Gives You Hell

By: azzie adams

AN: I own nothing.

This chapter took a little while to write because I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to include in it. Actually I wrote this a few days ago, but I went through it again, and now it looks nothing like it did in the first place. Haha. Funny how that happens. I pleased with it though.

Enjoy!

20SEP2018 : Edited for a better reading experience. No significant changes were made.

Six: I Walk A Maze of Moments

Harry hung up the phone, not waiting for an answer from Edward, and laid the phone down on the coffee table in his library. He honestly hadn't anticipated it taking quite so long for Edward to make up his mind.

He'd been fending off Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley for the past two days. Their incessant hopes of him joining them on trips to the beach and to the movies was starting to grate on him. Luckily, or unluckily… he wasn't quite sure yet, Bella Swan seemed to share his social phobia.

Aside from the fact that Harry found her overly nervous and flighty, she had her bouts of wit from time to time, which Harry appreciated. At least she wasn't stupid. She had been working with Mike and Harry on two of the labs they'd had. While Mike sat uselessly off to the side, Bella always at least wanted to help, and Harry was pleased that he didn't have to correct her work every time.

Having two classes with her, it was obvious that he had to make certain conversation. Harry was surprised when she seemed to prefer his company over any of the others in either class. He caught her staring at the Cullens table wistfully during lunch. Harry wondered what kind of interest she had in the Cullens, other than their unnatural good looks. Especially when she seemed to be so popular already. Or it could just be him.

She was smart and curious. Harry didn't usually like either feat in humans, especially not together. But unlike the others, Harry was having a hard time disliking her.

"Was that Edward?" Albus slipped into the room, browsing the shelves in the library.

"Yes. He's decided to return."

"Is he so confident in his ability to restrain himself?" Albus picked up the newspaper on the desk next to Harry.

"He asked for my help on that point, at least during Biology."

"Going to distract him with more humorous anecdotes about your love life?"

Harry smirked at the old man. "I'm sure I'll find something else. Perhaps that time when that old woman from Norway fell in love with you and refused to leave the house until we called law enforcement."

"I don't recollect anything of the sort," Albus feigned ignorance. It was one of the only times that Harry had ever actually seen Albus looking uncomfortable.

"Yes. You do have a habit of conveniently forgetting emotionally scarring events in your life," Harry grumbled. "But whenever it comes to me, suddenly you have the memory of an elephant."

"I do miss those letters Alec used to send you. He had such talent with a pen."

"Thank god we don't have an actual address."

Albus sighed, a secret smile playing on his lips. "One day Harry, you'll learn to care about someone that way, and then you'll have to bite your tongue."

"Amidst your less than successful matchmaking plans, Albus, I think my standards are far too high for anyone to compete with."

Albus regarded Harry with amused eyes, and once again, Harry was exasperated. "My dear Harry… we shall see."

The reverent silence that followed was broken by Albus' phone.

Oh, I'm a Gummy Bear

Yes, I'm a Gummy Bear!

Oh, I'm a Yummy, Chummy, Funny, Lucky Gummy Bear.

Don't call me jelly bear, Cuz I'm a Gummy bear….

Harry turned to Albus bearing an incredulous look on his face. "What in hell is that?"

Albus smiled. "It's my new ringtone! Don't you like it?" He fumbled through his pockets for his phone, pulling it out and rocking his head back and forth.

Oh I'm a movin', groovin', Jammin', Singin' Gummy Bear.

Harry was thankful when it finally cut off. Albus smiled affectionately at the phone before pocketing it again.

Harry huffed. "You know, the point of having a phone, Al, is that you actually answer when people call."

"Yes, well the last few times I've picked up the phone, people I don't know have tried to sell me things. I find that once I let the first call pass, only people that have a legitimate reason for calling will actually call again."

Oh, I'm a Gummy Bear

Yes, I'm a Gummy Bear!

"And there we are," Albus answered the phone this time. "Hello?"

"Hello? Yes, I was wondering if I could perhaps speak with a Mr. Albus Dumbledore."

Harry frowned, thinking he might have heard a slight accent, but his limited experience with phones told him that voices were slightly altered over the telephone wires.

"That is I! May I ask who is speaking?" Albus' eyes twinkled, and Harry had a suspicion that he knew exactly who was speaking.

"Albus, it's Craig."

"My boy, it's been ages!" Albus cried, and Harry chuckled. It had only been two weeks.

