Meanwhile the Cullen's, the La Push wolves as well as Hayes and Nan returned back to the Cullen home.
"The nerve" Nan said still angry at the words that Lily had dared to speak about *her* child, as if she knew anything about the teen.
"We will have to be on guard" Jasper said he had felt that the group that stood before him would try something, and he wasn't really sure what they would try.
"Of course" Nan agreed, she had been watching her son the whole time during the meeting and was quite proud of her son. He had stood up to the people that had betrayed him.
"Hayes are you okay?" Esme asked seeing that Edward seemed to be wrapped tight about the smaller teen.
"Yes, just a bit shaken up" Hayes replied before snuggling into Edward's cold arms and chest. Esme nodded her head in agreement, she could only imagine what it was like for Hayes to meet his birth parents and then be told that he had a destiny that was nearly impossible to complete and still be alive.
"I think you need to lay down" Esme offered before Edward took that as his cue and picked Hayes up and carried him to their room. Edward smiled at the thought that they had a room together wondering how he had ended up with such a beautiful mate.
"Here" Edward said putting his mate down and then watching as Hayes got into bed and closed his eyes, dead tired because of the meeting. A few hours later Edward and Hayes arrived back downstairs to see that the vampires and La Push wolves were still working on a plan of attack should the wizards try anything.
"Mom" Hayes said hoping his mother wouldn't fuss at him too much about what he wanted to do.
"Hayes" Nan said breaking away from the group and making her way over to where Hayes stood in Edward's arms.
"Honey" Nan said worried now because of the expression on Hayes's face.
"Is it alright if I work on my book?" Hayes asked he wasn't sure if his mother needed him for anything but he wanted to make sure she was okay with it.
"Of course!" Nan said excited before Esme made her way over, she was the one with the art studio that they had placed his belongings into.
"Let me show you the way" Esme said an eager smile on her face, none of her children loved art as she did. Edward of course loved music but he was not skilled when dealing with a medium. Hayes smiled at Esme and then proceeded to follow the mother vampire to the door on the second floor; Esme quietly opened the door and watched Hayes's face as he got a glimpse inside the room.
"You paint?" Hayes asked before getting an affirmative answer that Esme did in fact paint. Hayes spotted his things next to a small desk on the other side of the room.
"Thank you" Hayes said sincerely before giving Esme a hug and then moving quickly over to the desk where his items were all wrapped and organized just the way he liked it.
"Protect him" Esme warned Edward before moving out of the room so that the pair could have some alone time that didn't involve Hayes sleeping while Edward watched over him. Edward grabbed the chair that was sitting by an easel.
"What are you working on?"
"Well I finished the Abraxan as you know and I'm still working on Acromantula" Hayes said before showing Edward, who was now sitting in the chair the sketch of creature in question.
"How big can they get?" Edward asked, the drawing that Hayes had created made it seem as if they could get as big as a house.
"They can get to be about the size of a small house" Hayes explained before he began to search through the bag that looked to have all of his markers.
"I need to color them" Hayes mumbled looking for the particular markers he needed for both the Abraxan and also the Acromantula that he had just completed. Edward watched his mate with love and amusement in his eyes.
"Ha ah!" Hayes said pulling out five markers that he needed. Soon he set to work coloring the drawings and making them look almost as if they could move.
"Hayes" Nan called up it was dinner time and they both needed to eat since they hadn't that morning.
"Coming" Hayes called out before leaving his book open and standing up, Edward following quickly behind him. The pair arrived to the dining room just as Esme was setting the food on the table.
"Looks and smells delicious" Hayes commented before digging into his meal.
"Hello" Nan answered her cell phone a small grin on her face.
"Ah, Hadean" Nan said her voice warm until she heard the words that the man spoke to her.
"What do you mean, he has to go. He's mine and I won't allow it"
"I don't think so" Nan said livid that her friend was telling her that Hayes would need to go to Hogwarts via some obscure law that mandated for British born wizards to attend Hogwarts.
"You can consider me not a friend" Nan said before hanging up, there was no way on God's green Earth she was going to allow her child to go to that crackpot's school only to be told what to do and how to do it.
"Totally unacceptable" Nan said before locking up the store, where she had been that day to head home to update the vampires on what had just happened. Her cell phone trilled again and she looked at the caller ID, it seemed that Hadean was calling back, there was nothing she had to say to the man any longer. He was allowing her child to go off to some school with no sort of protection and not a care in the world to what they did to him. He had even had enough gall to ask her out on a date while informing her of the news. Nan sped to the Cullen's house as fast as possible, she needed a game plan and she needed one now!
"Esme" Nan said coming through the front door and looking around of the one remaining vampire in the house. Esme came out of the kitchen with a towel in her hands.
"Nan"
"They're making him go" Nan said before she began to explain what was going on.
