This story is mine! No copying! But unfortunately, Twilight belongs to SM :(
Journey
Previously....
"Surrender Scum!" An unfamiliar yell came from the forest and yet I did a double take.
I knew this wasn't the Deatheaters way. They boasted, they goaded, they played like it was a game. They didn't attack blindly and insult so obviously. Something was off.
So I remained silent, hoping that they were friendly and that this was all a misunderstanding, and not that the Deatheaters had changed tactics and I had missed my chance to strike.
"Bella!" Jake's panicked voice came from behind me at a distance but I didn't turn, too tense and awaiting their next move.
"Bella?" Several voices came out of the woods, both male and female, all different and yet all void of the hate and anger that one usually hears in a Deatheater. They were filled with curiosity... happiness.
"Bella is that you?"
Now.....
I couldn't believe it. I wouldn't believe it. No. Way. In. Hell.
"Fred?" I lowered my wand to point it at the ground as I gaped at the shadowy forest, my eyes darting from tree to tree to see any signs of my friends. I knew he wouldn't be able to hear me from the distance he was at, but I was trying to accept the fact that they were here.
"Ow! Ron get off me!" I heard a muffled voice that sounded rather Hermione-like and I couldn't help but smile.
Just as I was about to take a step forward to greet my friends, a surprisingly loud series of growls began behind me and around me. Shocked and slightly irritated that they were ruining my reunion, I turned and faced them.
"Relax. They're my friends, the Weasley'sand Hermione Granger. All witches and wizards" I added as I looked to the Cullen's, all crouched to the ground. I noted the absence of Carlisle from the Cullen's, Harry from my side and Paul from the wolves and I seriously hoped that there wasn't a fight going on. I knew Carlisle was better than that... but Paul wasn't.
"Are you sure?" Jasper asked as he stood from his crouch and stepped back. To say I was shocked would be a severe understatement. He was... trusting me. Something I had yet to see when not being pursued by vampires, but this was still a dangerous situation. I could be wrong of course, they could be Deatheaters in disguise. But if I was right, then these were my friends.
"Yes" I told him, meeting his eyes confidently as the wolves pawed the ground, none of their eyes leaving the forest. They had all sworn an oath to protect me, even any newcomers. They all took the role as my protector seriously, and there was no doubt that they wouldn't relax until they saw for themselves that they weren't a threat.
"Oh for goodness sake!" I heard Hermione cry, obviously getting exasperated with what ever the Weasley's were doing, or failing to do. Not a moment later I saw a dark shadow moving about in the forest depths, approaching slowly but not as though to attack. Not only did they stumble and mutter 'ouch' more than once, but no Deatheater would ever make so much noise when they're about to attack, not even the stupid ones.
"There, now that wasn't so hard was it?" Hermiones voice was louder and a memory of Potions class flitted across my mind, a smile filling my face as I watched her become clearer and clearer until she stood just in front of the trees, in plain view.
I had to say, she didn't look too good. Her clothes were ripped and dirty, her hair a mess, twigs and leaves sticking out at odd angles. I had never seen her look so disheveled, and yet I had never been so happy to see her.
"Bella?" She squinted her eyes a moment before they opened widely and she started jumping up and down, squealing lightly as she ran to me. I ignored the growls and snarls of the wolves like Hermione did, also ignoring the warning words from the Cullen's as she crashed into me, wrapping my arms around me and squeezing me until I could hardly breath.
"Oh my God, it's so good to see you! I thought you'd died or something when Harry disappeared, but then Mrs Weasley said that there's been some sort of argument and Sirius stormed off. She told us everything and we couldn't just sit back and let you fight the Volturiwithout helping!" She hurriedly squealed in my ear, her grip never loosening even when I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her just as tightly.
But it seems to trigger something, that something being the tears, and she was suddenly crying into my shoulder, my own tears stinging my eyes as she blubbered, her whole body shaking with the force of them.
"I thought I'd never see you again" She cried, looking me straight in the eye, and I saw an expression I had seen many times before. It was clear, even with the tear stained cheeks and red eyes. It was the way her jaw set and her eyes became hard. She wouldn't be swayed on this. She was here to fight, and fight she would.
"You can't get rid of me that easily Hermione, you know that" I smirked lightly as she laughed a little choked from her tears.
"Hermione?! Where the hell did she go?" We both laughed as we heard Ron's dull voice yell from somewhere in the forest, turning and facing the trees.
It wasn't long before Ron came stumbling out, literallyalmost falling on his face as he tripped over a tree root. I heard small sniggers from the Cullen's, and I quickly sent them glares though silently glad they were relaxed enough to find the amusement in the situation. The wolves never removed their beady eyes from Ron, even as he blushed bright red, his eyes roaming over all of us, widening on the wolves and then flitting to the Cullen's.
"Sam!" I berated, turning to do the same to the Cullen's but finding them all relaxed. I kept scowling at the wolves as all the blood from Ron's face disappeared and he took a shaky step back. Now Ronald wasn't the bravest person in the world, well he could if there was enough at stake I guess.
"Back off!" I warned as the black wolf bowed his head and took a deliberate step back, the pack taking his lead and lowing their eyes in a display of peace, not that Ron would understand that.
I hurried to his side, Hermione on my heels as I hugged the life out of him, accepting his shaky hug with a smile. Ron, ditsy, clueless but proud Ron. God I missed my friends.
"What's with the dogs?" He asked, peering over my shoulder with frantic eyes as I tried not to laugh.
"Ron they're not dogs, they're shape-shifters. The ones your father told us about..." She trailed off, looking for any sign of recognition on his face, but all that was there was the usual confused frown.
"Honestly Ronald, do you ever listen to your parents?" She huffed in exasperation as Ron blushed again, his ears turning and deep red as he stared at the floor.
"Bella was sent to Forks but Dumbledore askedfor the werewolves co-operation in keeping her safe. They protect her Ron, and I don't think they appreciate being called dogs either, they are real people after all" She explained to him, taking on the smart air she usually did when correcting one of us.
"S... sorry" Ron stuttered out, peering back over my shoulder. I turned as Sam bowed his head in understanding, facing the Cullen's who all wore smirks and the wolves who, thankfully, had calmed down now.
"And... the vamps?" He stuttered, his eyes zooming over to the Cullen's.
"The Cullen's" Hermione ground out, sounding more angry than when Professor Vector gave her a B on her homework. I watched Ron for a moment as his eyes narrowed and his frightened gape turned into a full on glare.
"Bells!" Two voices, nearly the same in tone and exactly the same enthusiastic edge to it made me jump and before I could react I was picked up and being crushed by Fred and George, two pairs of arms around me and squeezing the hell out of me, not the mention laughing their heads off.
"So Bella, you went to meet the King of Darkness-" One said, and I turned to see Fred... or George smirking.
"-single handedly fought off the Volturiguard-" The other carried on and I smirked, too used to the two ended conversations to be annoyed like Hermione.
"-kicked some serious vamp ass!-"
"-Did the Yorkshire move... again!-"
"-Meet and greet and local mythical creatures-"
"- And now you're going to fight against the King of Darkness and his dweebs for your life-"
"So, just the usual eh Bells?" The twin on the left laughed and I joined in, missing the jokes and laughter that only Fred and George could bring.
