3.

"You had to be there, man," Quil jabbered on excitedly. "One of those guys shot off this blue lightning thing and he got two of the leeches in one go. It was way cool."

"For sure," Embry agreed without hesitating. "Then this chick was shouting these weird words and it was like bullets, but it came out of this little stick in her hand. Whenever she hit one of them, they would go down for a second. Like diversions, you know?"

Seth let out a despondent sigh and sagged against the lumpy couch. "I miss all the fun stuff," he grumbled. "The guy who came didn't get to do much. I mean, I thought he had gotten pummeled to death by that other leech. It was pretty gross. I think he knew Edw-"

He was interjected by the sound of the doctor coming down the stairs. The shapeshifters who were crowded inside the Black residence quickly stood up. Jacob was upstairs in his room, doped up on painkillers and snoring loud enough to cause a tremor in the house. Carlisle didn't show his tenseness as he walked right in the middle of the pack. "Jacob is improving very rapidly," he told everyone with practiced calmness. "His bones are setting well. I wasn't sure how much codeine to give him considering his nature, but he isn't feeling much pain. He should be waking up in a little while. Please make him rest." He cast a meaningful look around.

Once the vampire doctor had left, the house grew loud as the shapeshifters talked over each other in an attempt to recreate the battle with words. Billy had long since given up on making them stay quiet. If his son could sleep through this, then he certainly was one of a kind.

They weren't expecting any visitors, so when the doorbell rang at ten in the morning, they were surprised.

When Billy opened the door and saw three strangers at his doorstep, he was even more perplexed.

"Can I help you?" He tilted his head politely.

"Are you Mr. Black?" Harry asked while fishing out his credentials. When Billy answered positively, a badge was flashed in his face quickly. "I'm Harry Potter from the British Ministry of Magic, Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Then he gestured behind him. "This is Cooper Langill, also from my department, and Hermione Granger from the Deparment of Magical Creatures. We are here to speak to your son and the rest of the pack about last night's incident."

Billy gaped at the three Ministry officials. "I see… British law enforcement, did you say?" he faltered.

"We were the first responders," Harry explained. "You will eventually be dealing with the American Ministry, but it was my team that was out there last night. I need to speak with the shapeshifters, Mr. Black."

"Let them in."

Billy looked back at Sam who stood by the staircase. The tall man betrayed no emotion on his face and his stance was defensive. He hadn't spoken much since Jacob got hurt. Right now, he had to protect his pack. He also had to find out more about these strange men and women who had materialized out of thin air in the forest in the middle of battle. "Let them in, Billy," he said again before turning around and walking back to the living room that had become silent.

Billy rolled his wheelchair back, letting the three guests through.

Over a dozen dark brown eyes were trained on them when they entered the room. First thing the Ministry officials noticed was the size of these men. Most of them stood over six feet tall and had unnaturally heavy muscles that was barely hidden by their oversized t-shirts and shorts. All of them had the same wary look and appeared tensed up, just like their pack alpha.

All of them, except for one.

"No way!" Seth gasped in wonder. "You're all better?" He jumped up to his feet and got to Harry in two strides. "Whoa…" He poked at the man's arm and stomach to make sure.

Harry, on the other hand, had moved back several paces and was backed against the wall with his hands stretched out in front of him to stop the strange boy as best he could. "What are you doing?" he asked suspiciously.

"Remember me?" Seth peered at him without pretense. "From yesterday?"

His expression slackened in wonderment. "Wha-But… That was you? You're so young!" he exclaimed. He was quick to study Seth's face. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

He breathed out in dismay. "What were you doing up there? You could have gotten yourself killed."

"Nah," Seth waved him off. "I'm fine. See? Besides, I couldn't just leave Bella and Ed-"

Sam cleared his throat, stopping the conversation. "Sit down, Seth," he said, his voice both quiet and authoritative. It was awfully evident who the leader was. The young boy complied without arguing, scampering away after smiling apologetically at Harry. He wedged himself between Brady and Collin. Sam turned his unimpressed glare at the guests. "Go on," he murmured.