"I have bad news, Albus." The voice sounded slightly nervous.

"Oh? Nothing too grievous, I hope?" Albus frowned. Harry moved slightly closer. What could possibly be wrong now?

"Nothing too grievous for you. I don't suppose Harry is anywhere nearby?"

Harry couldn't think of many things that would affect him differently than it would Albus, and even less of which Craig would know about. He locked eyes with Albus, and the man seemed to have formed the same conclusion. Harry took the phone from Albus, and pressed it to his ear.

"You'd better not be referring to what I think you are, Craig."

There was a silence on the other line, and Harry's eyes slipped closed, and a horrible sinking feeling in his empty stomach. He opened to see Albus, contemplating him with sympathetic eyes.

"Harry, I—" Craig's voice sounded once again over the phone.

"Unacceptable," Harry growled, and dropped the phone, Albus zipping forward to catch it before it hit the floor. He gave a warning look to his friend before flying out of the house, the door slamming behind him.

Albus watched as the trees seemed to part for the boy as he disappeared deeper into the morning air. He held the phone back up to his ear.

"How much time?"

"They're on their way."


Harry was late to school, for some unknown reason. Edward was anxious to see him and waited until mere minutes before the bell rang to race to class, disappointed. He had been even more disappointed to see Bella Swan's old truck in the parking lot, but he had yet to see her in person yet.

He'd thought about trying to change classes, but knew that it would probably be no use. Required classes were always the worst to try to get switched around. He and Emmett muddled through gym class first block. Emmett's throws were deadly, so most of them he aimed at Edward, hoping to be too fast for him to block it. Unfortunately, it was impossible to catch Edward off guard.

The whistle blew, signaling time for them to change and get to their next class.

"Sooo…?" Emmett prodded as they changed into their school clothes. "Did you see Tanya while you were gone?"

"You know I did, Em," Edward answered.

"She try to jump you again?" He smirked teasingly.

"She has never tried to jump me," Edward retorted as he pulled on his shirt. "I've made it clear that I have no interest in her."

Emmett sighed, shaking his head. "Edward, tell me something. And be truthful, because I won't think any less of you if you are."

Edward turned slowly toward Emmett, his eyes wary. Was it possible that Emmett had found out about his attraction to Harry?

Emmett got really close to his face, his eyes narrowed. "Are you… asexual?"

Edward blinked. "WHAT!?" He snapped his gym shirt at Emmett's chest. "Of course not, you idiot!" If Edward could blush, he probably would have been. "Why would you say that?"

Emmett laughed. "Sorry man. But you don't show any interest in anyone!"

"Maybe that's because I'm not interested in anyone," Edward grabbed his book bag and made for the door, Emmett on his heels.

"Alright alright. Not talking anymore. Hey, what are you going to do about Biology class if Har-bear isn't here?"

Edward turned to him. "Har-bear?"

Emmett smirked. "We had him and Albus over to the house while you were gone to discuss the girl. Overheard Albus calling him that. Been calling him that ever since."

"You would, too," Edward laughed, wishing that he had been there. "I'll call him. He's supposed to be here, he said he would be. Something must have happened," His brow clenched with worry over the boy. He'd been anticipating the morning since he arrived home and was tempted to run over to Harry's house uninvited, but he didn't want to appear too desperate. So he waited, hunting the entire night to get his mind off him.

It agitated him to no end that his distractions were about to be in vain.

He waited out his next class before bypassing the lunchroom to get to his car. He dialed Harry's number and waited. There was no answer. He glared at his phone, wondering if he should try again. He dialed again. No answer.

Frustrated, he dialed Albus' number, hoping the old man could give him some news on Harry.

"Hello?"

"Albus?"

"Edward! How wonderful to hear from you. I take it your trip back from…"

"Alaska," Edward stifled a smile.

"Alaska! Oh I have always wanted to go there. I simply love snow. Everyone always says I look like St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus… Harry says I should make myself a red suit and mess with the locals."

"Speaking of Harry," Edward cut in, "I didn't see him this morning. I was wondering if there was something wrong. I tried calling him but he wouldn't answer."

"Oh yes… Harry left sometime after you called yesterday. He was in a bit of a hurry so I suppose bringing his phone slipped his mind," Albus knew very well that Harry left his phone behind on purpose.

"And you haven't heard from him since?"