"Eh, quite boring really" I laughed as they set me back on my feet. My balance didn't last long however, and I soon found myself hitting the ground with a hard thud. I began reaching for my wand, ready to attack the person since they were on top of me. It was only when I saw the deep red hair off the girl that clutched at the front of my shirt, a soft sob shaking her small body as I felt warm liquid seeping through my shirt.
"Ginny" I whispered, shifting slightly when a rock starting to dig into my back painfully, relaxing when I moved slightly. I wrapped my arms around her as much as I could with her on top of me, looking to Fred and George for help and squeezing her slightly before the twins came and pried her from me, lifting her to her feet.
I got to my feet, brushing myself off before hugging Ginny as strongly as I could. She was the youngest out of all of us at only fifteen, her sixteenth birthday would be next month. But her parents and her brothers all had some connection to Voldemort. Her parents and older brothers were in the Order, her brother Percy worked in the Ministry but no-one spoke of him anymore. And neither Fred or George or even Ron tried to hide their hate for the evil wizard.
Growing up with all that, plus the knowledge that she had been minutes from death at Voldemort's hands in her second year, had made Ginny probably the most sensitive of all of us. She was still a child in so many ways, not been through what the rest of us have. It made her no less of a witch, but it made her susceptible to weakness easier.
"It's okay Ginny" I soothed, letting her go only when she loosened her grip on me. Her eyes were puffy, her cheeks red and tear stained and her hair and clothes a mess from tackling me to the ground. I could feel the wet patch from where she had cried on me but I didn't mind, rather surprised that I had managed to keep my own tears at bay.
Fred and George stepped forward again and hugged Ginny, and I watched with a small smile, knowing how close they all are despite all the arguments.
I felt my eyes widen and my face drop as something finally clicked in my head while I watched Fred and George, and I whirled around and ran straight past the Cullen's and wolves, ignoring the calls to come back as I disappeared into the other side of the forest that lined the clearing. I stumbled around for a good two minutes before I called out for my brother with my mind, hoping our connection was back on track again.
Though it was a little faded, the connection was there again and I eagerly followed the path I knew would lead me to my brother. Running through the forest was hard, but when scenarios of my brother being injured or worse ran through my mind, I found it easy to dodge the holes and the branches and roots.
I was panting when I found them, Harry, Carlisle and Paul, but I what I saw made my stomach heave. Harry was laid on his back, a large gash running from his temple to his jaw, his clothes torn and destroyed and I hated to think of what they hid. Paul stood as far away from him as he could yet still be in the clearing, standing in his wolf form, his eyes glancing from to my torn brother and then to me. Carlisle crouched by Harry gently holding his wrist for a moment before putting it back at his side and standing and turning to face me.
"Bella-" If his expression wasn't enough, his tone was. I hadn't seen Carlisle so defeated or so helpless, ever. His words halted when it was obvious I couldn't hear anymore of it. I quickly stepped forward and dropped to my knees on the other side to where Carlisle had been, gently taking my brothers hand in my own and feeling tears rolling down my cheeks.
"What happened?" I could feel the heat from his hand, I could see his chest slowly rising and falling, his shirt moving slightly and revealing a deep and bloody wound there. I cringed away from the sight, looking instead at his face, covered in dirt and a smear of blood, but still the face of my brother.
"When we all landed... Harry doesn't have the reactions or reflexes we do, so he fell pretty hard but he... he hit one of the pack, Paul... and he thought it was one of us and... he didn't do as much damage as he could have Bella" He hurriedly explained, but I couldn't even bring myself to be angry at Paul.
"Can't you heal him?" Carlisle took his place beside Harry again, looking down at harry sadly.
"The magic is too strong for me... I can't..." I cursed myself as I choked off in a sob, wishing that I had made Remus teach me, even if it was way out of my league.
I heard rustling and footsteps, several gasps and three cries from my friends as the approached us, all kneeling around Harry, Ginny at his head as she stroked his hair lovingly, not even trying to stop the tears running down her face and falling into his hair.
"Bella..." Hermione whispered to my left but I shook my head.
"We could try..." Ron's voice was small, quiet, and lost. Without his best friend beside him... I cringed as I wondered how he'd cope with it.
"None of us are strong enough! Only someone like Snape or Dumbledorehas the power" Hermione cried loudly, sniffing as she sobbed. She didn't know what I did. I knew that you could combine magic with your kindred spirit, your other half. The only people who had a chance were Fred and George, but there was simply not enough time.
"We have to do something! We can't just let him die!" Fred yelled, obviously getting his anger and grief out through frustration. I was surprised, when I turned to look at him, to find all the Cullen's and the wolf pack stood around the clearing, Paul having been joined by his brothers who were all consoling him by the looks of it, yet they were all wearing the same expressions. The expressions I had only seen at Harry Clearwaters funeral.
"Come on Harry... not like this, not now, notyet" My panic had set in, the idea of losing my brother was tearing me apart "How will I fight Voldemort? And Aro? I can't do this without you. I need you here Harry, always" I sobbed, gripping his hand harder, and not caring if it hurt him. Maybe if it hurt so badly he'd wake up.
"Bella... can you hear him?" Carlisle asked quietly, confusing the others to the point of anger but I simply shook my head.
"It's distant, blurry" I watched Harry's face as I spoke, hoping to see a twitch of a smile or some indication he knew I was here. Nothing.
I needed him to live, to survive. I couldn't fight Voldemort on my own, I couldn't face the Cullen's without him. We couldn't live without the other, if I lost him, I'd lose a part of myself too. I couldn't help but remember what Dumbledore told us when he realised how strong the connection was between the two of us.
"Both of you are powerful anyway, but together you could be unstoppable, that's why Voldemortcame after you personally. He fears your strength, and with your parents being against him, he knew you'd grow up hating him and he didn't want the power the two of you wield to be against him" He turned from looking out the small window that overlooked the school lake, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half moon spectacles.
"But the connection the two of you share is beyond anything Voldemort is able to comprehend. You can do things no other witch or wizard could dream of doing. You would bend the most strict laws our magic has..." He smiled knowingly as Harry and I wore identical grins.
"But only... only when you want it, when you need it so badly. Only then will you be able to break the boundaries" He clasped his hands together, knowing he had the both of us entranced by the knowledge he was sharing with us.
"But enough of that eh? I do believe the two of you have some Astronomy homework due tomorrow and you still have a few inches to fill in" He stood again, both harry and I sharing an eye roll as we stood too, saying our good-byes before walking out of his office and bouncing through the corridors, on a high from what we now knew.
I knew it. I knew there was something I was missing. Our strictest law was... that we couldn't bring back the dead. There was no magic, no spell, no curse to do such a thing. The closest you could get was a mirage, a ghost of the person. But if Harry and I could bend the rule, then...
I looked at Harry with new found hope, taking solace in the fact that he wasn't dead as his chest rose and fell. But surely if we could bring back the dead, then healing someone would be a piece of cake, right? But Harry wasn't here, it was only me. I hoped the connection was as strong as Dumbledore said it was, and that it wouldn't matter if Harry was conscious or not, he would still be there.
