Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor Twilight.
AN: Well...it's certainly been a long time since I last saw you guys, hasn't it?...My bad, everyone! I could lie say that I had stuff going on in my life, but I'll just be truthful when I say I'm just plain lazy. Anyhoo, I hope you all enjoy! I missed you all! And don't worry, I won't leave you guys hanging that long ever again!
Chapter 4: There's No 'I' in Team
A dark shadow zipped through the forest at a frightening speed, not slowing long enough to become visible, as it chased after an unknown animal. The sun had yet to rise, making the only indicator of life the sound of rustling leaves and displaced air heard as the figure hurtled after its target. The chase suddenly came to a halt when the figure dove forwards and finally came to a sudden stop, a writhing deer in its arms. At this, the sun finally peeked over the mountains in the distance and began to shine its rays down on the forest floor, revealing the figure at last.
"Edward, you catch Bambi yet?" Came a loud bellow from the distance.
Emmett came into view along with Jasper as they approached Edward and the dying stag, looking at the image Edward made as he messily drained the animal of its blood; a brutal display of violence made strange due to his sparkling skin. Once Edward had finished, he threw the carcass to the side and stood as he began to wipe the blood from his face.
"Emmett. Jasper. What are you two doing here?"
Emmett looked at Jasper in askance before he addressed his brother. "What? We can't have a quick bite to eat either? We're hungry. And besides, you don't want old Jasper here to try and take another bite of your girlfriend, do you?"
Edward glared at him before turning around and walking back towards the house, his shoulders tense. "Let's go back now. We need to prepare for the meeting later today."
Emmett and Jasper shared commiserating looks behind Edward's back before they followed him back to the house.
"Harry! Over here!" Jacob cried out happily as he walked over, a bounce in his step. Last night, the two of them had agreed to meet in the clearing a few hours before they were to meet with the Cullen's and while Harry had initially declined, saying that he could show up right when the meeting started, Jacob had insisted on Harry meeting the pack.
The night before, the pair of them had eaten at a small diner in Forks after a small incident in which Harry had had to conjure Jacob some 'acceptable' clothes for public. Once there, the two engaged in some small talk as they waited for their food. And when Harry had told Jacob that he already knew he was a shifter, Jacob had become even more talkative. Their discussions ranged from hobbies to pack dynamics to the situation in Seattle. The two were so engrossed in each other's company that time seemed to fly by and both were quietly reluctant to part at the end of the night.
Harry walked beside Jacob, the two naturally falling in step. Their hands brushed again each other for a few seconds before Jacob twined their fingers together and gently pulled Harry in the right direction.
"I was thinking that I could introduce you to the pack before we meet up with the-" Jacob swallowed and made a face as if there were a bad taste in his mouth. "-Cullens. They all want to meet you and I figured that you would feel more comfortable knowing some of us before the meeting."
"That sounds great. Thank you, Jacob." Harry said sincerely, feeling a bit bemused that they were still holding hands. But it wasn't like he was uncomfortable so it didn't make sense to disconnect their hands. Obviously.
"You're awfully hot," Harry said without thinking, trying to distract himself from thinking about their linked hands. Jacob stumbled as a strangled sound escaped his throat. As soon as the words left his mouth, Harry immediately turned a bright red as he looked at the handsome shifter in horror.
"I-I mean-! Oh bloody hell-" Harry tried to lift his hands to hide his now cherry red face, but forgot that his hand was still linked with Jacob's. He cried out in surprise when their linked hands collided with his glasses, knocking them off his face and onto the forest floor. Instantly Harry dove for his glasses on the forest floor, intent on avoiding further embarrassment, but didn't account for Jacob doing the same thing. The pair's heads knocked together loudly as they both cried out in pain this time.
"Are you alright?" They both said in unison. Harry and Jacob paused, each looking at the expression on the other's face for a few seconds before they started to laugh hysterically, their bodies shaking as they continued to laugh for a few minutes before their laughter finally tapered off.
