AN: Sorry about the long wait but I'mupdating quite a few chapters, hoping that it makes it up to you.

DO R&R! Thanks!

CHAPTER 06:

With a quick nod of their heads the teenagers thanked Edward and dashed off into the café behind the hobbling goblin. Edward could not believe the intense feeling that arouse in him to follow them, to go along with them to ensure their safety but he quelled it down, knowing that it was not his place to be.

He drove back home sedately, wondering what the hell had happened especially after he remembered he had left a terribly sobbing Bella in the middle of his porch to drop Hermione and her friends off to Seattle, a task his other brothers were all over themselves to do, yet he had beaten them in a time honored game of tie-breaker and cheated mercilessly by reading their minds to attain the privilege.

Why?

No answer.

So he just drove onwards, for once so lost in thoughts that he forgot his eccentric need for speed.

It was hours, long, agonizing hours later that Edward and his siblings finally heard three pops in the woods near their homes.

He had reached home, half-heartedly indulged in video games with Emmett only to avoid Alice's stern lecturing about his mistreatment of his girlfriend, (not that it stopped the little pixie-like vampire from giving him an earful straight in his head), gotten dressed, gone to school with his siblings, half-assed Bella barely feigning interest in her woes about Jacob's imprinting and what that meant for their friendship.

Despite the particularly pathetic topic of discussion, Edward was on edge and it had nothing to do with the sordid effect the crumbling friendship between his girlfriend and the boy who had a severe crush on her was having on the said girlfriend because he was now irrevocably in love with someone else. No, that was not cause of Edward's concern at all.

What really concerned Edward was the trio of friends he had dropped off in Seattle in the early hours of the same morning and their fates that had him on edge. He just wanted Hermione to be back at his home where he could see her, inhale her unique coconut and jasmine fragrance and most importantly where he could ensure her safety.

All through the day Jasper had cocked his brow at Edward and he had ignored his knowing looks. Jasper's looks making him feel like he knew something that eluded him. Then when the three pops had come, Jasper had visibly stumbled by the force of his emotions and yet Edward had rushed uncaringly to the door to see their guests for himself.

They heard them before they saw them.

"I'm gonna kill that little cockroach. He double crossed us, that rat bastard," Hermione huffed in annoyance. Her voice, though agitated, calmed Edward's frayed nerves immediately, yet again earning him a raised brow from his empath brother. Edward simply scowled and gave him the two finger salute, much to Jasper's amusement.

"Though, Mione, I never thought you had it in you. I mean, can you believe it Harry, that she, the great Hermione Granger, the insufferable know-it-all, the bookworm extraordinaire who hates brooms with a vengeance, who barely passed her flying classes, had it in her to suggest such an audacious idea," Ron chuckled, "Honestly, Mione, you are the most wonderful witch I've ever met."

At that, Edward barely managed to refrain his snarl. The word why again sprouted in his mind.

"I must say Mione, we sure are rubbing off on you. First you found breaking rules invigorating, now you suggested we fly a dragon to run away from a bank robbery, I can't wait for what's on next," Harry grinned. A good flight always cheered him up. The fact that he'd just flown a dragon was all the more merrier.

"Did you just say dragon? You guys flew a dragon?" Emmett's booming voice reached the trio in the woods and the vampires heard their steps falter.

"Oh! I forgot about their super-hearing," Hermione smacked her head. Then replying Emmett's question, since it would be rude not to, "Yes, we did. The stupid goblins had kept a full grown dragon to guard the vault we broke into and the blubbering idiots used pain to control it. The tosspots drove the poor chap blind. Gah! How I hate goblins!" Hermione stomped her foot in anger.

The trio finally stepped out of the woods.

"Took you long enough," Edward smiled his welcome, unable to control his face splitting grin.

"Yeah, we've had a busy day. Besides the bank robbery that practically drowned us in gold that burned our skin, we had to fly out of the bank on a blind dragon all the way to Highlands. I put up enchantments on the poor dear and I hope you all don't mind but I've also invited a friend of ours, Ron's older brother actually, out here to arrange for the dragon's safe transport to a reserve. He looked too weary and worn to be left alone, fending for himself in the wild." Hermione spoke non-stop till she perched herself tiredly on the couch.

"Yeah, trust Mione to champion the cause of a creature that tried, quite diligently I must add, to roast us alive," Ron taunted Hermione and fell in a heap beside her. Smiling at his two friends, Harry found the spot on the other side of Hermione. He had missed it all when Ron had left them alone for those few weeks.

"I hope you guys are hungry, I've cooked a meal for all," Esme called the trio and served them hot chicken pies around the table in the kitchen.

"Oh, how I love you, Mrs. Cullen," Ron smiled at the same time as Hermione said, "Oh, you didn't have to go through the trouble for us Mrs. Cullen."

"It was nothing dear. And please call me Esme," Esme smiled and bid them again to the kitchen to eat before the food turned cold.

Another pop sounded right in front of the Cullen's door and Harry followed by Hermione and Ron immediately clutched their wands and were at the door.

Seeing the goofily smiling, stockily built red head, Ron flew to his side and jabbed his wand at the newcomer's throat. "What was the last thing you told me when we met last Christmas?"

Charlie smirked. "Interesting question little brother. I told you, you were an absolute fool unworthy of our family name for leaving your friends in the middle of the wilderness. I also voiced my suspicion about mum having dropped you a couple of times on your head as a baby because you suspected sheer shit brewing between your two best friends. Friends, that I might add, you are closer to that your own family, you git. Why Mione and Harry put up with you is a mystery, really," the elder of the two Weasleys shrugged.

Ron pushed his elder brother on the shoulder before embracing him with the odd sideways hugs that boys did. Harry moved ahead and did the same. Hermione, however, gave Charlie a proper hug that he returned in kind.