Dumbledore had taught us to do many things with our connection, the mind reading was one, another was controlling the other, which we only used as pranks. But he always said the same thing.
"Clear your mind, calm your heart. Focus solelyon your goal, block out all the external noise, the feelings and the words, and concentrate"
And so I did. It was strange not being in Dumbledore's study with Harry sat opposite me when I was doing this, but desperate times call for desperate measures I guess.
I took a deep breath, succeeding in calming my mind which had always been the easiest thing for me to do. It was calming my body that I always had trouble with, and now was no exception. But after a while I began to feel the soothing of the control I placed on my mind and body, letting them both relax while I blocked out all of the noises around me. The cried, the shuffles, the sniffs, the whispers and hushed words.
When my world was silent and the only indication I was still alive myself being that I was still holding onto Harry while staring at his face, I let my eyes close and my head bow to my chest, feeling guilty about forcing perhaps the last image of Harry alive from my mind, but I knew I had to anyway.
Focus on what you want the most, concentrate on that and that alone, imagine it in your mind...
I wanted Harry well, alive, walking and talking. I wondered whether I should give him a revamp, maybe a six pack and some more muscle, but I settled for just the old Harry alive and healthy again. I let an image fill my mind of Harry in the Black's house, talking and laughing, his eyes twinkling. Another picture of Harry looking at me with tears in his eyes and a small grin on his face.
I remembered that. It was when he told me Mum would be proud of me getting on the Quiddich team.
Concentrating on that image, on the smile and his hopeless hair, his glasses and his small button nose, every freckle on his cheeks. Harry. I didn't need anything more, just the old Harry would suit me just fine.
I felt the familiar prickling at the back of my neck, but everything else was foreign to me. I had never done something on a scale this big, and I wondered briefly if it would be harder with just me conscious. But I pushed that away again, concentrating on Harry alive and well.
I felt a strange heat surging through every vein in my body, from my legs, my arms and my stomach, but it didn't go anywhere. It just buzzed in my body, energy building and mounting to the point of near painful. My body felt heavy, tired and weak. I had felt like this every time we tried to do something new, but never this powerful. I felt like I could sleep for weeks.
Once again, I found my mind slipping back and so I forced the image of Harry in front of my eyes, the buzz never decreasing even as my mind wandered. But... then it began to fade. Slowly, the power was leaking from my body, moving and traveling somewhere new. But another feeling, the feeling of warmth, of rejuvenation and of growth.
It was strange, but I found that the more of the power that left me, the more drained I was. I could barely feel Harry's hand in mine anymore, but I could definately feel my hands shaking. A sharp pain was developing behind my left temple so quickly that I wanted to stop. I couldn't let Harry die because I got a headache, the very idea had me guild-ridden.
And so, with the last energy I had, I forced every once of love, of need and desperation into the memory of harry. Not just him smiling, but of his yelling at me, of crying with me at the sight of our family in the mirror of Erised, of anger at Voldemort, of defence when Sirius hurt my feelings.
I felt my hands slip from Harry's hand as the last tendrils holding me to consciousness fell away too, leaving me blissfully numb and blank to everything but the darkness that surrounded me. It was blissfully peaceful.
Edward's POV...
The emotions, the thoughts, and the mere presence of everyone in the small clearing was overwhelming. But that wasn't the worst.
No, the worst thing, the one and only thing that distracted everyone from the broken boy on the ground, was the sobbing and broken girl at his side, gripping his hand so hard her knuckles were cream. Her eyes remained fixed and unmoving on her brothers face even as she spoke to Carlisle, her voice shaking as tears ran freely down her face.
No-one moved, no-one spoke, no-one knew what to do. Hospital was out of the question, he wouldn't last that long and the damage from the fall was too great. Magic apparently wasn't all it was cracked up to be since healing Harry was out of the question. I saw no middle ground, no solution.
I may be selfish and uncaring, but all I could think of was Bella. I saw how close she was to her brother, the connection they both shared pulling them closer than I have ever seen siblings. Her grief alone was overwhelming Jasper but he was ignoring our urges to leave, his reason being that he wanted to be here for Bella, even if she didn't need him.
And so we waited. We waited for the gentle and shaky heartbeat to stop, for Bella to fall apart, and for tomorrow. All of us, the wolf pack and my family all knew and thought the same things. We knew if we lost Harry, we'd lose Bella. We'd lose the fight. We were all doing this for Bella in the end.
We could have run and hid, but we stayed with Bella because we needed to be by her side. The wolves were protecting La Push, but their thoughts were more concerned about Bella. And now her friends had come to her aid too. It was all for her, and if she gave up, we all did.
Somethings changing... Jasper's thought broke through the dark grieving haze that the thoughts of everyone had set in my mind. I was with them, seeing Harry and listening to his distant thoughts, I couldn't help but like him. Just like Bella, you couldn't help but grow attached. Both were so protective of each other, their eyes blazed with the same frustration and anger, even their actions and words were similar.
Glancing up at Carlisle, surprised to find his mask of sadness being replaced by a growing look of shock as he stared at Bella. Frowning a little, I followed his gaze, finding Bella's head to be bowed to her chest, though no sobs ripped from her mouth anymore, the tears still fell. But it wasn't that that worried me.
It was how slow her heart was, as if she were sleeping. How still her body was, as if she was dead. But even more terrifying, was the fact that Jasper couldn't feel any emotions from her at all. Both of us stepped forward, making the others look up and break from their mourning of the boy who hadn't died yet.
What have I done? ... I never thought I'd... I promised... Paul's choked up thoughts caught my attention and I spared him a pitying glance. I knew how it felt to hurt Bella. His brown eyes never left Bella's body as huge tears the size of golf balls rolled down his fur and dripped from his snout. For the first time, or so his mind said, it was the first he had cried since his childhood, and he was shocked that no-one was laughing at him for it.
"Carlisle" Jasper's low voice brought my attention back to him as he muttered under his breath, his eyes straying to Bella as he knelt beside Carlisle and opposite her.
"Bella? Bella" Carlisle tried to call to her but received no response. By now everyone was watching the scene unfold, the witches and wizards present growing angry and agitated in their grief.
"Carlisle" Jasper spoke normally, forgetting about trying not to spook the others as Bella's emotions got even stranger.
"What is it?" Carlisle had obviously picked up on what everyone else had, what something was wrong with Bella. His eyes raked over Bella's knelt and bowed frame, his concern increasing when he found nothing physically wrong, his mind wondering if she was suffering an emotional episode.
"I... I've never felt these emotions before Carlisle. Never in all my existence" Jasper's usually calm and sure voice was shaky, and that alone was enough to set my family on edge. Carlisle and Jasper always remained calm through everything, to see either of them upset meant it was bad, to see both of them upset... it could never be a good sign.
"What do you mean?" Carlisle was having problems trying to understand what was going on. Between trying to care for Harry for as long as he has and trying to keep an eye on what ever was happening to Bella was getting him edgy.
"Just that! I've never felt this before..." He ran a hand through his hair. Alice was shaking beside Emmett as he kept am arm around her to keep her upright, his other arm around Esme to keep her standing too.