"I'm fine." Harry said, wiping away tears of mirth. When he finally brought his hands away from his face, pink from laughter this time, he felt Jacob slip on his glasses. With his vision clear, Harry looked up into Jacob's chocolate brown eyes and offered him a grin. "Come on, let's go before we injure one another any further."
"Agreed," Jacob said, trying to keep a straight face as he helped Harry to his feet. The pair once again began their walk to Jacob's house and finally arrived without incident twenty minutes later. When the house came into view, Harry noticed several russet skinned teens crowding on the porch and talking to one another quite loudly. Though the house itself wasn't very large, only a story tall, it did give off a nice homey feel. The flaking paint could be seen from afar and the creaking of wood as the teens on the porch kept moving. However, small details aside, it didn't detract from the houses overall appearance. The three teens standing on the porch quieted as he and Jacob came closer and eyed the British man intensely.
"So," The taller dark haired teen said, drawing out the word and looking at Harry with a mischievous grin. "You're Harry."
"Why yes I am. And you are?" Harry said, making eye contact with the teen in front of him, absently noting that his eye color was nearly the same as Jacob's.
"The name's Quil Aetera," the russet skinned teen said with a light grin on his face. He was almost as tall as Jacob and was very handsome. But not as handsome as Jacob, the back of Harry's mind provided traitorously, making him wince internally.
After the little incident that had taken place in the forest, Harry had had to use nearly all of his skills in Occlumency to hide his embarrassment. He couldn't believe the way he had acted. He was an adult, not to mention a NED officer. Acting like some sort of infatuated teen girl was not professional and definitely not wise considering Jacob was still underage. But there was no denying that there was just something about Jacob that made him feel so uninhibited. He felt as if he couldn't hide anything from him. And after the two of them had vacated the forest floor and began to walk again, Harry vowed to watch his behavior lest he say anything as equally mortifying as he had earlier.
It was curious though. The feeling of ease he had when he was with Jacob. Harry didn't know what to call it. It was almost as if he was being pulled towards Jacob. The longer he spent in his presence, the stronger that feeling became. Almost as if this intangible connection were becoming stronger by the minute and while rationally, he should feel worried, he didn't. Harry sighed internally. I'll just have to ask 'mione when I can. I'm sure she will know what's wrong.
Harry quickly brought himself back to reality and shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Quil."
"Oh no, the pleasure's mine," Quil said smoothly, enjoying how Jacob twitched in jealousy when he waggled his eyebrows playfully at Harry. Harry grinned at Quil's behavior, strongly reminded of the Weasley twins before the war.
Jacob huffed in annoyance, not happy that Quil was being so forward with his imprint. "Well there's Quil. Now, this-" he gestured at a happy looking teen with a big smile on his face"-is Seth Clearwater. He and his sister Leah are some of our newer pack members."
Harry stepped towards Seth and his sister and extended a hand out to him. "Hello, my name is Harry Potter. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Seth grabbed his hand and shook it with such enthusiasm that it made Harry grin. "It's nice to meet you, Harry. We'veā¦heard all about you." He shared a grin with Quil as if there were some sort of inside joke before releasing Harry's hand.
The girl-Leah, Harry's mind supplied- stared at him blankly with an eyebrow raised. She was beautiful, thought Harry. Taller than Harry, the girl was all lean muscle and caramel skin. Her hair was cropped short and though she looked a little intimidating, it didn't diminish from her striking features. Are good looks required to be a shifter? Harry pondered to himself silently as he continued to stare into her chocolate colored eyes.
Leah broke eye contact with Harry, before offering her hand to him, her expression betraying nothing. "The name's Leah." She offered to him, ignoring the fact that Jacob had already told him.
Her lack of hostility towards Harry was surprising to the other boys. They had grown so used to Leah's acerbic tongue and antagonistic attitude that they didn't know what to think at the moment.