"He can take care of himself, my boy," Albus smiled at the genuine concern in Edward's tone, but he wasn't going to let on anything unless Harry gave him permission. "When Harry leaves somewhere, it's because he needs to be alone. We received some news yesterday that distressed him a bit, so he went off to calm down."

"Oh," Edward wanted to ask, but he didn't want to pry. He figured if Albus wanted to tell him about it he would have told him already. "Well, if you're not worried."

"I didn't say I wasn't worried. I just said that he could take care of himself," Albus said, enjoying what he was sure would be the boy's curiosity.

Edward narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Well…." How on earth did these two live together? "Do you know where he could have gone?"

"I can't say for sure, we're new to this area afterall. But I will say that when Harry gets distressed, he likes to swim," Albus replied, mysteriously.

Edward thought for a moment, and then smiled. "Thank you, Albus."

"For what?"

Edward laughed and hung up the phone.


Harry lay on the grassy cliff edge, letting the icy wind carry the spray of the ocean as it hit the foothills, breezing into his hair, leaving remnants of mist over his shirtless body. His eyes were closed, hair wet from the swim he'd taken.

What was that saying? Everything goes wrong at once? Harry couldn't think of any thing more truthful at that point.

He glared at the sky, looking for all the world like a dark angry god, his gaze piercing the sky as a storm brewed overhead. He watched as the dark clouds rolled by, the wind picking up.

He heard fast footfalls about two miles away. He figured that someone would come looking for him. He wondered what time it was. He felt like he'd been dragged twenty miles over gravel. That was the usual symptoms following an encounter with her. He could think of a million different reasons why he never wanted to see her again, and even more why she should never want to see him again. It seemed she felt that he still owed her something. He always owed her something.

"You look possessed."

Harry rose from the ground to greet his new companion. Edward's hair was wind-blown and his dark eyes alight from the thrill of running. Harry didn't feel his lips curl into a small smile. "Welcome back."

Edward brightened when he saw the smile stretch across the black-haired boy's face. He hadn't been sure of where to find Harry, but with the mention of swimming, Albus had given him a pretty good clue. He was thankful that it hadn't taken him to La Push. Harry's travels had taken him a little while south of the Quileute's running grounds.

He hadn't expected said boy to be sans shirt. That made it a little harder to concentrate since the spray of the water made Harry's chest glisten and his black wet locks framed his face making him look like a pale swimsuit model. Edward raised his eyes to Harry's.

"Thank you," He smiled back, coming forward slowly and dropping onto the ground beside him. "You seem to have warmed up to us, lately." Edward laid down while Harry stayed up, holding himself up with his hands placed behind him.

"If you're referring to the visit we made to your house while you were gone, I'd hardly call that 'warming up'," Harry scoffed. "It's safe to say that any meetings we have from now on will be on my property, not yours." Harry looked at Edward, who bore a quizzical look.

Harry sighed. "How does your family put up with you?"

"Actually, I think I'm one of the easier ones to put up with," Edward said, smiling sadly. "Believe it or not, I'm usually holed up in my room listening to music or something. Most of the time I prefer being by myself."

"It's a wonder you followed me then. Perhaps I like being alone, as well," Harry raised his gaze to the sky.

"I can leave if you want me to." Edward seemed unsure, his previous overall confidence replaced.

'Don't be ridiculous.'

Edward smirked. "Well, you're warming up to me, at least. Is that right?"

"You've been gone for almost a week. You may only be growing on me because you're never around, unlike your harpy of a sister who seems to be everywhere."

"She's just angry because you don't give her what she thinks is deserved reverence," Edward smiled.

"Everyone thinks they deserve to be better treated than everyone else," Harry grumbled.

Edward narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Jasper thinks you're cold."

Harry smiled bitterly. "Of course I'm cold." 'The more I see of the world, I grow more bored with it.'

"How can that be true when you live with someone like Albus? He seems more than willing to be overly satisfied with everything and everyone."

"Opposites attract, maybe. No one can possibly understand the way of humanity the way we do."

"Except, maybe, someone that can see it every time you think about it."

Harry snapped his head towards Edward, and the bronze-haired boy starred at him through his lashes from sprawled place on the ground. Harry saw the swirling emotions in the boy's eyes. Harry turned himself around to face him fully, drawing his knees to his chest, folding his arms over them. He stared intently at the other boy, who held his gaze without backing down under those piercing green eyes.

Harry leaned his chin onto his arms, tilting his head slightly. "I think I like talking to you."

"Better than Albus?" Edward teased.