"Err... Carlisle...." Hermione's voice was shaky from tears but her eyes weren't on us. No, they weren't even on Bella. They were on Harry's hand and arm, that was slowly becoming a glowing white, literally glowing. The brightness only increased as Bella's hand began to shake, the light traveling further down Harry's wrist, up his arm and then disappearing beneath his shredded clothes.
"What's happening?" Ginny gasped, her hands jumping away from Harry as she watched in horror as the light spread across his skin.
"It's gotto be magic, nothing human could be doing this" Carlisle spoke out loud, his eyes fixed on where the light was creeping down his other shoulder and down his arm to where Carlisle held his wrist still. When every exposed area of skin was glowing a bright white, it suddenly grew in intensity, almost blinding us and we had to look away thanks to our enhanced sight.
A dull thud made me look over at Carlisle, frowning at his shocked face as he stared at his hand that was suspended in air. Without speaking, he reached down and tried to pick up his wrist again, gasping when his hand refused to move any closer than five centimetres away.
"Ginny, try touching his head please" Carlisle watched with wide eyes as Ginny's hand couldn't get any closer to his head than his own could get to his hand.
"What's going on?" Her voice was a squeak, her mind full of fear and terror at things she wouldn't and couldn't comprehend. No-one could answer her and we fell silent once more, not knowing what the hell to do besides sit and wait.
We all breathed a sigh of relief when the glow seemed to dull slightly, a large sigh from Bella gaining every ones attention, but she didn't raise her head or even pay any creed to her glowing brother.
"Her hand. She can touch him. It's her" Jasper breathed, blurring past Ginny and kneeling by Bella's other side, leaning down and inspecting Bella's shaking hands, tentatively trying to touch her arm but finding the same repelling force not allowing him close enough. He breathed out heavily, looking at Carlisle with wide eyes, his mind wrapped in concern.
Bella's doing this, she has to be. But what is she doing?
I wanted nothing more than to rip her away from her brother and hold her close to me, not caring if she was crying or anything. As long as I could hold her, console her, comfort her. Anything other than standing there uselessly watching, unable to do anything since everyone in the clearing including my family, had told me that if I ever hurt Bella again they would kill me, literally.
I knew that trying to help now, when tension and frustration are at an all time high would probably mean the end of me.
The glowing continued to fade until he looked more like a vampire with sparkling skin, Bella breathing heavily by Jasper's side, my eyes on her and watching as her hand twitched the smallest amount.
"She's-" Jasper's words of 'She's back'were but off suddenly as he yelped in surprise, all of us taking a step back, those close shielding their eyes and looking away as the light became even brighter, single beams of light bouncing off and into the forest and the sky above, and I could feel the heat radiating from it even though I was at least ten metres away. The light pulsated even though my eyes were closed, I could almost feel it around me. It was almost... comforting.
The only way I kept a track of what was going on was through thoughts, and even then they were useless because they were in the same position as me.
This must be it, I can feel her emotions leaking through. Sadness, desperation, pain, grief, hope and... exhaustion Jasper counted off, staying by Bella's side despite the heat that was nigh painful for a vampire to be so close to.
It only lasted for about twenty seconds, but when it began to dull again, I desperately looked over at Bella as if something could have happened to her in such a short time. But I had been forced to question everything I knew and respected in the past few days. Boundaries had been broken, limits had been pushed to the point of there being none anymore.
I quickly came to the conclusion that anything was possible, at least it was whenever Bella was involved.
Again, we all watched as the shining light dull, turning back around and looking at the scene with confused eyes as it carried on, though still on edge in case it flared up again. But it didn't. After another few seconds the glowing disappeared completely, leaving Harry normal coloured again. I stared at him for a moment but before I could even think Jasper's panicked thoughts pierced through my mind, setting me on edge immediately as I turned and watched Bella being held up right by Jasper's arms around her waist.
Now is not the time to be jealous Edward He barked at me through his mind as he pulled her onto his lap to keep her from collapsing. Carlisle quickly left Harry's side, kneeling in front of Jasper as he checked her pulse and eyes for any response. I relaxed when I singled out her heartbeat beating a little faster than normal, but strong all the same.
I am way out of my depth His voice was tired, even more so than a man his age should be.
"Oh my God... Carlisle!" Ginny's screech had once again pulled all attention to her as she covered her mouth with her hand, her tears rolling over her fingers as she shook. But her mind was filled with elation.
I understood once I followed her gaze, my own eyes widening and a small smile creeping up my face as I saw nothing. Well, I saw a lot actually, I saw Harry, the forest, people I cared about and people that would be my comrade in arms in a days time. But what I didn't see... was a nearly dead and bloody boy.
There was not one drop of blood on Harry, on his clothes or skin. Though his clothes remained shredded and destroyed, his skin dirty, there was no gash on his face, no wound beneath his shirt.
Impossible Carlisle rushed back to the boys side He should be dead. He had a perforated lung and three dislodged ribs, he was bleeding internally so heavily that he should have been dead two minutes ago. This is impossible His mind was in awe of what had happened while his body went through the motions of checking on the boys condition. It didn't matter, we could all hear the boys strong heartbeat like a drum.
I and the rest of my family barr Jasper and Carlisle of course, stayed back and away from the scene, the wolves stood to our right, watching the same as us but choosing to stay out of it. We would only be a hindrance.
We have a fight for our lives in less than two days and our two best fighters are unconscious! Sam's worried thoughts yowled in my head and I was inclined to agree, even though I was annoyed that he was thinking of the fight when Harry and Bella's lives could be in danger right now.
Once again every ones nerves were put edge as we all jumped and screeched, not an easy feet for wolves and vampires. But Harry's sudden intake of breath quickly followed by a loud coughing fit only added to tension from everyones tired and spent emotions from the events of the day.
Of course Carlisle was the first to recover, reaching under Harry and lifting him into a sitting position to help eleviate the coughing as he gently hit his back. We were all still frozen in shock, watching the boy that had been close to death suddenly and miraculously be fine and well.
"What the hell happened?" Harry finally got out when the coughing had subsided, hs heartbeat a normal race if not a little. His eyes roamed around all of us who were staring at him rather unabashed, open mouths and wide eyes included. But he didn't spare a second glance at that.
"Where's Bella?" His eyes instantly found mine, his thoughts screaming worry, panic and concern, but none of the threats I would have expected. Everyone here thought I had an ulterior motive, hurting Bella again, making her fall in love with me once more. I didn't, and I think Harry had finally seen that.
With his eyes on me looking for an answer, I was a little astounded by how similar the two are once again. I inclined my head over to Jasper who had teared his eyes from Harry and was gently trying to get Bella to wake up. Harry turned quickly, so quickly I winced remembering his injuries.
His thoughts instantly became a haze of anger and worry as he scrabbled past Ginny and away from Carlisle, kneeling in front of Jasper as he pushed a stray piece of hair from Bella's face.
"She's exhausted" He breathed, taking her limp hand from its place on her stomach and holding it in his.
I can hardly hear her thoughts anymore
I was forced to come to the conclusion that she had managed to heal her brother but harm herself. The very thought angered me to the point of murderous but I forced a calm mask on my face, not wanting to add any more drama to the building pile.
"What happened?" Jasper winced as Harry stared at him evenly, his voice strong and yet betraying his worry.
