Life Happens
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter or Twilight series or have any rights to them.
AN: This is NOT a chapter, well, not really. It's an interlude/flash-back cause this Sunday is my birthday and I didn't feel like writing a serious chapter. I'd like to warn you now that I may do these around certain holidays or times of the year when I can't get my head into a serious chapter, so I'll write something that had been bouncing around in the back of my head. Therefore, hope you guys aren't too mad. It IS my 21st birthday after all!
Interlude: The Swiss Alps
Bella and Harry made an impromptu stop, once Bella had realized she never taught Harry how to ski. Consequentially, it was one of the few things she had picked up as a human- not that she didn't learn a lot, she just learned so much more as a vampire. Therefore, she felt Harry should learn to as well, and in her mind, five years old was a great time to start. After buying Harry and herself the proper skiing attire and skis, she dragged the small boy towards the wizarding lodge deep within the mountains. Now, she wasn't dragging him out of protest, just the opposite, the small boy wanted to go everywhere and see everything. He continued to exclaim, "Wicked!" and "Whoa- look at that!" and "That-is-so-COOL!" a phrase he picked up while visiting her parents in the States.
"Harry, sweetheart, listen," she said hunkering down to his level. She held his in place by his shoulders and tried not to laugh at the look of overwhelmed awe on his face, "If you would just come with me so we can get settled in, I promise you can learn all of this wicked awesome stuff you see. Okay?"
His head snapped immediately to her as they stood, or in Bella's case, crouched, in the cold and snow. Even protected by the charms on this part of the mountain, there was a blizzard blowing in, and magic could only do so much.
"Really Auntie Bella?" Harry asked with wide eyes.
"Do I ever lie to you? I'll even teach you myself." Bella nodded in mock seriousness. Suddenly she found herself with her arms, already laden with luggage and equipment, full of the small boy.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Harry exclaimed over and over again. Sighing and smiling to herself, Bella stood and continued into the lodge, not bothering to put Harry down as he continued his thank you chant.
It was much warmer inside the main lodge, which she was thankful for. The small boy in her arms was beginning to shiver and while self-renewing warming charms could make her skin feel only slightly colder than a normal human's, they did nothing to generate the body heat that people normally did to keep themselves and others warm.
"Hello, I know it is short notice, but I owled this morning. Do you have any openings? Anything is fine really. We only need one bed. It's just me and the little guy." Bella said giving the reception witch her most dazzling smile. She felt Harry peak out from where he had his face hidden in her should. "Please?" Harry added, giving the middle aged witch his best puppy dog eyes. He had been practicing in the mirror at night after he brushed his teeth; it never worked on Auntie Bella- he was determined to get it right.
"Well, let me see." The woman said, flicking her wand through a large magical book. They could tell she was close to breaking. "You understand, that with the blizzard and all witches and wizards are swarming here. Muggles never go out in this weather so they'll be able to be a bit more open with their magic and tricks." She said, having an internal battle with herself. As she glanced up briefly to see Bella's reaction, Harry threw in his best pout.
"But mommy, I really want to learn!" Harry sniffed to Bella. When traveling they often went as mother and son- fewer questions were asked that way. Most people were too worried about them being offended to ask after that golden question that was on the tip of the receptionists tongue.
"Oh, is your husband joining you?"
"It's just me and mommy." Harry mumbled, hiding his face back into Bella's shoulder. Bella knew it was wrong to act like this, and felt a stab of guilt and pain every time she thought of Lily and James, but she wasn't trying to replace them, so she figured it was all right to use the guise for protection.
"I'm a single parent." Bella clarified. The receptionists eyes widened in surprise and embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, you're just so young, I only assumed, and you're rather beautiful, so I figured." The woman rambled. Bella quickly stopped her.
"It's all right. Most people make the same mistake."
"But where is your luggage then?" The woman asked curiously as she recomposed herself. Bella just looked down at her arms, which the bags were hanging off of. "Oh, dear!"
"The room then, any room at all?" Bella asked hopefully.
"Well," the witch said hesitantly, "the only thing we have open right now is a private cabin with the works. Um, if you'd like you can stay there the night and maybe find something else tomorrow? We could even negotiate the price a bit." She said smiling tightly, pushing an enchanted brochure towards Bella to see.
Shifting Harry in her arms, Bella flipped through the brochure, looking at the pictures. It was pricey, but it was also very nice and homey. It would be great privacy and more comfortable to say in for the month or two they were going to be there. Magically expanded, five closed off fireplaces, a kitchen, one master bedroom with a king sized bed, two and a half baths, a game room, a dinning room, a sitting/family room, and a guest room. There were anti-theft, anti-apparation, anti-intruder and warming wards on the whole cabin. It was far enough into the woods but close enough to the magical lodge and skiing areas. Yes, this would do nicely.
"We'd like to book it for a month, if that is possible, please." Bella smiled and Harry began to bounce in excitement in Bella's arms.
The receptionist went owl eyed in surprise and stuttered out her positive reply, quickly saying some spells and writing in the large book.
"Name?"
"Isabel Swanson and Harold Swanson." Bella replied, changing their names just a bit. She did this just a bit differently each time they stayed somewhere different.
"Just your information is fine, though knowing the cutie's name doesn't hurt any." The receptionist had finally gotten her wits back.
"Country do you hail from?"
"All over, we travel a lot. Though our family is back in the States so you can use that if you need to." The woman nodded at Bella.
A few questions later and Bella was carrying Harry, the stuff, and their cabin key back out into the cold, quickly putting a warming charm on Harry again.