"Never. But you're interesting. I imagine that your gift gives you better perspective than most. You're smart for someone so young," Harry murmured, still gazing contemplatively at Edward.

Edward drew himself up, about a foot from Harry's face. He smirked. "Well, I'm older than you."

Harry smirked. "Only in body."

"It has some advantages," Edward's smirk widened, his white teeth glittering.

Harry glared playfully, feeling the jab at his height. Edward was beginning to feel the closeness, and the thought struck him that this was the closest that he'd been to the other boy since he'd met him. He was even more perfect up close.

Thunder started to roll above them. The sky was darker, and they heard crashes of lightening in the distance. They watched as a bolt hit the surface of the ocean.

Harry reclined next to Edward again, facing the ocean this time. Edward lay as well, letting Harry's thoughts wash over him. Somehow, it was comforting to Harry to be able so say so many things, without saying anything at all.

Harry and Edward parted ways early in the morning, riding out the storm on the cliff top. Harry went back to Albus, hoping Albus hadn't done anything too outrageous in his boredom, and Edward went to back to his family.

He had something to tell them, and he hoped that they would understand. He had everyone's reactions already thought out, however, Carlisle's reaction would be a complete mystery to him until the moment he told him.

Those long hours on the cliff top had told him something that he hadn't been completely sure of until then. Harry liked talking to him, and had let Edward in to several different revelations in his own mind, whispering to him through his thoughts as the storm surged on. When they parted, Edward felt the details of Alice's vision come back to him, and he hoped, now more than ever, that it would be coming true.

He adored Harry, and felt that he could be perfectly happy never parting from him again.

He could hear Emmett's loud guffaws already.

He shook his head as a small smile found its way onto his face, approaching his house. He knew he had some explaining to do. Afterall, he'd left his siblings at school without a car. Rosalie would be livid. He chuckled to himself when he imagined what her reaction would be when he told her about Harry… and Alice's vision.

His heart swelled as he walked up the steps, taking a breath of fresh air before facing the music.


Carlisle had expected many things to come from Albus' and Harry's presence in Forks. Perhaps he might be getting sporadic visits from the Volturi. Perhaps, Albus might be like Aro and try to reign in his children's gifts. Perhaps Harry was a vengeful vampire that would try to kill Carlisle as soon as look at him.

He didn't expect that Albus would be a fun-loving old man that shocked them at every turn. He didn't expect Harry would be a careful and cynical young man with a tortured past. And he definitely didn't expect Edward would fall head over heels in love with Harry.

He sat shock-still at the head of the table, his son watching him carefully, as chaos abounded around him.

Rosalie was shouting insults about everything from Harry's attitude to Edward's bad taste in men. Emmett was smiling widely as he thought about all the jokes he could make around Harry, and the poor boy would be none the wiser. Jasper looked like he had just had the biggest revelation over Edward's confusing emotions and Alice dodging his questions over the past week and a half. Alice was looking happy and maybe a little smug, but nothing could describe the look of pure joy on Esme's face.

Carlisle knew how much Esme had hoped that Edward would find a companion. She had watched sadly as all her other children had mates and seemed perfectly happy. But Edward had mostly kept to himself since his bout of petulence which ended with him leaving to inflict justice on the 'undeserving' humans in the world.

Edward always had such passion for everything around him. Carlisle wondered if Harry could reciprocate the same kind of passion for his son.

"You spent the entire day with that little snit and left us at school without a CAR?! Where were you thinking?" Rosalie snarled at him.

Edward growled. "Don't call him that."

Alice giggled at Edward's protectiveness.

"You're going to have to watch what you say from now on, honey," Emmett laughed as Rosalie turned her glare onto him. "Edward will thump you one if you start harping on his man."

"He's a self-righteous ingrate who probably deserves to be alone for the rest of his never-ending life."

"Shut UP!" Edward bellowed. Esme gasped. "What a horrible thing to say, Rosalie."

Rosalie's eyes widened at the pure loathing on Edward's face.

Carlisle cleared his throat. "Rosalie, I think you are overstepping your boundaries. Edward has decided to let his family know his feelings for Harry, and we need to respect that," He glared at his daughter. "Harry is older than any of us can fathom and we need to be mindful of the fact that he has probably seen more wrong in his life than most could ever cope with. It is time that you start realizing that there are those who probably know better than you, Rosalie."

Esme laid her hand over Edward's, rubbing her thumb over the back of it. "I think it's wonderful, Edward. He's a very handsome young man."