"You were thrown back with the rest of us when the shield hit, but you don't have our reflexes. By the time we had landed and tried to catch you it was too late. You managed to hit Paul too. His instincts kicked in and he turned and attacked you. Harry... you were dieing" Jasper implored, hoping that he was like Bella so that he could anticipate his reaction.
Harry remained silent, but his thoughts raced too quickly even for me to hear. Jasper waited with baited breath, as did we all, as Harry stared at Bella for the longest ten seconds of my existence.
"Bella, what have you done?" He quickly groaned, obviously understanding something I didn't as he sighed, Jasper desperately trying to keep his anger from affecting him.
"Do you know what happened?" Carlisle spoke up, standing as Harry turned and nodded, his face grave and his eyes dull behind his glasses.
"Could we go somewhere... a little more comfortable" He motioned to Bella who as still held in Jasper's arms. As one, everyone on the ground stood but made no move to go anywhere else. I could hear and feel the weight of today's events weighing down on everyone, physically and mentally.
"I suggest our home, it is large enough to accomadate all of us" Carlisle spoke in a small and soft voice, glancing at the wolves to let them know that they were included in that too. I found their shock and amazement amusing but now wasn't the place for smiles.
Bella was no burden to Jasper as he ran with the rest of us to our home, the wolves to our right and Bella's friends meeting us there. We left as they began the process of hugging Harry tightly and apologizing for everything. Poor Ginny was beside herself, her feelings for Harry almost as strong as his feelings for her. I had to admit, it was rare to see such innocent love anymore.
Upon arrival, it was clear that it had been Hermione to shoot out the shield as she was sobbing and begging for forgiveness, deaf to the multiple acceptances Harry was giving her. He stood on the bottom porch step looking out into the forest as the others spoke all at once, wanting to know what it felt like and what the hell was going on. He wasn't listening.
I knew they'd keep her safe His eyes zeroed in on Bella as we all emerged from the forest, his gaze flitting to me as a small smile lifted the corners of his lips. I couldn't help but frown in confusion, wondering when he had had the epiphany that we didn't want to hurt Bella.
I've seen the way you look at her Edward, I know you still love her. I have watched you, the sadness and the remorse are always there to see. I don't know why you did what you did, and I know you have suffered too. You all look terrible His eyes roamed over all of us, grimacing slightly.
But that still won't make me hold back of burning you into a pile of ashes if you ever hurt her again. I'm giving you a chance here Edward His eyes met mine, his voice growing louder and stronger in my mind as his eyes set and narrowed the tiniest bit.
I had never felt her as happy as when she was with you and your family. I never want to feel the pain she felt when you left, I never want to hear her cries. I want her to smile and be happy again, and if that means with you and your family, so be it He concluded as we stopped at the bottom of the porch, everyone now aware of our silent conversation since neither had removed our eyes from the other.
I nodded slightly, smiling a little at the prospect of being able to actually talk to Bella. I had been around her for almost four days and hadn't spoken one word. Harry broke eye contact first, turning and walking up the steps, the others following as I stood at the bottom, too caught up in my own hope to move.
The wolves had returned to their human forms and jogged up the steps, sending me confused and angry looks as they saw my smile. They all hesitated the slightest bit but entered the threshold of the house none the less. I heard the many compliments from Hermione and Ginny, whistles from the others at the house. The wolves were amazed too but chose to keep their opinions quiet.
Finally realising that if I ever wanted to talk to Bella, I would actually have to go inside the house first, I quickly climbed the steps and walked into the house, fighting the urge to wrinkle my nose at the horrid stench the wolves had brought with them. I saw them in the far corner of the living room, arms folded over chests and stood awkwardly with identical disgusted masks on their faces.
Jasper had laid Bella on the largest sofa, which was easily long enough for her to stretch out on. Someone had fetched a pillow and blanket too and she appeared to be sleeping. I did help to imagine that she was slumbering rather than dieing. She could be...
"Don't worry, she's exhausted. She'll be fine when she wakes up, tired, but fine" Harry took his place on the sofa next to Bella's head, the rest of the family sitting down in the various other seats available, the wolves politely declining Esme's invitation to sit. Harry and Bella's friends took seats gratefully, still looking a little shocked. I suppose it was a good sign Harry had quickly gotten over the shock...
Edward? Aren't you going to sit down? Esme peered over at me curiously but I shook my head, leaning on the door frame and trying to appear casual and control my own fears of losing Bella.
Please don't start a fight with Jacob Black again Her eyes glanced towards the wolf who was glaring at me heatedly, but I smiled a little and shook my head again. Jacob Black was the furthest thing I was thinking about. I blocked out his thoughts as he began to insult me again, not even giving him the satisfaction of seeing me wound up.
He should thank Bella. Because the fact that she cared about him so much was the only reason he was still standing right now.
"I think I know what happened" Harry sighed, rubbing his face with his dirty hands "But with Bella, no-one can ever be too sure of anything" He chuckled humorlessly, remembering all the times he had assumed something as she had proved him wrong. Everyone in the room smiled a little, even Jacob managed to tear his eyes and thoughts away from me to remember similar memories.
"You see... and I apologize to the Cullen's for repeating myself now, but I will have to tell everyone else about mine and Bella's..." He trailed off, tapping his temple and then grimacing as he lowered his dirty fingers to eye level, inspecting them.
Oh Dear... Esme's strangled thoughts rang in my mind for a moment before she disappeared, startling Harry for a moment before she reappeared with a damp cloth, handing it to him. He smiled at her gratefully as she sat back down, her thoughts teeming with glee that he had accepted her.
"You see, there is another type of magic out there, one that is more powerful than all others" He told everyone, quickly and thoroughly rubbing his face with the cloth, not really speaking to anyone in particular. Harry's previous words were meaningless to us, no matter how many times we would hear it, it would always fascinate us.
"You see Bella and I share a connection in our minds and bodies that binds us together. Fred and George will have one too, as will Pavarti and Padma. It's a connection shared between twins, the stronger the magic the stronger the connection" He explained, looking at Hermione, whose mind was going over all the reading material she had found. She had never heard of such magic before and it was beyond frustrating for her. The rest of us however, were wondering who the hell would be called Padma and Pavarti?! Such strange names...
"What sort of connection?" Fred and George had definately perked up at the mention of them possible being able to do 'cool things' as they put it.
"Bella and I share thoughts and feeling, if we wanted, we could control each others bodies and minds which was highly entertaining" He chuckled a little, wiping his hands.
That explains a lot Hermione admitted, remembering when all of them had been sat in some sort of common room around a fire place and the two seemed to be having a silent conversation.
"You remember when Bella and I would get summoned to Dumbledore'sstudy a few times a week after class and come back and just go straight to bed?" he asked without looking up from scouring his hands.
"Well he figured we'd have a connection and told us that it can be used to our advantage. He never told us when we'd use it, but we figured that it must have something to do with helping us defeat Voldemort" He sighed, raising his eyes to his friends faces "He told us that when he tried to kill the two of us and failed, he transferred some of his powers into us, making us even stronger" His voice was sad, his thoughts bitter at the fact he owed the monster for the connection with his sister.
"You're joking?!" Fred laughed, earning a glare from Harry, but he didn't seem purtubed by it.
