He especially likes being scratched between the shoulder blades." He let out a chirp of agreement. Alice began petting him much to Fawkes' pleasure.
"Oh he's so lovely. What kind of bird is he?" she asked while petting him.
"He's a phoenix," I replied and laughed at their stunned expression. "Fawkes can you do me a favor and take this to the apothecary and bring back the order?" He nodded his head and took the money bag into his beak. He flew up towards the ceiling and flame flashed away.
"Umm Harry?" Alice asked slowly.
"Yes Alice?"
"Is there any more secrets you've been keeping to yourself?" I laughed at the look she had on her face; a look of amusement and wonder.
"There may be a few. I'm sure you'll find out in time though," I said chuckling.
"What did you order?" asked a curious Carlisle.
"I ordered a potion to suppress the blood lust. It has to be taken monthly though so I'll have to learn how to brew it myself," I said matter of factly. "I ordered seven doses. One for each of us in case you wanted to try it." Alice squealed and kissed my cheek.
"Thank you Harry. That was very sweet of you," she said as she looked up at me fondly. "Your eyes are back to their normal color. Did you use magic on them?" she asked looking a bit confused.
"Umm sort of. I'm what's called a Metamorphmagus. That means I can change my appearance at will," I said a bit sheepish. I showed them by morphing into an exact replica of Emmett. They all thought that was quite funny except Emmett who asked if his butt was really that big. Twenty minutes later Fawkes brought the potions with a pamphlet on how to use them properly. The pamphlet said to take the potions on a full stomach so I asked Alice to go hunting with me. Rosalie and Edward were a bit skeptical of the potions so I told them that I'd take it first to make sure it worked properly. Alice quickly agreed and half an hour later we were back home with full stomachs.
"Well here it goes," I muttered and downed the potion. Like most potions, it tasted horrible.
"Are you okay?" asked Carlisle who saw the grimace on my face.
"Yeah I'm fine. It tastes dreadful though," I said, trying not to think of the horrid after taste. "The instructions said to give it a few minutes then I should start feeling the effects." So we waited and after three minutes the low level burning in my throat quelled until there was no burn at all. "It worked perfectly! I can't feel the burn at all!" I said happily. Alice hopped up and down with excitement and downed her potion without speaking a word. After a few minutes she said, "Oh my god! He's right! I can't feel the burn at all! This is so weird. I've never not felt the burn, even when I'm full. This is so wonderful!" And with that she jumped into my arms and gave me a hug so tight that I was surprised a few bones didn't break.
"Well I'm gonna try it next. C'mon babe let's go hunt," Emmett said, taking Rosalie's hand and running into the woods with Carlisle, Esme, and Edward following right after. A little later after all the potions were downed, a very happy Cullen family thanked me profusely. Rosalie even kissed my cheek. Had I still been human I would have blushed furiously.
Over the next few days I began to become more comfortable in the house and around the Cullen family in general. Alice and I already had a deep connection as she was the one to sire me. Carlisle had tested me now that I had taken the suppression potion. One day after he came home from his shift at the hospital, he brought a small vile of human blood with him. While the blood did smell appetizing, it didn't send me into a feeding frenzy. He was quite happy about it as was I. Alice was happy as well since she decided I was safe enough to drag to the mall. Apparently I was only allowed to wear the same clothes once and after the one wear, they were sent to Goodwill.
Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, and I were in Edward's Volvo on our way to a mall in Seattle when Alice asked me if I knew how to drive.
"No I don't. I've never had to learn. Magical people have their own way of traveling. I can apperate which is basically teleportation. I can make portkeys which is enchanting an object to magical take you to whatever location you set it for. Magical people also connect their fireplaces to something called the Floo Network. You just throw some floo powder into the flames, once they turn green you just walk in and say the name of the floo address and you're sucked in and spit out somewhere else. I can also use Fawkes to fire flash me anywhere if need be," I explained. Everyone had heard too many of my crazy stories and explanations to be too shocked anymore.
"Well that's all well and good but you need to learn to drive. Don't worry though, we'll teach you. You will need a car eventually," she said, weaving through traffic at 120mph.