Edward sighed. "Albus already knows. He saw Alice's vision."

Carlisle moved forward. "And what was his reaction?"

Edward and Alice looked at each other. "He seemed amused… but it's obvious he hasn't said anything to Harry yet." Alice said.

"There's no way to get a reaction from him. He's blocked his emotions from me," Jasper said.

"Edward's full of complications these days," Emmett declared, smiling devilishly. "His singer comes to town and he falls in love with the oldest… sorry… second oldest vampire to have ever lived," He began to snicker. "At least you know he's got experience."

Rosalie glared at him. Jasper and Alice were trying to hold in their own snickers. Esme looked scandalized and Carlisle pinched the bridge of his nose. Edward looked mortified.

"Emmett, that was very unnecessary," Esme scolded. She turned to Edward.

"What exactly did Alice see in this vision?" She asked curiously.

Alice smirked, and Edward shot her a warning look. She raised her hands in surrender. "I saw… Harry and Edward happy together," She supposed it wasn't a complete lie. After all, they were 'happy' together… the word happy being loosely defined. But she doubted that anyone would catch on.

Edward blanched as he caught the innuendo. It completely slipped past the rest of the table, though, which he was thankful for.

"We've only been talking, but he seems to be opening up a bit."

"How do you know?" Carlisle asked.

Edward gulped. "He said… he likes talking to me. He thinks I might be able to understand because I can read his thoughts. I can see things that hardly anyone else can."

"He said that to you?" Esme asked, her eyes suddenly as alight as they were when Edward first conveyed his feelings for Harry.

"Wait… does this mean that Albus will be our grandfather?" Emmett asked, thoughtfully.


The next day, Harry was once again late for school. Edward was worried that perhaps Harry might have been spooked from the day before, though he had showed no signs of it at the time. Emmett smirked at him as he saw his brother scan the parking lot over and over again for any signs of the silver Bugatti, but it was absent. Emmett dragged him to gym class, insisting that he couldn't miss another day in a row.

Edward stiffly made his way past Bella's truck, wondering how he was going to get through Biology class.

Luckily, Edward didn't have to find out. Harry showed up before lunch started and met them at their table.

He answered their silent question. "None of your business." He cast a warning look at Edward to keep whatever he heard silent, and though Harry was trying hard to think of something else, he didn't want to take any chances if something should slip. He hadn't been happy with the news that Albus had given him about their impending guests. Harry spent most of the early morning hours trying to calm himself down. He was loath to admit it, but Edward's presence atop the cliff had soothed him immensely, letting him take his mind off days ahead.

Edward raised his hands smiling lightly.

"I'm not saying anything, Har-bear," He teased.

Harry clicked his tongue. He turned darkening eyes on Emmett, who looked like he was going to burst. "Al says the damnedest things in the presence of company," Harry grumbled, pulling out a blood pop and sticking it in his mouth. He handed a bag to Edward, who took it looking puzzled. "For Biology," Harry said. "Unfortunately you're out of luck if we're doing a lab today. No food policy and all that."

"Oh don't worry. Just lecture and microscopes today," Alice smiled.

"There now," Harry smirked.

"Hey, let me have one of those," Emmett said, reaching for one. Edward held it out of his reach.

"If it's as bad as it was last week then I'll be going through these faster than Albus can supply them," Edward scowled, looking over his shoulder. He groaned as he turned around. Bella was looking at them again.

"You could try talking to her. It helps when you think of them as human," Alice said gently.

"Has she got anything intelligent to say?" Edward asked Harry.

"She's got a little more depth than the others." Harry summed up. "Careful though, she may be dangerous."

Edward turned his head fully to look at Harry. "Have you been talking to her?" Something akin to jealousy might have escaped in his tone, but Harry didn't show any signs of catching it.

"No more than having two classes together would require," Harry said.

"She seems to like you a lot, Harry," Alice piped up, and Emmett smiled teasingly at Edward, who cast a warning glare back.

"Can't imagine why," Rosalie mumbled.

Harry turned to Emmett. "Is she really that good in bed?"

Emmett was quickly learning that while Harry definitely made things more interesting, it definitely made Rosalie even more moody in general. A fight between Rosalie and Harry often ended up in Rosalie stomping around the house, snapping at every little indiscretion, before locking herself in her room, not opening the door even for Emmett.