Edward lay on the rug of his room. Music surrounded him, pouring out of the hidden speakers in all corners. His arm thrown was over his eyes so that he would be forced to stare into darkness. How long had it been? He felt a stirring in his chest. Alice was being careful around him right now. She had seen something that she didn't want him to know. Did it have anything to do with Harry?

"If I asked you to stay for one more day…"

He clenched his teeth. What did this mean? The two of them were never supposed to meet again…

"You're going to tag us like we're some sort of cattle?" Paul growled in disgust. The rest of the pack voiced their general outrage in an incoherent murmur.

Hermione held her hand up. "Not cattle," she assured them. "You are people with magic, just like me. I have a personal account with the Ministry. They have a record of my address for mailing purposes, some banking information when I use the wizarding bank, features of my wand, and such. It is like a non-Magic government." She folded her legs. "Now, the advantage of registering with the Ministry is that you will receive proper aid and benefits that cater to your needs as magical beings. For example, in the case of disturbances such as the ones from last night, you will be able to summon magical law enforcement officers for protection. You will not have to fight on your own if you are being wronged. You will also be able to access medical care that specializes in magical ailments. You will have increased support. And since you are part of both the non-magic world and the magic world, you have the best of both worlds, like myself."

Seth was confused. "But didn't you just say that you're magical too?" he asked Hermione for clarification.

"Well, in a sense I am." The witch smoothed her skirt down unconsciously. "Yes, I am able to perform magic. But my parents are not like me. They are regular people in the non-magic world. So I have a life with them and one in the magic community. Do you see what I'm getting at?"

Now the murmurs were more accepting and thoughtful. The pack liked the idea of a new world filled with strange magic. With Jacob recovering upstairs, they were starting to realize that they weren't as invincible as they had thought.

"What did you do with the vampires?" Sam inquired. "The Cullens called them newborns. They said the only way to protect the town was to kill these newborns."

Harry shook his head gravely. "We have never condoned violence or senseless murder. The newborns are safe. They are dangerous and need to be rehabilitated. That's yet another thing the Ministry does. With incidents such as vampire or werewolf infection, there are programs that deal with psychological and physiological changes that the individual will see over the course of their life. They will be taught to live without harming others." He swept his stern eyes over the young group of men. "You must understand that you are not above this law. There are no charges against you for this incident because of circumstances. But if there are any reports of violence towards any species, it will not be tolerated by the Magical Law Enforcement officers. Understood?"

Sam nodded absently. "That's fine. Order is important." He sat forward with this forearms resting against his knees and his fingers entwined in front of him. "Then don't you agree that what the Cullens are doing is dangerous?"

The guests glanced at each other in confusion.

"They are going to turn Bella," he told them.

Hermione frowned abruptly as Harry and Cooper sat up in shock. "Pardon?"

Sam nodded. "Why do you think we are so opposed to this?"

"Hmm…" Hermione looked over to her friend who was staring at the pack leader plainly. "She wishes to be turned?"

"She's not in her right mind," Billy muttered gruffly.

"I see…"

There were a handful of instances of voluntary infection in the history of magic. Hermione was aware of this. But those cases occurred centuries ago. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention," she responded diplomatically.

"Bella, there's something I…"

Her brows knit together when she noticed the unusual tone in Edward's faint words. "What's wrong?" she asked nervously.

Edward stared out the window of her room, looking up at the clear night sky that he could see through the branches. "You went to see Jacob today," he murmured.

Bella swallowed hard. She had done so. And it had been painful to see him that way. It had been even more painful to speak with him, to hear his hurtful accusations and pleading. She steeled herself with a shaky breath. "Yes, I… Yes."

"How is he?"

She swiftly flicked her eyes at him. "What?"

"His wounds. Are they healing?"

"Y-yes." She tilted her head in puzzlement. "Hey." She rested her hand atop his. "Are you alright?"

"Bella, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Okay. What?"

She was startled when he turned to face her because his expression betrayed a certain… vulnerability that she wasn't used to seeing. She reached up to caress his cheek. He responded by leaning in and resting his forehead against hers while closing his eyes. "I should have told you…" He trailed off. "I didn't think this was important…" He too raised his hand and slid it onto her neck. "I love you," he whispered.