Unfazed, Harry smiled warmly at her and shook her hand firmly. "It's nice to meet you. Jacob told me that you are your pack's only female shifter. That must be interesting."
Jacob and the others all looked at Leah cautiously. It was common knowledge that Leah hated being a shifter; she had lost her boyfriend, her father and her ability to have children all in one fell swoop because of it. In the past, attempts to broach this touchy subject had oftentimes resulted in a black eye and/or bruised arms to those foolish enough to suggest she change her attitude. They all half expected Leah to punch or swear at the British man's faux pas.
She did neither.
"Yeah, it's a fucking party." She said sarcastically, her tone betraying a hint of amusement as she crossed her arms.
Harry smiled. "I think I like you."
Bella was a bit nervous about today.
With all the events that had come to pass the previous day, she had spent nearly half the night fretting over it. Would this Harry Potter be trouble? Before yesterday, she would have immediately dismissed him as threat to her and Edward, but after that display of power he had shown in the clearing, Bella was scared. Edward was her world and to see him in such a position of vulnerability was unsettling and something she could not push away no matter how hard she tried. Edward was no longer perfect. Even he could be made into prey and that more than anything frightened her.
Bella shook her head, trying to rid herself of such thoughts as she got up from her bed and began to get dressed. It was a good thing Edward couldn't read her mind, or else he might be hurt by her thoughts. And if there was one thing Bella hated, it was hurting Edward in any way.
"Bella?" She heard a voice murmur from behind her, causing her to jump. "Are you ready to go?"
Bella turned her head towards Edward who had entered through her window. He looked radiant, she thought absently, suddenly aware of her own haggard looking appearance. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and stood to greet him with a small smile on her tired face.
"Edward," she breathed.
"All right, so here's the game plan," Jacob said loudly, trying to get everyone's full attention and failing.
Cramming six shifters into his tiny living room proved to be an obnoxiously loud affair. After introducing Embry, Collin and Brady to Harry, everyone decided to stay in Jacob's house until they left to meet with the Cullens. Leah had latched onto Harry and the two were sitting on the couch, talking to each other as if they were old friends, Embry and Quil took to teasing Jacob about said British man and Collin and Brady insisted on playing one of their video games on the big screen TV. Between the sounds of nonstop talking on Harry and Leah's part, the blatant innuendos and ribbing on Embry and Quil's part, and the curses at the TV on Collin and Brady's part, Jacob couldn't think. He sighed heavily, his eyes rolling heavenward as he tried to regain some semblance of calm.
Twenty four hours ago, he had been madly in love with Isabella Swan and willing to do anything to win her heart. But now? Now, Jacob thought as his eyes instantly sought out his imprint across the room. Now, I all I want is Harry. With Bella, he was the only one who made concessions. Last year, he focused all of his attention on her. When Cullen left, she was shattered and though Jacob thought that with time, she would heal, she never did. She held on to the memory of Edward like a lifeline. Whereas before she distanced herself from her friends and family to devote her time to Edward, last year she had done so to the memory of the leech. It had taken weeks for Jacob to make her even smile and months for her to even begin to get over Edward. And then the leeches came back. The small one-Ellis?-had come in the middle of the night and stolen Bella away to Italy, leaving Jacob to calm Charlie down and explain the situation to the furious father. When Bella had finally come back, Edward in tow, Jacob was upset. Did all of the time they had spent together mean nothing to her? Once Edward and the rest of his coven were back in Forks, it was as if the world no longer existed again to Bella. Sure Jacob would get the odd call, once or twice a week, but their closeness, their friendship, their bond, was gone. He had been left in the dirt while Bella once again went back to her perfect boyfriend, leaving Jacob crushed.
Up until Harry had shown up, Jacob had been fully determined to win Bella's heart. But after seeing his imprint, actually speaking with him and being near him, Jacob knew. He had been made for Harry just as Harry had been made for him; they were each other's perfect match. And that knowledge, knowing that he and Harry would be sharing such an intimate bond, was a much sweeter feeling than he could have ever even imagined with Bella.