"Okay but I want to pay for a car myself. I think I'll soon go back to England for a few days. I really need to get things in order. If you want, the whole family can come with me. I can create international portkeys after all. We'll get there in seconds instead of hours," I said. They liked that idea a lot and said they'd talk to Carlisle about it. An hour later we arrived at the Southcenter Mall and all piled out. To say that shopping with Alice and Rose was an experience would be an understatement. They dragged me to store after store, forced me to try on clothes, then yelled at me if I wasn't changing fast enough. They also kept demanding that I shrink their purchases. Luckily I was able to get away for a while and explore the shops with Emmett. Emmett bought a few new games for his Xbox 360, some CD's and DVD's and a few other things that caught his interest. Me not having any muggle money didn't buy anything. I still felt very weird about using someone else's money. Alice did buy me a brand new iPhone which I thought was really cool. I didn't argue too much about accepting it because having a mobile phone was really more of a necessity. After a long day of shopping and we were all ready to go home, we trudged our way back to the car. The ride home was uneventful if you didn't count Alice's minor bout of road rage. After talking to Carlisle, it was decided that they would all come to England with me and we would leave Friday after his shift at the hospital. They were all excited to try out portkey travel. The rest of the week was spent teaching me how to drive both automatic and standard. Thankfully I learned quick so I didn't have to listen any more of Emmett's dirty innuendos about "working the stick". Friday was soon upon us. Bags were packed and shrunk (90 percent of the luggage belonged to the three females) and the portkey was made. As soon as Carlisle came home he joined us in the living room.
"Alright everyone stand in a circle," I said and they complied. "It's going to feel a bit strange. It feels like someone is pulling you very fast by your navel. We'll arrive at Potter Manor just outside the ward line. I'll key you in then we can get situated." They all agreed and I told them to each put a finger on the stick I was holding. "Everyone ready?" I asked, smiling at their excited faces. "Alright in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... Activate!" The familiar sensation of being hooked behind the navel began as the family twisted and bumped into one another as they traveled through swirling colors. After around ten seconds their feet hit solid ground.
"Woah! That was weird," Emmett said, shaking out his head. I laughed as everyone agreed with him.
"It does take some getting used to," I concurred. I immediately got to work keying each of them into the wards. Once done I flicked my wand and the gate opened up. They walked the massive grounds, and trudged up a low sloping hill. As they made their way over the hill, and Potter Manor finally revealed itself. Esme instantly fell in love with the massive one hundred and twenty room manor house. I told them the history behind it and they thought it was captivating. We made our way inside and I called out "Tibby!" The house elf popped in right next to me and hugged my leg tight.
"Master Harry Potter sir! Tibby was being worried!" the little elf squeaked out. I laughed and hugged her back.
"It's okay Tibby. I was hurt and I had to go through a few changes but I'm okay now. Has everything been okay here at the house?" I asked.
"Oh yes Master Harry! Tibby be taking good care of the house," the elf beamed proudly.
"Good job Tibby. These are the Cullens," I said. "That's Carlisle and Esme. That's Emmett and Rosalie and that's Edward and Alice. Everyone, this is Tibby. She's the head house elf and takes care of my home and manages the other house elves." The Cullens all greeted her warmly.
"Welcome Cullies! Is there anything Tibby can be getting you?" Alice giggled at being called a Cullie. They politely declined and I asked Tibby to show them to their rooms. It felt good being back home. I quickly grabbed my Firebolt Z series, which was the latest and greatest in the racing broom circuit and apparated outside to the quidditch pitch. It was fantastic to be flying again. I hadn't realized how much I had missed it over the last couple of weeks. After flying for a while I headed back inside and tried to decide what to take back to Forks with me. I decided on my broom, my pensieve which was gifted to me by Aberforth after it was left to him by his brother Albus Dumbledore, my professional rune etching kit, all my potion making supplies and ingredients, and many books from the library. I also added a few other items as they reminded me of home.
The following morning we all left the manor ward lines and I called for the Knight Bus. I didn't want to chance using the Floo since I didn't know if it would work correctly for them. It was a much smoother ride now that I had an increase in strength and balance. We arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and I took them out back and tapped the special bricks on the wall. The bricks shifted apart to reveal Diagon Alley to the Cullens for the first time. As we walked down the alley the Cullens acted like kids in a candy store. Emmett wanted every cool thing he saw. Carlisle and Edward wanted to go to the bookstore and apothecary, especially since I told them that they would be able to brew potions since the magic is in the ingredients. Alice and Rose wanted to visit Madam Malkin's, Twillfit and Tatting's, and Gladrag's, and Esme wanted to look at furniture. First we had to visit Gringott's to get their money exchanged. It was widely known that the Goblin Nation didn't care much for humans so finding out that I was no longer one made them quite ecstatic. Even so, I gave a small pile of gold to make sure that information stayed between us. I got my most recent bank statement. Being the sole heir of both the houses of Potter and Black made me very wealthy. I had over two hundred million Galleons in spendable gold which converted to over two billion US dollars. I was glad to hear that the goblins owned a chain of muggle banks and was able to receive a new black Visa bank card. I pulled out around twenty thousand Galleons to keep on hand and left the bank with the Cullens. Walking through the alley was quite entertaining. Esme, Alice, and Rose received a lot of attention from the male shoppers and a lot of glares from the male shoppers' wives and girlfriends. It wasn't much better for us guys either. There was a lot of giggling and whispering from many young ladies. Everyone split up to do there own things so my first stop was the magical travel agency. I picked up a large book that listed all the known magical alleys and towns in the world. It gave the history and an overview of every location along with instructions on how to enter the hidden ones.