Bella was faint as her heart raised. The smooth flow of his words had always undone her. She tilted her head to press her lips against his. The way he felt against her, his solemn sincerity, the stillness of his body, it always undid her.

And as he bore into her, she sank into her bed.

He sank into the pillows and slid a leg up, planting his foot against the rustled sheets. His breath came in ragged spurts and sweat beaded against his overheated skin. He swallowed to wet his throat. His eyes fluttered rapidly as he tried to get his bearings.

And then…

He started laughing helplessly.

He threw a tired hand over his eyes and mumbled, "Damn it, you're rough."

Edward parted his lips when an uninhibited kiss was forced onto him. Harsh breath fell against his cheek. Warm sweat stuck to his own skin. Strangled moans passed between them. His hands skimmed the warm body under him, feeling each inch with an almost rabid hunger. He knew he was being rough. He didn't care if he was being rough.

Edward pulled away quietly. That memory. It had been like a dream. He stared down at Bella who was returning the same inquisitive gaze. Why now?

Bella sat up when Edward made no move to return to their kiss. "Something's wrong, isn't it?" she murmured with hesitance. "You won't tell me what's wrong, will you?"

Edward's distant expression flickered away. "I need to go, Bella." He slid off of the bed unsteadily. "Sleep. I'll pick you up in the evening." Then, without waiting for a response, he climbed out the window and landed lightly on the ground before blurring away.

"Come on, don't do that. Don't cry." Harry folded an arm against his chest and sighed. In his other hand was a cell phone and he was pacing the sidewalk outside the quaint inn where he was staying. "I swear I'm fine. Don't you believe me?" He stopped for a second, listening intently. Then he sighed again and continued walking. "Well, it's not like last year. I promise. Don't I sound alright? Don't cry anymore, okay? Mhm… Yes, of course… I'll tell her… But just so you know, she's already pretty mad at Daddy right now… Yeah, I figured you'd be happy to hear that, you little brat." He chuckled with some relief. "I love you too. Now give the phone to your brother before he breaks your head, will you?"

There was a mild scuffle on the other end. He smiled fondly when he heard the sounds of children in the background followed by a quiet voice. "Hey," he murmured back. "No, I'm fine. Goodness, what's Hermione been telling you guys, huh? Hmm, I miss you too… I know. It's just a lot of work down here. No fun at all. Yeah. I know… Mhm… Yes, I heard. Must be riot over there. So? I also heard a little something from Ron..." He sat down on the small separating wall, one arm locked and resting against the rough cement as he stared down at his shoes absently and nodded. "Well, aren't you a natural? What did Mum think? Mhm... Oh, I bet she was. Too bad I missed it, huh? Must have given your grandmother a heart attack… Don't know why I'm surprised."

He was interrupted by a soft tap against his shoulder. He glanced up at Cooper who was motioning for him to get back to his room. He nodded quickly and waved. Cooper nodded once before turning on his heel and traipsing back inside. Harry tsked once. "Listen, bud, I-No, I'm sorry, I have to go back to work now. I know, I'm sorry," he apologized. "But I'll call again tomorrow. Same time, yes, same time. And tell Rosey that Hermione's working me to bone here. Mhm… I'll let you know about things later. Hopefully we'll have more time to talk, right? I'll-Yes, I'll bring over some cool stuff. Yes, for everyone. Sheesh… Mhm… I have to-No, listen… Teddy, listen. I really have to go. I love you. Say hi to everyone. Give Mum, James and Al a big hug from me. Bye. Yeah, have fun. Bye."

He sighed as he pulled the phone away and clicked it off. His kids sure knew how to talk his ear off. He got up with a tired groan, stretching his aching back while yawning. Another long night. He shook off the pain in his head before walking back to the foyer of the inn.

Edward ran his fingers through his hair and leaned against the damp bark of the spruce he was hidden behind. Kids. Wife. He closed his eyes. Of course. It's been so long. Nearly ten years.

"I love you."

Harry stilled and glanced down. "Oh?"

Edward nodded solemnly.

So Harry smiled with ease and leaned forward until their noses brushed against each other. "Hmm. I'm sure you do."

What had he expected?