Being with Harry felt so natural. He found himself feeling more comfortable with Harry than he had ever been with anyone else in his life. While last night he was in a daze at having found his imprint, this morning he was able to savor his time with Harry. Jacob had to be close to him and when Harry didn't protest to their linked hands, Jacob couldn't keep the smile off his face. Not to mention Harry's embarrassed reaction when he had called him 'hot.' Jacob grinned to himself at the memory as he prepared to try to get everyone's attention once more.
"All right, everyone shut the hell up!" Leah yelled from her position on the couch, earning Jacob's silent gratitude. Instantly, there was silence. Collin and Brady paused their game and swiveled around in unison, facing the girl with wide eyes. Embry and Quil stopped mid-sentence and stood stiffly at full attention.
Leah smirked at their undivided attention before looking at Jacob and waving a hand at him dismissively. "Floor's yours."
Jacob rolled his eyes in amusement before he began again. "As I was saying, here's the plan for today. Since Sam left with Emily for the weekend, he's letting me handle this situation for the next few days. We're meeting with the leeches in another hour, where Harry will fill them in on what's going on in Seattle. Any questions?"
"I have one," Collin said mulishly, twiddling with the controller in his hands. "Why do we all have to go? Me 'n Brady are close to beating the high score!"
"Because he said so, you little dweeb," Leah said, cuffing both boys in the back of the head and ignoring their whines in protest. "Paul and Jared are off doing their own thing because-" Leah scrunched her face and spoke in a falsetto that was meant to imitate the pair. "they don't have to follow Jacob's orders when Sam's gone! Besides," she continued," someone's got to make sure those leeches don't try anything. I don't trust them."
"Here, here!" Exclaimed Quil with a grin. He walked over to where they were sitting and plopped down next to Harry, blithely ignoring the growl from across the room. "We wouldn't want them hurting our dear Harry, now would we? Right, Jacob?"
Harry blushed imperceptibly when Quil addressed Jacob before he began to speak. "I hate to disappoint you there, Quil, but I know how to handle myself around a few 'vegetarian' vampires. Besides, we're not going into a fight. We're just meeting with each other and discussing the situation with these rogue vampires. I'm sure a clan their age will know not to pick a fight."
Then again, this wouldn't be the first time Harry had been wrong.
Harry walked in step with Jacob, their fingers almost brushing against each other as they basked in the scenery. Behind them the rest of the pack was in their wolf forms, surveying the area for any enemies. Keeping in mind his plan to act more professional towards Jacob, Harry didn't let their hands touch. Besides, Harry thought, I need to focus on these Cullen's. Jacob and the rest of the pack had told him all they knew about the each of the Cullen's but Harry had decided to remain unbiased about them until he actually met them. Though it was strange that they were still in high school-
One of the wolves suddenly loped over to Jacob's side and huffed as it gestured in the direction of the clearing with its head. Jacob nodded and turned to Harry. "It looks like they're here early."
Harry nodded, his demeanor changing into a more serious one as the group entered the clearing. The sun's rays were completely hidden by the thick array of clouds in the sky, making the vampires before them look like ordinary humans. Well, Harry amended, ordinary humans that happened to be extraordinarily good-looking. There were seven of them along with the Swan girl from the day before. Edward was standing with Bella, an arm draped over her shoulder and a grim look on his face. To his left was a petite and pixie-like girl vampire with short and spiky black hair. She was holding onto a taller male with honey blond hair and a lean figure. To Edward's right were another couple, the girl was exceptionally beautiful with tall, statuesque figure, and wavy blonde hair. She had a somewhat hostile look on her face as she held onto the burly looking man next to her with curly dark hair and dimpled cheeks. Lastly, Harry's attention turned towards the final pair of vampires. The male was blond and slender while the woman he was standing next to had caramel-colored hair framed around a heart-shaped face.