He knew that day would be one of those days. He was starting to wonder why Rosalie even said anything to him at all.

Rosalie had done nothing besides rant about Harry's attitude and his childish behavior, even though she seemed to be the only one to possess that opinion. Edward had gotten extremely angry at her early that morning and Emmett and Jasper had only just restrained him. "C'mon man, what would Harry think if you went around hitting girls?" Emmett laughed.

"He thinks she's a harpy," Edward smirked evilly at Rosalie, and the girl had gone on another rant. If looks could kill, Edward, Rosalie, Harry… and Emmett would have all been long gone by now.

Emmett rolled his eyes, leaning back in the chair and crossing his arms over his eyes. It was really not worth getting into.

Edward held his breath as he eyed the sparkle in Harry's eyes as he glared at Rosalie. He knew it was cruel, but he couldn't help but love it. It was exciting to see such fire in him.

Edward stiffened suddenly. Harry recognized the scent and saw Bella had walked to the lunch line followed by Mike and Jessica, downwind from the Cullens. He sighed. It was almost like she did it on purpose. He noticed that Bella was looking particularly red in the face while her companions asking what was wrong with her. Harry rolled his eyes. It was worse than he'd anticipated.

She was enamored with Edward.

He felt sorry for her as the object of her affections would love nothing better than to kill her. Edward turned from her to stare at Harry. Harry thought about Albus with cat ears. That seemed to help, as his lips began to twitch as before. Harry smiled at the payback for Albus' annoying smugness as of late.

"Edward Cullen was looking at you," Jessica Stanley giggled to the girl, though an undertone of jealousy made its way into her voice.

"Does he look angry?" Bella asked quietly, her head bowed as if trying to shield herself.

"No. Should he be?"

"I don't think he likes me much," She said. Edward's fists clenched.

"That's a bit of an understatement," Emmett laughed quietly.

Harry had to shove a blood pop into Edward's mouth to get the boy to remember that he had them. The bloodlust was causing him to forget himself. Harry watched as Edward sucked on the pop with deep concentration, as if it were an art, tongue working around it intently.

Harry shook his head, turning and frowning to himself. What in hell?

They entered the classroom and Edward held is breath when he saw Bella Swan already at the table. Harry smacked his backpack, making the blood pop bag crackle noisily. Edward nodded as Harry took his seat next to Mike Newton. Edward grudgingly made his way toward his own table, sitting on the edge of the seat. Bella eyed him out of the corner of her own eye, before looking back to the front of the classroom.

The teacher brought out the microscopes, and it looked like Edward would either have to talk to her or continue the entire exercise in silence. Bella didn't seem to have a problem with it, as she pulled the paper to herself.

Edward didn't seem keen on following Alice's advice and talking to her. He asked a few times to check her answers and she would let him, but other than that he was silent, sucking hard on blood pop after blood pop. Harry understood though. If she spoke to him, he would need to breathe to respond. And Edward had done a very good job at pretending to breathe when he actually wasn't. It was paying off. He'd at least been able to keep the murderous glare from his face.

Harry completed the assignment while Mike looked on cluelessly. It only took half the period to finish for both Harry and Edward, but at least Edward had a partner that was at least a fourth as smart as he was. Their only interactions were Edward asking to see the microscope, Bella passing it to him, and her asking for the microscope and Edward giving it to her.

It was Albus' idea to give Edward the blood pops. He'd made a special batch that night and they did taste particularly good, but still it couldn't compare with the blood of a singer. Harry knew Albus would try everything possible to eventually be able to figure out what gave Bella the ability to block Edward, and when Albus wanted something, he would get it.

Harry was hardly in any humor to ask her to their house though. Frankly, he would love nothing better than for her to fade into the background just as all other humans did, but that didn't seem to be part of the plan.

He felt eyes on the back of his head. He turned in his seat, meeting Edward's eyes.

'Holding up well? Or should I start my funny anecdotes again?'

Edward might have either been smiling or cringing, it was hard to tell. He tilted his head though, a little jerkily. Harry nodded.

'Good. As soon as Albus finds out what I showed you at lunch I think he'll be finding something ten times as embarrassing later on. Only he'll think of one faster.'

"The majority of you who have finished may feel free to socialize until the bell. Turn in your sheets to the basket at the front," The teacher drawled.

Edward was up in a second, moving towards Harry's table and grabbing an unoccupied chair. It was lucky that Harry's table was considered the furthest table in the room from his own. He pulled out another blood pop, throwing the leftover stick from the former into the garbage next to the teacher's desk with perfect aim.