"You mean that old snake tried to kill you but ended up making you even more powerful? He created his own enemy!" He snorted, obviously not scared of this Voldemort at all. He and his brother shared a high five while a smile crept on Harry's face and he calmed down.
"I suppose" He admitted reluctantly.
"So how does it work?" Hermione leaned forward in her seat, eager for knowledge and understanding.
"Well, it depends on how strong the connection is. We share energy, power, and magic too I suppose" He mused, tossing the dirty cloth from hand to hand idly.
"But Dumbledoretold us that if we concentrated hard enough, we could do anything" He clutched the cloth in his hand, his gaze firmly on Hermione as she gasped, the others looking rather amazed while the rest of us remained dumb.
"He told us... that we could bend the strictest rule of witchcraft" He continued, grasping the cloth in his fist as his breathed out heavily.
"And what's that?" It was clear that Carlisle was totally enthralled by the knowledge Harry was divulging, we all were.
"That we could, if we wanted to, raise the dead" His voice remained quiet, almost ashamed of himself as the others gasped in shock and awe.
"But that's impossible Harry... there's no way..." Hermione stuttered, her mind totally scattered.
"We never tried, because Dumbledoretold us that bringing back the dead wouldn't solve anything. They'd still be dead. Their heart would beat and their minds would work... but we didn't think it was fair to bring someone back to life and let them die again. No-one deserves to die twice" His eyes lingered on Esme for a long moment but he tore his eyes away.
"We wanted to, we wanted to see our parents again, but we agreed to leave the dead in peace. He told us that he trusted us to be smart enough to never attempt it" His voice dropped to a whisper, and even the wolves were unconsciously edging closer.
"Why?" Ron breathed, his normal colour returning after seeing his best friend almost return from the grave.
"Because... to give something that is dead, life, would mean transferring all of your energy into them. It takes every ounce of energy in your body to sustain you to full health. If we gave them half, they'd be half alive and just die again. But if you give something all of your energy... then there's nothing left for you" He continued, looking down at Bella sadly.
"And you die" Hermione finished, shocking all of us and even the wolves as we waited for Harry to dispute it.
"Yes Hermione, you die. But Dumbledoresaid that... that if there was two of us and since we're... apparently, quite powerful we'd be able to do it. We could half the load. We didn't want to risk it though" He ran a damp hand through his hair, pulling out all the dirt.
"So what... what did Bella do?" Ginny spoke up, looking between the two on the sofa, wondering if she was going to lose her friend.
We were all surprised when Harry's eyes flashed with anger and he abruptly stood, clenching his hands into fists at his side as he paced along the back of the sofa.
"I was nearly dead and she healed me. I was nearly dead! Don't you see? It takes two to bring someone back from the dead without dieing and even then they can die! She was on her own! If she had tried that a minute or two later, she would have killed herself!" He screamed at us, never stopping his assault on the carpet as he tried his hardest not to take all of his anger out on everything around him.
"She is the most... stupidest... most idiotic..." He rattled off, his anger disappating quickly as he calmed himself down.
I'd have done the same thing He admitted quietly I knew I wouldn't hesitate, even if it did mean my own life
"One day her luck's going to run out" He spoke mostly to himself, no-one contradicting him because we agreed. With the amount of harm she has barely dodged, there was going to be one time when she was a little too slow. I shuddered at the very thought.
"So when Bella healed you... she was transferring her energy into you?" Carlisle asked, wanting to change the subject and try to calm Harry down enough to get some more answers.
"Notreally" He paused pacing, putting his arms on the back of the sofa and leaning on it, looking down at Bella for a moment before meeting Carlisle's eyes again.
"I wasn't dead so it wasn't swapping or exchanging energy as such. It was... more of..." He struggled with a suitableexplanation "She used her energy to push it into me so I could heal. Everyone'senergy is different, but I think because Bella and I are twins, that our energy is similar or the same and so... well it for the job done easier than if it had been anyone else" He frowned as everyone nodded, understanding what he was saying.
"When will she wake up?" Jacob asked with a frown.
"I'm not sure. We've never done anything remotely as powerful as that, never mind just her. She will wake up, but she'll be out for a while" He continued.
"Do we still train?" Sam asked, looking doubtful, not sure about fighting with us without Bella there to balance it out. It seems Bella was also the only reason they hadn't ripped me and my family to pieces. Maybe even 'play fighting' was dangerous.
"I think we'd better save it for tomorrow" Carlisle said, looking at Harry for agreement. He looked deep in thought for a moment, his mind on the same track as mine was as he nodded, the wolves making a move to leave.
I stepped inside the room to let them out of the doorway and into the entrance hall. Multiple warnings and threats came my way but I ignored them, feigning ignorance until they all walked out and closed the door behind them, their heavy footfalls quieting until everything was silent despite the multiple heartbeats and breathes.
"I don't know about you guys... but those wolves creep me out" Fred said, standing and stretching as he spoke. A booming laughed echoed around the room, shocking everyone but those who already knew him too well to know his sound levels.
"Dude, you're in a room with vampires and you think werewolves are creepy? We're the walking dead!" Emmett laughed, something none of us had seen in a while, and just like that, I could feel the pieces of my life slotting back into place.
I was home, my family were becoming themselves again and Bella was here. She didn't speak or acknowledge me but she was here, and I vowed right there and then to make her listen to me.
"Yeah but they just stand there and glare at people. Honestly, have they never heard of speaking or smiling?" George stood beside his brother, stretching too as the others joined them silently.
"Honestly you two" Hermione rolled her eyes at them "They were in their mortal enemies home, the very scent is enough to trigger the transformation. They were just tense" She found it easy to go back to being a 'know-it-all' as the others called it, instead of being emotional. She was still worried about Bella but now that they all knew she'd be okay they had all calmed down significantly.
"Er... Would you happen to have any food? We kind of sneakedaway before dinner and..." Fred had the decency to ask politely, reminding me that there maybe a gentlemen in him somewhere beneath the amount of random thoughts that ran through his head, just like his twin. He was surprisingly protective of his family as well as Bella and Harry. In fact, they all were.
"Of course" Esme smiled broadly, motioning for the others to follow.
Hang on... they have food? This is just getting weird Ron's internal voice was confused as he walked past me and followed the others into the kitchen. Only Harry remained with Bella and he quickly took his place next to her again.
She still loves you, you know He told me mentally, and I was so shocked that all I could do was stare.
I had hoped that we could be friends, that we could at least talk to each other evenly. I hadn't allowed myself to even hope for anything remotely on the lines of love, though I couldn't help the way my heart soared and my thoughts drifted to Bella and I together.
Finally I moved, no longer worried that werewolves or witches would try to attack me if I even tried to get close to Bella. Slowly, I walked over to the sofa, kneeling in front of Bella and simply watching her, wishing I could take back everything that had happened these past five months.
"Talk to her before the fight Edward" Harry told me "We don't know what'sgoing to happen, and it's better to be safe than sorry" He admitted quietly, a quiet growl rumbling in my chest when I caught his meaning.
"No-one will touch her" I hissed, vowing to kill anyone who so much as touched her with the intention to hurt her. I didn't care how powerful or strong she was, the very thought of her in danger had me wanting to take her away from it all.