Next I went to the trunk shop and the owner greeted me. "Good morning! Welcome to Dunbar's Magical Trunks. What can I help you with today sir?"
"Good morning. I'd like to look at your magical tents," I said as I browsed around.
"Of course! Just like our trunks we have basic styles all the way up to the deluxe models," the man said excitedly. He looked as though he really wanted to make a sale. Who am I to disappoint?
"Great I'd like to see the best model you have. I'd like it to be completely furnished if possible," I stated.
The older gentleman looked very pleased and said, "Yes sir! Right away!" and ran into the back room. He returned a few seconds later with a cylindrical bag with a zipper running down the middle. He placed the bag on the floor and flicked his wand. The tent immediately erected itself within seconds. It was a good looking tent made from dark blue fabric trimmed in black. He opened the tent and allowed me inside. It was quite spacious and contained finely crafted furniture.
"This model comes fully furnished and contains four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a sitting room with attached kitchen, and a fireplace in each bedroom and sitting room. The cost is seven hundred Galleons," he said a bit nervously.
I thought about it for a second and said, "I'll take it." The man's excited disposition made it hard for me not to laugh. He wrapped it up after I paid and I left the shop. My next stop was the junk shop were I bought a few old books, then went to Madam Malkin's where I met up with the Terrible Twosome. That was what Emmett called Alice and Rose when they began a shopping spree.
"Hey ladies," I called out. "Finding everything okay?"
"Hey Harry," said Alice and Rose together. "I don't really care for the robes but some of the dresses are beautiful! What kind of material is this?" asked Rose, holding up a dress.
"That's acromantula silk. You should buy it. I'm sure you'll look gorgeous in it," I said, smiling shyly. She gave me a beautiful smile and said, "Maybe I will." Madam Malkin came out from the back of the store and asked if I needed help with anything.
"Yes I'd like three of your dragon hide jackets. One calf length Chinese Fireball skin, one calf length Hungarian Horntail skin, and one Hungarian Horntail of normal length," I said.
"Are you sure dear? That's going to be expensive," she asked in an unsure voice.
I laughed and said, "Yes ma'am I'm sure. And I also want one each for these two ladies. I'd also like two pair of Horntail hide trousers. Do you have a catalog with pictures of the styles and hide colors to show them?" I asked. The girls quickly picked out their jackets and repaid me with a kiss on the cheek each. I had to hide my face in embarrassment which caused the girls to laugh. I dropped a cool sixty five hundred Galleons and waited while she took my measurements. After she was finished, she told me the order would be ready for pick up in three hours so I bid goodbye to the girls and headed out for more shopping. I stopped by Flourish and Blott's and saw Carlisle and Esme looking through the large selection. I asked the girl at the register if she could get me one of every book on vampires that the shop sold. She sent a helper to collect the books which turned out to only be a couple dozen. I thanked her and paid for the books and left the shop. I stopped by the apothecary and bought a book on brewing potions specifically for magical creatures and bought some of every ingredient sold in the shop. The salesman put them in stasis jars and wrapped up my purchases. Next I found myself in Magical Menagerie where I bought treats that I knew Fawkes liked. At Sugarplum's Sweet Shop I purchased enough Blood Pops to last me and the Cullens at least a year.
I decided just to wonder around a bit and see if anything caught my fancy. Soon I found myself in Knockturn Alley. I spotted a shop called Deading's Dark Creature Supply and went in to check it out.
"Good mornin'," said the surly looking shop keep. "What can I get yeh today?"
"Do you have anything for vampires?" I asked.
"Course we do! We got bottles o' blood, both human and animal. We got Dragon Fire. That's a type o' whiskey made fer vampires. Dead strong it is," he said, looking me over with his beady, untrustful eyes.