"So, Miss Granger, care to explain why is it that I always find you rescuing dragons and sending them my way?" Charlie wiggled her brows suggestively and gave her nose a playful pinch. "If it's for catching my eye, you've done the job brilliantly."

"Always full of yourself Charlie. Honestly, sometimes I feel you give the demonic twins a run for their money," Hermione smiled at his teasing reminder of her smuggling Nobert, or Noberta, as they'd later figured out, out of Hogwarts to save Hagrid from suspension and most students from getting burned.

"Why, thank you, love. I'm glad to know I performed my big brother duties well." Ron snorted. "Hey, do you really think Percy would have been able to guide those two through their.. let's just say childhood," Charlie laughed. His booming laughter quite similar to that of Emmett's.

The trio chuckled. Charlie gave the three a loving elder brotherly look, much to the surprise of the vampires. "So, now's a good time as any to explain why you three are living with class 2B vampires and why, in the name of all that's holy, do you have a full grown dragon under enchantments in the Highlands?"

"Class 2B?" Alice whispered, bringing the newcomer's attention to the vampires in question.

"Yeah," Charlie nodded. "Like you guys, you know, the animal drinkers," he shrugged in the way of explanation.

"We're classified separately? I never knew there were so many of us," Carlisle marveled, happy to know that the more humane diet he advocated was followed more widely than he had previously thought.

"Hmm," Charlie hummed. "Not as many as you'd like, but definitely enough to push a few older ones to give the new diet a try with them. I'm sure our Mione will have the book on the classification of magical creatures if you wish to read more."

Curiosity sky-rocketing, the entire vampire family looked expectantly at Hermione who smiled at their innocent inquisition. She bent down and pulled out her small beaded bag from where she'd hidden it in her socks and summoned the book out of the bag, the big tome flying out with a few others.

Classification of Magical Creatures, History of Vampires, The Big Book of The Vampire Wars of Southern America being the thicker ones along with two more smaller ones.

"You can have these. As a token of our gratitude, for housing us and feeding us," Hermione smiled warmly.

"That reminds me, dinner time kids. Please do join your friends, dear," Esme added looking at Charlie.

"Sure will ma'am. I'm Charlie, by the way, Charles Weasley actually but I prefer going by Charlie. I'm a dragon keeper and work on a reserve in Romania. Mum insists that the tall, lanky thing there is my youngest brother, I have my doubts though and she has adopted the other two as extra children since they first visited our place when they were all of twelve."

The unbridled warmth that Charlie exuded soon earned him the vampire family's approval and friendship.

When half their pies were gone, Hermione finally noted an absence. "So, where is Luna?" she asked looking around.

"Out with the mutt. But don't worry, he'll die rather than let any harm come to her," Edward supplied at her worried look.

"Luna? Xenophiles' daughter?" Hermione nodded while Ron added. "She found her 'soul-mate'," he made air quotations, "last night. A natural shape-shifter."

Charlie whistled. "Xenophiles is gonna hit the roof when he finds out his daughter's dating a guy way across the pond."

"He's earned what's coming his way. The bastard betrayed us, you know," Ron informed his brother.

"It's not his fault. They had captured Luna. What's a parent to do?" Hermione once again surprised Edward and his family with her compassion.

Seeing the rather angry looks on the boys' faces, Charlie decided that a change of subject was in order. "So, care to tell me why here?"

"It's Sirius' fault really. I saw the picture of a meadow close-by in his library and when the snatchers were chasing us, I used an old bit of blood magic to gather Harry and Ron and brought us here. I only did not know that the place was halfway across the globe!" Hermione rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. "Though why the Black's library had the said picture," Hermione shrugged her shoulders in the universal gesture of 'I don't know'.

"Did you say Blacks?" Emmett asked from his place on the sofa in the other room.

"Yeah," Hermione agreed.

"The mutt dating your friend is a Black too," Jasper informed them.

"Oh! I'll have to look into that then," Hermione whispered to herself, amusing the others around her.

"'Course you do. We can't have a mystery and not have the know-it-all solve it," Charlie teased but completely with brotherly affection. "Now, my last question – what now?"

"We need you to take Mr. Olivander to a safe house," Harry started. "We'll be here till the end of this week and then we'll come back and end it," he finished.

"Why are you staying?" Charlie asked, his gut telling him he was not going to like their reason.

"There's a small battle here. Once we're done with that, we'll be back. Have the Order ready for the Final Battle," Hermione said wanly.

"What battle? And this time I want the complete information," he warned the three in front of him, fixing each of them with a stare he had perfected over the years that made even the well-seasoned dragons do his bidding.

"There are about twenty newborn vampires coming this way to kill this family and their son's girlfriend. So, we offered assistance," Ron answered his brother honestly.

"When?"

"Three days from now," Alice's musical lilt answered him this time from the sitting room.

Quickly calculating his work, Charlie immediately stood up. "I'll drop off Mr. Olivander at Shell Cottage with Bill, pop in at the HO and pass your message, round up your wayward dragon and be back in two days. DO NOT, I mean it – DO NOT DO ANYTHING STUPID AND RASH, you get me?"

"You know we can't promise that. One of them," Ron pointed at Harry and Hermione, "is a trouble magnet. We're bound to do something rash that will undoubtedly be stupid."

"We'll take care Charlie," Hermione pinched Ron's side and smiled at Charlie ignoring his brother's jump of surprise.

"That's all I'm asking. Say hi to Luna for me and tell her I'll have a look at her beau once I'm back." Charlie hugged his little brother and the boy and girl he regarded as extra siblings, thanked and bid his farewell to the Cullen family and hopped up the stairs. A few minutes later they all heard a soft pop and with that Charlie apparated out with the old wizard in his arms.