Edward stepped forward as they approached and began to speak. "Officer Potter. This is my sire, Carlisle. Carlisle, this is Officer Potter."
"It's nice to meet you, Officer Potter." Carlisle said with a warm smile. "My son Edward has told us that you are currently investigating the murders in Seattle as part of the Nonhuman Entities department and that brought you here yesterday afternoon."
Harry nodded. "I didn't exactly give your son Edward a full description of our department or the AME yesterday, on the account of our initial meeting being very...tense, but I think you will find these quite helpful." Harry handed the surprised looking vampire a bundle of garishly colored pamphlets. "We have pamphlets for nearly every situation and every recipient, including shifters, hags, giants, veela and vampires. I gathered the ones that will hopefully be the most use to you all."
Carlisle passed the pamphlets to Edward, who was looking at the "What Can NED do for You?" pamphlet depicting a man shaking hands with a centaur in confused disbelief. From behind him, Emmett snatched the rest of the pamphlets and distributed them to the rest of the family whose reactions ranged from skepticism to delight.
Harry cleared his throat loudly and began again before they became too engrossed in the informational pamphlets. "Again, I am Officer Harry Potter and I am investigating the murder of several dozen humans in the Seattle area. It is highly likely that the perpetrators are rogue vampires, although the motive is unknown. As I'm sure your son Edward has already told you, I was following the trail of one of the murderers when the connection was broken. I ran into Edward and Miss Swan here as well as the pack to my right." He gestured towards Jacob and the others.
"I see," Carlisle looked pensive. "Am I to understand that your NED department will deal with this situation alone then?"
Harry hesitated. "Unfortunately, our NED department is woefully under funded and quite simply, we don't have the manpower necessary to deal with a threat of this magnitude if these murders are to continue. Also," Harry looked troubled. "if we are dealing with rogue vampires as I suspect we are, then we may need to ask for aid from the Volturi. I'm sure you've heard of them?"
Carlisle nodded before sharing a glance with Edward who was holding onto a pale looking Bella. "We have...encountered them in the past."
"Well then I'm sure you are aware of how delicate this situation is." Harry's eyes swept over the Cullen family as he frowned in consternation. "The NED department must either deal with this newborn vampire threat before they reveal themselves to the humans, or the Volturi will come here and annhiliate the threat themselves...along with any witnesses."
The clearing was silent.
"So how will this issue be dealt with then?" Rosalie asked snarkily, ignoring Carlisle's disapproving stare. "We can't possibly contact the Volturi, they still don't know about Be-"
"We will not be contacting the Volturi," Edward said firmly, looking at Rosalie angrily for her near slip of the tongue. "If we are to avoid the Volturi, then we must deal with the situation ourselves as quickly as possible." He paused as he looked at Bella's anxious face. "We will help you. If that is permissible."
Harry swallowed his surprise at this announcement. "Of course."
Jacob suddenly spoke up from Harry's right as he glared at Edward. "We will be helping too. We're better trackers than you." He bared his teeth in a mockery of a smile. "And we all know how to take down a vampire."
Harry almost shivered at the sound of Jacob's gruff voice before his face brightened and he addressed the group at large. "Excellent! We will all be working together then." He dug into his pocket and pulled several compacts, handing one to Carlisle and one to Jacob. "Since I don't own a telephone, I will be using these to contact you. Think of it as a walkie talkie of sorts." Harry pulled his badge out and demonstrated for them. He tapped his wand against its surface before he began to speak. His face became visible in the mirror of one of the compacts and he gave a small wave. "See? Not too complicated."
Everyone looked in wonder at the display of magic before Harry cancelled the spell and returned the now normal looking compacts.
"Quite a brilliant piece of magic, if I do say so myself. I don't know if you'll believe me, but before these, we all communicated with fire."
AN: Yay! I'm finally back in business, people! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I know I enjoyed writing it haha.
Thanks for reading, everyone! Your reviews always leave me on cloud nine when I get them!