"Twenty minutes left," Harry said. "You're going to make it."

"Make what?" The nosy Mike Newton asked from Harry's right.

"He needs to take a piss. Anything else you'd like to know?" Harry asked, snappishly. That seemed to shut the other boy up. He walked towards Bella's table, taking Edward's vacated seat. Bella didn't look happy about the switch. Edward leaned his forehead on the table, his shoulders shaking in concealed laughter.

'Bloody nosy son of a—'

"Distract me, please."

Immediately, he was treated to the memory of Harry and Rosalie in the midst of a shouting match in the middle of the living room at Edward's house, with Albus looking nervously from Harry's side and Esme and Carlisle trying to calm their fiery daughter down. Edward didn't think he'd ever seen Rosalie so angry.

"She had a few choice words about you early this morning when I got back."

"Let her talk," Harry grumbled.

"Did Albus turn your room into a ball pit?"

"He was watching cartoons when I got back. It could have been worse."

Edward chuckled. The blood pops were working, much to his relief. As long as Albus kept making them with any degree of urgency, Edward was pretty sure he could bear the pull long term.


"Hey, Harry?"

Bella Swan approached Harry during gym class. She'd been wary of saying anything to him when Edward Cullen was around him. She couldn't understand why the handsome boy seemed to dislike her so. She didn't want to seem too interested, so she didn't ask about him. Instead, she focused on Harry. She appreciated that at least he seemed to treat her as if she were just any other student at the school, and not the mysterious new girl.

She'd heard many stories so far about Harry and his grandfather, even though they'd only been there for about as long as she had. The students were both appalled and intrigued with the boy's attitude. He seemed to be very clever and sarcastic. Bella found it funny while many of the others found it narcissistic. But still they gravitated toward him like they did her. Bella understood. He had something about him that her want to be around him. Come to think of it, so did Edward. She sighed. From what she had heard from the other students, Edward was way out of reach, even for the new girl that all the boys liked.

She didn't understand why Harry seemed to be at least humoring her with his conversation, but the others of the group wouldn't give her a second glance, other than Edward's glaring at her.

She wondered perhaps that her talking to Harry was making him angry. Whenever Edward was around Harry, he seemed to focus solely on the boy, yet no one had made any associations between them being anything more than friends, perhaps family. Bella certainly hoped it wasn't anything deeper than that.

She found the boy sitting on the bleachers, leaning back on his elbows, watching the other students clumsily make teams during their free day for gym. He had chosen to fade off to the side and observe rather than participate, which made the girls sad about the loss of eye candy and the boys agitated because he was one of the better players.

She fell under his questioning gaze as she approached, and fidgeted a bit.

"Umm. I was wondering… Mike and a few others are going to the beach on Saturday. Would you like to come?"

Harry smiled wryly at her. "Why are you asking and not Newton?"

She chuckled. "I think you might have offended him or something. But I'd feel better if you were there."

"I think I should spend some time with my grandfather this weekend. He's had nothing to do but sit in the house for the better of two weeks," Harry replied.

"Oh…" Bella seemed genuinely disappointed.

"Any particular reason you're avoiding being alone with your fan club?" Harry asked.

Bella frowned. "To be honest… I'm kind of avoiding… it seems there's some kind of a bet going on about…"

"Asking you on a date?" Harry smirked. Bella blushed, looking less than pleased. Harry peered over at Mike Newton, who was regarding them with unsure eyes. Bella followed his gaze, sighing with trepidation. "Poor guy. Perhaps you could give the dog a bone."

Bella laughed. "He's not really my type."

"Is that so?" Harry contemplated bringing up Edward, as it was increasingly obvious that she liked him. She hadn't talked about him, but Harry had seen her scanning the lunchroom for the bronze-haired boy. The second he emerged back at school she was back to staring at him, blushing whenever Edward caught her stare.

"I think you should humor them at least, darling. They could be better friends to you than I could," Harry said quietly, in warning. While she was one of the more tolerable humans that he'd come across, he really shouldn't be allowing himself to befriend her. Too much risk involved in making friends with humans.

"Why do you say that?" Bella asked, worried he might be trying to get rid of her. It figured that the only company that she really felt like she enjoyed in the town didn't want her around.

Harry shrugged, standing up. "People that spend too much time around me tend to get hurt." Bella looked taken aback. "Don't take that as a threat, because it's not. It's a fact," He said, picking up his bag and heading out of the gym before the bell rang.