Serena stood there, watching the small woman she had just finished renting one of their most expensive private cabins to for a month, walk back out the front doors carrying a child and every last bag they had with them. She noticed, once the woman turned around, that all her bags were designer labels, even the skiing equipment!
As she stood there, another receptionist, Mary, who was just back from break, walked over and waved her hand in front of her friend's unseeing eyes. Slowly Serene turned to Mary.
"I just met super-mom." Serena said still in awe.
"What are you talking about?"
And then Serene explained to her friend about the lodge's newest tenants and how perfect supermom was.
Meanwhile, Bella stood outside looking through the snow from underneath an overpass, trying to discern which way to go. She reapplied Harry's warming charm as a man stepped up next to her.
"No point in going out there right now, not until it dies down a bit. Even as witches and wizards its no good." Bella turned to the man as he held his hand out to shake. Couldn't he see her hands are full? "I'm Michael, Michael Corner."
"Oh Merlin, not another one." Bella said too low for him to hear as she looked from his hand back to her full ones. What was it with her and Michaels?
"Oh, um sorry, would you like some help? I'm a ski instructor here by the way." Michael said, taking one of the bags only to have it pull him by the arms to the ground. "Wow, um, what do keep in there? Dragon scales?" He tried to smile it off, running a hand through his windblown hair.
"I work out a lot." Bella replied, bending over and lifting the bag back onto her shoulder as if it were a small handbag. "Shouldn't you have a hat on, by the way? Your ears are going to be ringing in the morning."
"Nah, so um, you guys going to be taking lessons?"
Bella was quiet for a second before pulling her hood up and wrapping Harry's cloak better around him. "No, I'll be teaching the little guy, I promised." She then stepped out into the snow, headed towards the cabin she'd spotted just moments before. Thank Merlin for vampire eyesight.
The next day Harry woke up and ran into the kitchen dressed and ready for breakfast before hitting the slopes. He was so excited he immediately put his skis on before even knowing how to use them. Bella laughed and skied with him piggyback to the starter hills to begin teaching. Half way through showing Harry how to bend at the knees and move she felt a tap on her shoulder.
She must have gotten her hills mixed up because standing there behind her, his golden hair shining in the sunlight, beaming his pearly white teeth at her was Michael Corner. "Hey Isabel! I was wondering when I'd bump into you!"
"I never told you my name." This must be the stalker hill, not the starter hill. "Come on Harry." She took the little boys hand and began to walk away, but Michael jumped in front of her.
"Yeah, um, sorry about that! I asked at the front desk, ok, well maybe I peaked at the registry, but I had to! I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't find out such a beautiful woman's name." He was grinning again, which was really beginning to irk Bella.
"You could have asked." She went to step around him, but he got in the way again. He was very quick on his magical skis, she had to give him that.
"You wouldn't have told me. And wouldn't that be a bit weird, we've only just met."
"And looking up my name without my consent, isn't?" Bella quirked an eyebrow in annoyance; the man was starting to really get on her nerves. We're all blond haired Michaels like this?
"Oh, don't be like that. If you're that upset over it, I'll make it up to you. I know! Why don't I take you both or for dinner tonight? Or if tonight's not good, how about tomorrow?" He grinned at her, thinking he was going to score a hot date.
"No thanks, we have our whole vacationed planned; terribly busy." Bella once again tried to step around him without using her vampire speed. She was very tempted too, but it'd raise too much suspicion seeing as apparating could only be done at designated points on the mountain for safety reasons.
"How about breakfast then or a movie? I'm very flexible. I'm sure you can be too." Michael winked at Bella, making what he thought to be sexy eyes at her. Bella was just disgusted, and by this point little Harry was hiding behind Bella's legs, covering his mouth and trying not to laugh. Harry knew the strange man had better give up soon or he wouldn't like the side of Aunt Bella he'd get to see.
"Look here, buddy, I am here for a nice vacation with my kid, not to fool around and be leered at. In fact, you are interrupting our lesson on skiing. Some instructor you are!" she snapped.
"Let him join my group over there. I'm sure I could give you a nice lesson later on if you'd like." He continued to wag his eyebrows at her suggestively.
"That is it! I am not interested in you and do not want to have to see your face, hear your voice, or even catch you looking my way again. Do you hear me?" Bella was pissed. How dare this guy have the audacity! Who did he think he is?
Bella picked Harry up and stormed pass the gaping Michael, shoving him out of the way and not caring about using her strength. Once she was safely enough away, she turned and yelled back at him, "And if I do find you violating any, and I mean any of those terms, the owner of the establishment will be the least of your worries, ski instructor. I hear finding things on a mountain in a blizzard can be quite difficult. However, the cutting hex and vanishing spell are simple enough. Accio-ing your bits back, not so much!"
Harry giggled into his aunt's shoulder as she carried him away from the now very pale man who seemed to be imitating a fish. It was not the first time Aunt Bella had made a strange man look like that, but Harry certainly thought this time was the most funny.
End of Interlude
AN2: Real chapter next week! I promise! I just had this floating around in my head for a bit when I thought of some of the things Harry and Bella could have done while traveling. Bella wanted Harry to have a lot of experiences, hence the name of the interlude(s). Bella never really enjoyed male attention as a human, besides Remus and Edward, so I figured as a vampire she'd get even more. Eventually she'd just get fed up with it all, being a very independent woman/vampire and all. Here is a little of Bella and Harry- more so Bella's personality that I don't get a chance to show much.