"And that, right there Edward, is why I know you still love her" He put a hand on my shoulder as he stood, a small smile on his lips.
"I never stopped" I mumbled, going back to staring at the love of my life, wishing she would open her eyes and see what Harry sees. But since when was anything ever that simple when Bella was involved? Harry quietly left the room, joining his friends in the kitchen, leaving the rest of us, barr Esme of course who was loving the compliments everyone was giving her cooking, to watch Bella and get lost in our own thoughts.
"Enough is enough Edward. The tention between the two is ridiculous" Jasper sighed from the sofa, Alice in his arms as she hummed in agreement, simply enjoying the fact that her family was together once again. I didn't turn to face him, or even give him a response. I knew what I had to do, and I would do it.
Because Harry was right. I hated to think of it, but what if Bella got hurt? I had to tell her the truth before it was too late.
I saw a flicker of Bella and I, stood in the forest, my mouth moving as I spoke but the words were too far away for me to hear. Alice cut the vision off after a second, way to quick for me to get my bearings and understand. It took a moment, but when my eyes refocused on Bella I felt a small smile pushing my lips upwards. Bella and I would talk, though I didn't know how things would go, that was enough for me.
I didn't yell or get angry at Alice for hiding my future from me, because I honestly didn't want to know. I couldn't bare to watch as Bella rejected me, throwing my words back in my face. I knew she was angry, furious with me. But I saw the pain in her eyes, I witnessed how she fell apart. Her thoughts may remain silent to me, but Harry's are not.
I knew it was because of me. That I had made just being in this house a nightmare for her because of everything that happened between these walls. That it was all the pain I had caused her that had changed her. But I would be damned if I let this go on any longer. Simply being in the same car as her, not a meter away as she spoke to my family was torture for me. When she hung out the window.. well I don't think my breathing will ever go back to how it was.
When she had climbed out of the sun roof and slid down the car, my mind nearly imploded. When I saw her body pressed against the glass...
I shook my head with a small smile. Those were thoughts for another time. Yet I couldn't help but be amazed at how human Bella made me feel and she hadn't even spoken to me yet. We had the rest of today and then tomorrow until midnight to prepare. Fear hit me then as I fought off the thoughts of losing Bella.
We remained silent, Bella's steady heartbeat and even breathing calming my mind from the point of insanity. The only time we moved was when the others came back, smiling and their minds still amazed at Esme's amazing cooking.
"Wow. For someone who doesn't eat you make a mean lunch" Fred rubbed his stomach, a dreamy smile on his face as he stood behind the sofa, looking at me with a slight frown before looking away. I had managed to move, instead taking Harry's place and sitting beside Bella. I know her friends wouldn't like it, but I was hoping Harry would help with that.
"Er... well since Bella's out for the moment and the wolves have gone home, I was wondering about... getting the others up to date on... training and stuff" Harry stuttered, still not too comfortable with all of us. He liked Esme, simply for her motherliness. He liked Emmett for his fighting, for some reason he liked me. Though the others... he wasn't so sure about. He was as good a public speaker as Bella was.
"Sure, if you need any help..." Carlisle smiled gently as Harry's cheeks reddened a little, quickly nodding a thank you and then leading the others outside, down the steps. He remained in the front garden which was plenty big enough, probably bigger than the clearing we trained in before. But it kept him close to Bella and us, which was what he was aiming for.
"He is definately Bella's brother alright" Jasper sighed, lovingly running his hand through Alice's spikes as she lounged across his lap.
"I can't believe we didn't see it before" Emmett smirked, remembering their reaction to the thought of them together... romantically. I had to say, even I was under the impression they were closer than friends. Them being brother and sister had never even entered my mind.
We all listened and watched from the window as Harry told the others about what Bella had taught him. He explained the types of spells they needed to use, like heat and shields which would render our speed, strength and even our very bodies useless. He went on to explain how we all fought, though I was rather surprised by how much the others sat and listened as though he was there teacher.
The only interruption was when Ron came in, bright red, and asked to use the bathroom. Poor boy.
Only once did Harry call for assistance, to which Emmett and Jasper only too willingly volunteered. They were eager to see more magic, even if it was aimed at them. I did not move from the sofa, choosing to listen to my brothers 'ow's' and watching through their minds as they get bashed and thrown around.
They were still enjoying themselves though. The others moved to sitting on the porch, directing and getting involved when necessary. They too were rather excited about this up and coming fight, if only to see magic at its full potential and when none of them are holding back.
Edward Harry's voice pierced through the haze that had settled. I had been busy remembering every touch and kiss Bella and I had shared, the smell of her when she had just gotten out of the shower or the soft skin beneath my fingers, the feel of her hands in my hair.
Her mind's becoming clearer. She's waking up He continued, though he made no move to come inside, nor did he tell the others about it. I quietly thanked him, though honestly worried about Bella's reaction to me when she woke up.
Gently, I lifted her head and slipped off the sofa, laying her head back down as I crouched in front of her, softly running my fingertips over her cheek as I pushed her hair from her face. I heard her heartbeat stutter slightly as the pace increased, and I let my mind convince me it was because of my touch.
Her moved slightly beneath my hand, and I tore my hand from her quickly, though not moving. A frown marred her lips and wrinkled her head, and though I knew I was letting my heart run wild, I knew it was because I had taken my hand away. I quickly glided my fingers over her smooth cheek, the heat burning me in a beautiful pain.
A small smile replaced the frown as he nuzzled into the pillow, humming slightly as I traced her features slowly, trying not to wake her up in fear that she would realise it was me and send me away. I ached to see her eyes again, looking at me instead of just above my shoulder. She was avoiding me, I knew it and I knew why.
But I couldn't do it anymore. I had to talk to her. I loved her, and I hoped beyond hope that Harry was right and she loved me too.
"Edward" She whispered, a larger smile drawing her lips upwards as much as they could go with half of her face resting on a pillow. I knew her voice like it was my own, and I knew that she was not sleeping anymore. She was awake.
"Bella" I whispered back, unable to stop myself as I softly brushed my fingers over her eyes and lips.
"Edward... we need to talk" She sang, sounding rather merry despite the words the spoke. I took it as a good sign that it would be a good talk. Hopefully.
"I know Bella" I brushed a stray lock of hair from her face as I spoke "But right now, you have to get better" I amended, knowing her health was much more important than our secrets.
Her face quickly dropped, her eyes peeking open slightly though it seemed to take all of her energy to do just that. I could clearly see the fear in her eyes, the little I could see of them.
"Harry" She choked out, a tear running down her cheek and hitting the pillow. I quickly wiped the trail away with my thumb, edging closer with every second.
"Harry's fine. He's outside with the others, instructing your friends" I smiled lightly, hoping to comfort her at least a little.
She simply hummed in response, her eyes locking with mine and never faltering as we stared at each other.
"How are you feeling?" I asked softly, resiting the urge to kiss her was growing increasingly difficult.
"Tired" She smiled lightly "But I'll be fine" She continued, opening her eyes a little wider. I had to smile at that. No matter how much she preached, she seemed the same Bella we all remembered. Even down the the stubbornness and hate for being a burden. I also knew that there was no point in trying to stop her.