He watched through the window as she stared after him, with a hurt and confused look on her face. She turned and sat down where he had been moments before, looking deep in thought over something.

Harry knew it was foolish, but he had to know something before he tried to completely sever the relationship between them. Albus wanted something from the girl, and he was determined to figure out what kind of power she actually held.

He cracked the door open slightly, just enough to get her within eyeshot. He figured he would just give her a sample of it. A human would show a reaction to since they had the lowest possible threshold as far as Harry's power went. He concentrated for a second, zoning in on her eyes that were pointed to the bleachers below her. He let the power flow at her, and he watched closely for a reaction.

There was none.

He frowned, heightening the amount towards her just to be sure he was actually hitting her.

Still nothing.

He was sure his power had struck her. He had felt it. But she still showed no reaction. So she could block him as well.


Edward met Harry at his car after school again, the makings of a storm coming upon them as it had the night before.

Harry knew what the storms meant, and his jaw clenched as he felt the weather's agitation around him. In a day, they would be here. Albus had spent most of the other night preparing while Harry had been away, making up some rooms for them. Harry noted in satisfaction that he had been careful to keep them as far from Harry's side of the house as possible.

He felt that perhaps they would need to warn the Cullen's of the soon-to-be addition to their party in Forks, and perhaps he would. Edward would find out soon anyway as their arrival was quickly engulfing all of Harry's thoughts, so there seemed to be little point in keeping it a secret.

Harry saw the Cullens gathering by their car, watching as the clouds surged around in the sky. It looked like the makings of a tornado, but that was too much a weather change that Harry knew wouldn't be allowed to happen.

Alice turned to him, as she watched him come forward, frowning at the pensive look on his face. Harry saw her eyes glaze over, and sighed. He knew what she must be seeing. Japser held onto her arm as the tell-tale shock started to wash over her face.

Rosalie glared at him, and Emmett nodded smiling as Edward moved towards Harry's side as he joined them. Harry watched Alice's face warily.

Edward frowned as he saw the vision in her mind, turning to Harry.

"You're expecting company?" Alice asked. "Three?"

Harry nodded. "We were planning on telling you, but it seems Albus has lifted the block on your powers, Alice. It's nothing for you to panic about. They're old… old friends. Maybe… disgruntled friends… but I suppose all will be revealed in due course. I have to talk to Albus. You can expect a call later on today. It might be necessary for us to fill you in on some things before they arrive."

Edward nodded. "When should we expect them?" Jasper asked.

"Tomorrow," Alice said, looking a little unsure.

Harry nodded. "Tomorrow then. And don't mind the weather. They're just sending word ahead of themselves. A little… ostentatious, though it be," He smiled tightly.

He nodded his departure, cocking his brows at Edward, who smiled back. He continued to his car and zipped out of the parking lot before the rest could get into the Volvo.

"Who's coming, Alice?" Rosalie asked.

"Friends of Harry and Albus," She replied unhelpfully.

Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Are they dangerous?" Emmett asked, cracking his knuckles.

Alice frowned. "Definitely. I see what Harry meant when he said he knew someone like Rosalie."

Edward saw a flash of a beautiful blonde girl, tall and statuesque like Rosalie. But there was something in her than made her outshine even Rosalie. Edward could tell that her beauty must have been substantial even when she was human.

"What does he mean that they sent the weather ahead of them? Can one of them control the weather?" Emmett asked again.

Alice shrugged, and Edward looked out the window as the rain began to pour down as they drove out of the lot. It reminded him of the night before when Harry and he had watched the lightening deep into the night, lighting the sky and rumbling through them as they lay in the grass.

Alice gasped, and Edward felt another vision coming on. His eyes widened.

The black-haired boy was sprawled on green wet grass, his back arching, eyes closed and lips parted in pleasure. A another hard body fell on top of him, grabbing his arms and trapping them above his head, starring into the sparkling green eyes full of excitement as their lips crushed together amid the thunder that rocked through their bodies.

The raindrops fell onto the taller boy's back as he pressed closer against the smaller one, grinding his hips intimately against the boy below him. The bronze-haired boy bit his neck harshly causing the other to groan. He released the hands above his head to run them down the taut boy's sides, as the one below him drug his nails down his back. The lightening flashed, lighting their bodies as the storm surged.

TBC

Love, Azzie.