"I got a call from the Magical President and he told me that do to some obscure law Hayes has to return to Hogwarts because he was born in Great Britain."
"You can't be serious can you?" Esme said stunned, they needed to have a family meeting and they needed to have one now.
"I'll call Carlisle" Esme said before going over to the phone and dialing her husband's cell phone number, after a quick chat with him, Esme called the school and directed the assistant that answered the phone to pull her children out of class and send them home along with Hayes Morganroth. There was a family emergency and it dealt with Hayes as well.
"I'm not going to send him" Nan said sitting on the couch, head in her hands.
"We will figure something out" Esme said not being able to promise that they wouldn't need to send Hayes. Carlisle was the first to arrive followed by the rest of the Cullen Coven along with Hayes.
"What's going on?" Jasper said feeling the tension that was in the air between the group they had walked in on.
"The president has told me that Hayes has to go to Hogwarts because of some rule that says that if a British wizard is born they must go to Hogwarts. Time is not specified but I can only imagine what they will do for that" Nan said looking up and meeting her son's eyes. They were neon green even behind his tinted glasses; it was never a good sign when Hayes's eyes turned colors.
"I'm not going and he certainly can't make me"
"Hayes, I have a feeling we have no say so in this matter" Nan said before she noticed that all of the glass began to vibrate. Ever since Hayes had his Magical Inheritance, at the age of sixteen two years earlier than a normal wizard, he had been unable to control his magic when he was very angry or very sad.
"I'm not going" Hayes said glaring at nothing in particular he wanted to glare at the Magical President but that would do no good.
"Hayes" Nan sighed, she wasn't sure what they were going to do but she did know one thing for certain and that it was that she didn't plan to leave her son alone with that group for one moment.
"I'll come with you" Edward said wrapping his arms around Hayes and then whispering something that even the vampires in the room couldn't hear. Hayes looked up to Edward after he finished speaking.
"If you go, I go" Emmett said which then had the other vampires agreeing to go.
"Well I guess that settles things, we all go and they will just have to deal" Nan said happy that she wasn't going to be alone in trying to protect her son from the people that were certain they deserved him.
"Actually I have been asked numerous times to give a lecture to some of the Social Anthropology courses that they offer at The University of Edinburgh" Nan said remembering that just recently she had been asked once again to give a lecture on the social construct and makeup of the Quileute tribe.
"Of course someone will be with Hayes at all times, but I would love to give a lecture or two" Nan said her eyes lighting up at the prospect of being able to give a glimpse into the world of the Quileute tribe. Her husband had been the medicine man until he passed away and sadly she didn't know enough to take over where her husband left off, so they had passed the duty to the retired medicine man, Sylis' father before Hayes arrived and began learning the ways of being a medicine man.
"I'm sure I can find something to do" Carlisle said unwilling to allow his family to leave without him. Esme smiled and shooed everyone to begin packing. Hayes breathed a sigh of relief; he wouldn't be going to Great Britain alone, something that he had been worried about.
"You are still working on that book, have no doubt about that. We will be back before the end of the year and I want you to submit it to at least a few contests and publishing companies." Nan promised before she too disappeared upstairs to begin packing.
"Edward" Hayes said to the vampire teen that was holding onto him, he had something very important to tell Edward and he wanted Edward's full attention.
"Hayes" Edward said looking down in his mate's eyes and seeing that Hayes had something important to say to him.
"I need to tell you something" Hayes whispered before Edward took his hand and guided him out of the house and towards the forest where he knew no one was, at least for the time being. After about a ten minute walk they arrived to a small clearing, nothing like Edward's meadow but it was almost as good, just not as large.
"Hayes" Edward said worried, Hayes usually rambled when he was fine, but he hadn't said a peep since they left the house.
"I want you to know, no I need you to know" Hayes started out, he needed Edward to understand that there was every possibility that he would die, and Hayes wanted to make sure that he would continue on instead of following him into the neverworld.
"That if I die…."
"You will not die, I won't allow that" Edward said his eye blazing with passion and conviction.
"But if I do"
"Then we will turn you, I will not continue to exist without you by my side" Edward explained before he noticed that Hayes was about to speak again, but instead he cut him off.
"I love you" Edward said stunning Hayes into silence, Edward had never said those words to him. Hayes was silent for a few beats before blurting out:
"I love you too" Hayes said before covering his mouth with his hand, a look of sheer fright on his face at Edward's reaction to his words.
"Good" Edward said pulling Hayes's hand away from his mouth and bringing his own lips closer to Hayes's.
"Tell me if you want me to stop" Edward whispered, his cool breath caressing Hayes's face and lips. Hayes shook his head in the negative pattern before leaning the rest of the way up to kiss Edward. The kiss started out slow, a meeting of two people in love and the promise that they would be together forever. Soon Hayes needed air and Edward pulled back just enough to place his face in the crook of Hayes's neck as he got a lung full of air. The pair said nothing to each other, basking in the newly spoken love.