She tried to sit up but couldn't raise her head off the pillow. I ached to see her helpless but I didn't want to push our sudden truce.
"Can I have a little help?" She whispered, sounding more like the Bella I remember. She always hated asking for help. Though I hated seeing her like this, I couldn't help but smile as I gently slide my arms beneath her, lifting her slowly until she was sat upright. I swiftly took my place at her side, allowing her to lean against me as I rested my around across her shoulders, my hand skimming her arm.
"You really scared us you know... we thought-" A lump suddenly formed in my throat, cutting off my words as I tried to collect myself and banish the images of an unconscious Bella from my mind.
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't let Harry die. Not when I could prevent it" She sighed, her voice dragging and full with sleep. Light footsteps quickly ascended the porch steps, and I was surprised when it was Harry that walked through the open door, immediately coming to Bella's said and kneeling on the floor in front of her knees.
"Harry" Bella's voice was reverent as she shakily reached out and put her hand on his cheek, Harry reaching up and covering her hand with his own.
They spoke no words, but their eyes never left one-anothers. Harry's mind became a complete blank, as usual when he and Bella and communicating directly. For a mind reader, it was beyond frustrating, but I let it be. They needed some time to themselves. Though that didn't mean I was about to leave Bella's side unless directly told to.
"No Bella" Harry broke the silence, ripping Bella's hands from his face and holding them tightly in his hands, almost growling the words at her as she stared back at him, a familiar mask of determination on her face.
"Yes Harry" She countered "I would do it again without hesitation" Her eyes and voice softened slightly "Because you're my brother, and I've already lost enough family without losing you too"
"But what if next time thing-" Harry exhaled loudly, his thought returning in a dull buzz as usual.
"We can't live through 'what if's' Harry. What if the prophecy was wrong and Voldemort can't be defeated? What if we can't win this fight?" She said back, Harry flinching both times.
"Exactly. There's always a risk Harry, there always will be. But that doesn't mean that it will stop me, or you from doing what we need to do"
I was say I was shocked would be an understatement. Bella just sat there, sounding more wise and mature than I believed an eighteen year old could ever be. But her words seemed to hit home to Harry as his eyes softened too and he went from gripping her hands to Bella holding his, though his were significantly bigger.
"I can't help it Bella. I'd rather die than watch you suffer" He implored, not aware that there were six nosy vampires outside listening with a rapt attention, as well as his five friends hiding around the door frame. They knew what was happening as soon as Harry bolted inside, leaving the door open behind him.
"Well then, I think both of us are pretty safe" Bella concluded the conversation, yawning widely as she nuzzled into my shoulder again. Her eyes slipped shut but a small smile lifted her lips.
"Besides, we do have an audience" She said with a small, tired laugh.
My family's thoughts revealed their shock as they sheepishly walked in and sat down, both at Bella's words and at Bella and I sat together. Fred and George shamelessly bounded into the room, huge grins on their faces that didn't even falter as they saw my arm around her.
She looks so happy They both thought as one, which was rather strange. Even stranger was apparently, to them anyway, was the fact that Bella had a whimsical smile on her face as her and Harry talked in their minds again.
Hermione didn't waste any time asking questions, she simply dived on Bella, shocking both Harry and I as we were knocked back. Bella simply laughed, wrapping her arms around the girl as she crushed her.
"Hey Hermione" She choked out, her face going a tad red from lack of oxygen. "Er... Hermione" She tapped her friend on her back. Hermione immediately let go, blushing a little as she realised everyone was staring at her, quickly apologising before taking a seat between Ginny and George.
All eyes were on Bella but she seemed either not or notice or care. The smile on my face would not drop, widening even further as I heard her sigh.
She's happy... content and relieved Jasper pitched in, smiling at me as a 'congratualations'.
Well done Edward, you finally pulled your finger out and it only took Bella almost dying to do it
It was Rosalie's sarcastic snarl in my mind that caught my attention amongst the praise and happiness radiating from everyone else's minds. I could almost feel my eyes darken as my grip on Bella tightened, a harsh snarl ripping from my throat as we glared at one another.
The humans in the room looked startled, looking between the two of us and scooting away slowly. Not that I wanted to admit it, but she was right. It had taken almost losing Bella for me to actually stop sulking and pull my finger out. It did not mean I was going to agree with her any time soon, so kept my little discovery to myself as I cut off my snarl.
I was forced to let her go as my family hugged and checked her over, making sure for themselves that she was alright. When her friends converged around her, I knew I had to give her some space. I motioned for Harry to take my place as I stood, smiling gently as she peered up at me with bleary eyes.
After assuring her I was only through the other room she relaxed slightly, though I felt her eyes on my back as I left the room, closing the door behind me. We could still hear everything, but it gave them the illusion of privacy.
They told stories of their lives since Bella left, though I have to admit, I understood hardly any of it. Apparently, a pack of Blast-Ended Screwts were found at the bottom of the garden and Fred had to have his hand bandaged for two weeks. Then they had an infestation of Doxy's in the living room, which made Ron dive into a long speech about how much he hated the 'bastards'.
We remained in the kitchen, listening with rapt attention as seven people from the wizarding world spoke and talked to one another. It was amazing. We ended up back in the room anyway, though they ignored us for the best part, too in their own conversation and catching up to really pay us any heed.
It was when Ron and Fred started arguing about favourite Quiddich teams -Puddlemere United or the Chudley Cannons- that I found myself unable to keep up with the insults that we didn't find offensive in the slightest. But Hermione and Ginny were engrossed in a conversation about a certain spell that they could use against Aro. George was thinking up some new trick sweet with an evil grin on his face.
No faces showed the strain or tension of the up and coming fight. They were all children, so young to our eyes, and yet they were much stronger and more prepared than us. It was rather unsettling.
But it was Harry and Bella that held my gaze and attention. Neither spoke, though Harry had taken up the position next to Bella, allowing her to lean on him. I wouldn't have known had it not been for the flitting smiles and frowns on their faces, the small change of their expressions indicating that they were talking to one another.
Their friends remained oblivious but my family did not, their thoughts mirroring each others as they wondered and watched in amazement. A small frown appeared on Bella's face as she seemed deep in thought, a small smile and squeeze from Harry suddenly making her smile too, letting out a breathy laugh as she nodded.
Suddenly her eyes rose and met mine, my body becoming still on instinct. Her eyes were soft, and deep as she smiled a little wider, seeming not surprised to find me staring at her. I had been caught, and yet I couldn't tear my eyes away from her.
"Yeah, I know" She whispered quietly, her eyes shining lightly as she smiled at me, and I couldn't help but smile back.
We hadn't talked, but we would. I would tell her everything, no secrets, no lies and no holding back. Not anymore. And I knew, as I stared back at her with the first real grin since I left, that everything would be okay, no matter the outcome of the fight.
No-one would take Bella from me or from us. This is where she belonged, in Forks, with her friends, family and us, in our house, in my arms.
I did not expect any of that to happen... it just did okay. The entire fight is next, no more hold ups or anything, though I am a little stuck on who to include.
The Volturi are obviously going to be there, and I think Victoria as well. But I'm not sure about Deatheaters. I think it makes it too unbalanced and if the Cullen's do win, then it would be a little silly.
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