"Let me have a case of animal blood and I'll take every bottle of Dragon Fire you have," I stated. It turned out to be three cases so I paid and put my purchases in my bottomless shopping bag. I walked for a bit longer and not seeing anything I needed or wanted, I headed back towards Diagon Alley. I wondered around until it was time to pick up the jackets from Madam Malkin. A while later it was time to meet up with the rest of the Cullens and we went back to Potter Manor. The next day I took the Cullens to Hogsmeade and showed them Hogwarts. We stayed there for a couple hours then left for some shopping in muggle London. The following day was spent in London again and later that night we took a portkey back to Forks.
I unpacked my purchases and hung up my jackets and trousers in my obscenely large closet. I had talked to Carlisle about getting some fake identification for me. He said he would take care of it so I chose the name Harrison Black since I could still use my first name and Black in honor of my departed godfather. He agreed and also said that I should join Alice, Rose, Emmett, and Edward at Forks High School during the upcoming school year. I agreed but was a bit worried because I hadn't been to muggle school since I was ten years old. I told Esme my fears and she quickly said the children would help me catch up to where I need to be. Luckily I still had over a month and a half before the school year started. Ever since the change, my memory was phenomenal. I could read something once and remember the entire book word for word. I definitely needed it if I was going to catch up on six years worth of education in six weeks.
A couple weeks later Carlisle game me my new identification papers. It included a birth certificate, death certificate, driver's license, social security card, and passport. I was very glad to finally get my papers because that meant that I could finally car shop! I was searching different Seattle car dealerships' websites and didn't find anything that stood out. Then I came across a website called CatsExotics and fell in love with one particular car. A quick phone call later and my new car was to be delivered in a week.
Alice and Edward were the ones that tutored me most of the time. Rose and Emmett decided to take a three week vacation before the school year began so they went to some tropical island that I had never heard of. My schooling went well. I was nearly caught up with the rest of the incoming Junior class. Alice and Edward would join me as juniors and Rose and Emmett would be seniors. I was sitting in my room with Edward going over some advanced calculus when I heard a truck in the distance turning off the road into our long driveway. A huge smile crossed my face because I knew what was being delivered. I went outside as the truck backed in. "Did you order something?" Alice asked.
"Yep! My new car," I told her smiling wide. One of the delivery men walked over to us while a second opened up the back sliding door of the truck and lowered the ramps.
"Is one of you Harrison Black?" he asked. I said that I was and he told me to sign the delivery confirmation papers. I did so and he put the clipboard back in the truck. He walked around back and helped guide the man backing my new car down the ramp.
"Oh Harry it's so pretty!" Alice chirped while holding on to my arm.
"A Bugatti Veyron?!" asked an excited Edward. "And is that a special edition?"
I laughed and said,"Yeah it's a Veyron Sang Noir." The car was incredibly beautiful. All black exterior, chrome and black rims with trims of dark blue. The interior was beautiful as well. Hand stitched tangerine colored leather covered the entire interior except for the black-piano colored center console. In my opinion, it was worth every cent of the one and a half million dollars that it cost. I gave the delivery guys a large tip and opened the door to my first car. I sat in the driver seat and Alice joined me in the passenger seat. "Wanna go for a ride?" I asked smiling. Soon we were driving down the highway at 200 mph. It was an astoundingly smooth ride. We reached Port Angeles and I stopped the car. "Do you want to drive back?" I asked Alice. She squealed and switched places with me. She drove even faster than I did which didn't surprise me. She had many years of driving experience more than I did. As we pulled up to the house we could see Edward waiting and we burst out laughing. "Looks like he wants his turn," I said to the laughing pixie next to me. We got out and I tossed the keys to Edward. Seconds later he was gone in a trail of dust.
I read through the book I bought on potions for magical creatures and I came across and interesting potion. It was specifically for vampires and when brewed correctly, it allowed us to retain heat in our skin. We wouldn't feel the warmth ourselves but would help us blend in with humans more. I pulled out my cauldron and supplies and got to work. The brewing process took over twelve hours, and when done, I had a batch large enough for all seven of us. I drank the potion first and once I deemed it safe, I gave the others their doses and put two aside for the missing members of the family.
After a few more weeks of studying, Rosalie and Emmett came back from their vacation. There was only a week left until the school year started. I decided to relax a bit since due to my long hours of studying, I was not only caught up, but I now exceeded what was taught up to junior level high school. The day before school was to begin, Alice dragged me off to the mall because apparently I needed more jeans and t-shirts. Later that night I got nervous but eventually calmed myself down. I new that as long as I had Alice with me at school, I would be alright.