"We better head back" Edward said realizing that they had left and hadn't told anyone. Hayes nodded his head before the pair of them, holding hands, made their way to the house where the rest of the Cullen Coven stood looking crazed with fear along with Nan.
"Where were you?" Nan demanded of Edward, she knew that Hayes would never leave without telling her.
"We needed a bit of privacy" Edward said before bowing a bit and apologizing to Nan for leaving without letting someone know. Nan looked at Hayes and could tell that something very important had been said between the pair.
"Next time tell me, please" Nan said showing Edward how devastated she would be if she lost her heart. She had thought that when her husband, Sylis died that things would never be the same but then she saw that small bundle in her nieces hands that she was throwing into a cupboard under the stairs, and she knew then what her reason of living was, that small child who had no one. That had been abandoned by its own parents to a family that would hate and despise him for no other reason than for his magic. So she had taken the baby and raised him with all the love and caring she could give. She never lied to Hayes about how he came to live with her or about the people that called themselves his birth parents, and so she had been sick with worry over the fact that the wizards had managed to get her baby, her heart with little to no trouble.
"I am truly sorry" Edward said bowing his head, listening to the other vampires as they ranted at him for his lack of caring for Nan and their feelings.
"Stop beating him up" Hayes said he had seen Edward wince just the slightest and so he knew that the others were giving him a hard time about what had gone on, he too was at fault and he didn't want Edward taking the full blame. Everyone looked to Hayes and then nodded their heads; they could see that Edward was hurt by some of their words that they had thought.
"And apologize, I'm just as at fault as he is" Hayes said now crossing his arms over his small chest glaring at the vampires that he knew gave Edward a hard time about things. Rosalie looked everywhere but at Edward, she had been one of the loudest in Edward's head. When Hayes was certain that everyone, including Rosalie had apologized Hayes moved towards the couch and proceeded to sit on the floor next to it. Edward followed behind his mate and sat on the couch, while the rest moved with them to the living room area.
"What do you think they will do?" Hayes asked he didn't really want to even talk about what would happen while they were in England and Hogwarts specifically but he knew they had to. They needed a plan to make sure that they were covered if they tried to do something.
"Knowing them they think that once you arrive you will see the errors of your ways and beg to be part of the Potter family and the destiny that is yours for the taking" Nan said a sneer on her face, she had never liked James Potter and his cohorts, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew but Lily hadn't listened to her when she stated that James and his friends were bad news, even though James was from the Potter line, the man had little self-control and his parents had spoiled him rotten, which meant when he didn't get his way he played pranks as a form of payback. Instead Lily had said she was engaged to be married to James Potter and never bothered to invite her to the huge wedding that they had. Then again she hadn't been to the naming ceremony for James Jr., when he was two years old either.
"Do they think of me as some trained monkey that will do whatever they tell me to do?" Hayes asked he truly couldn't fathom how a group of people could be so self-centered about their part in the war in England.
"I have a feeling that they have built in their mind what you are to be like and act like, it will be of great surprise when you don't fit their mold. I already know that they will try and mold you into this person that they had pictured in their minds as the defeater of the Dark Lord, something that they did with James Jr. but failed since the boy is basically a squib." Nan explained, she was very worried that her son would bow under the pressure that the Potter's along with the rest of the British Wizarding World and others would put on him, but she knew that if he had the Cullen's and herself by his side he would stick to his guns and not cave.
"Well they're in for a surprise then" Hayes said a grin on his face as Edward ran his hand through Hayes hair as the spoke about what they thought would happen once they get there. It was then that Nan's cell phone trilled, she checked the caller ID and decided she would answer. After all she needed answers and this person was the only one who would be able to give her what she wanted, answers.
"Hello" Nan said her voice cold, letting the vampires know that she was not very happy to be speaking to the other person on the phone.
"So let's cut to the chase, when, where and how" Nan asked before she got up and made her way to a table that had a pen and paper on it. The Cullen's always kept it out for when Alice had visions that she needed to draw out.
"Yes, Yes…..okay" Nan said writing down what the person was telling her before she lifted the pen to her lips and then began to jot something else down.
"Fine" Nan said before hanging up the phone, she had nothing else to say to the other person even though they were trying to speak to her.
"So" Esme asked, she wanted to know how quickly they needed to move.
"When, where and how; I do so hate those questions" Nan said remembering the time when Jacob had pushed Hayes and he had fallen skinning his knee and bruising some of his fragile ribs.
"When is in the next couple of days, where is of course to Hogwarts but there will be a train that goes to Hogwarts and how is I have my choice of plane or port key" Nan said watching the faces in the room seeing if she could get any sort of information off their faces.
"Plane and we leave as soon as we get tickets" Carlisle said not wanting the wizards to get the advantage of being able to choose their method of arrival; something that Carlisle felt they thought they had control over.
"I'll work on that now" Esme said standing up and moving towards a laptop that happened to be sitting out. She had actually been looking online for some things to get Hayes, she always loved buying him gifts and she figured that with things being so crazy that a small token would lift the teen's spirits.
"I'll finish packing" Alice said before dancing up the stairs with her husband, followed quickly by Rosalie and Emmett.
"I think I need to pack something" Hayes said, he really didn't have that much clothing but he wasn't too keen on going back to his house to get some things, the mere thought of possibly being snatched made his stomach churn. Alice voiced drifted down the stairs from where she was currently.
"Don't worry Hayes, I have your clothes"
"That's what I'm worried about" Hayes said before smiling at the few that were still downstairs.
"I shall return" Carlisle said excusing himself and then making his way to pack up some of his things, he had no doubt that he wouldn't be able to help the witch or wizard that cared for the children when they were ill at the school, but he would be damned if he didn't bring something just in case Hayes or Nan needed his help, after all no one else was allowed to care for the pair even at the hospital.
"Hayes" Nan said looking at Edward and then Hayes, she wanted her baby to understand that she would do anything, and she meant anything to keep him safe and loved by those he chose.
"I know mom, you don't have to say it" Hayes said reading his mother like an open book.
"But I want you to understand…"
"They won't ever get me, I'm your son and I plan to keep it that way"
"Thank you" Nan sighed before pulling her baby into a hug and then giving him a kiss on the cheek before dashing off to pack up the few things she had brought with her. She had a few surprises for her son and his mate; after all they would be bound and married by the end of the year if she had any say so.
"I should pack" Edward said after they were the last two in the room, Edward knew that Esme was close by but he didn't care he needed Hayes right now; so Edward slid down the couch and leaned into Hayes before kissing him. Hayes granted Edward immediate access to his mouth and soon the pair melted into one another, and this was how Esme found the pair. They looked amazing together, you could feel the love coming off the pair in waves, something that warmed her heart and she knew that the others felt it as well it was hard not to feel the emotions running throughout the house. Esme hated to break the pair up, but they were now on a very tight schedule, they had about five hours before they would be on plane to their destination of Scotland. She figured that the wizards would try and keep Hayes off balance by making him take some obscure way to get to the school, so instead they would arrive to the airport in Aberdeen, after arriving to London's Heathrow airport.
"Boys" Esme said which had Edward pulling away from his mate slowly, knowing that Esme was sorry to interrupt.
"Esme" Hayes said blushing; she had caught them kissing something that he knew his mother would love to give him a hard time about.
"Edward you need to pack, we have about five hours before our plane leaves from Seattle" Esme said before Edward nodded his head and stood up with one last kiss to Hayes's lips. Hayes on the other hand followed Edward standing up and then followed the vampire to his room to pack. Edward was soon packing things to wear around the Hogwarts' ground. He had no doubt that the wizards thought that Hayes would arrive alone, so they would be surprised to see a contingent of vampires and Hayes's mother with him when he arrived. There would be nothing they could say, for if they weren't granted entrance then Hayes would return back home to Forks, something that they knew the wizards wouldn't allow. They had after all gone through all this trouble to get him back, only to let him slip away because of who he brought with him.
"Do you think everything will be fine" Hayes said playing with the ribbon wrapped around his left hand, admiring the beauty of it with the Cullen crest proudly displayed in silver on the wide black ribbon, the Cullen's family colors.
"I think things will work out, but I have no idea if they will be fine" Edward said frankly there was no way to know what the wizards would and wouldn't do about Hayes and their arrival but he knew that in the end Hayes would be his mate and they would be together with their family for eternity. Hayes nodded his head at the words while quietly telling Edward which items to bring with him, he always loved Edward in either a deep blue or a deep green, they brought out the color of his unnatural amber eyes.
"Everyone" Edward heard Esme said after about two hours later. Everyone opened their doors at the same time and began descending the stairs with suitcases in hand. Jasper had his fair share since Alice had bought and packed all of Hayes's clothing. She had seen this months ago and had made sure that no one knew, for there were things that still needed to be decided but in the end Hayes would be their latest and last vampire for the coven. Everyone was gathered in the living room, their Louis Vuitton suitcases and bags at their feet.
"We better get going" Esme said looking at her husband before everyone made their way to the garage to load the cars up.
"Where are we going to park these?" Hayes said worried about how much it would cost to keep the cars in parking at the airport.
"There's a small car parking lot for long term travelers at Seattle's airport" Carlisle explained before the cars were loaded up and soon where pulling out of the house with the passengers inside.