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Warning: violence, swearing
As the sun slowly rose in the sky, Carlisle was absentmindedly drumming his fingertips on the edge of his desk.
He wasn't entirely sure whether to be disappointed or relieved that the Blacks were neutral. Hopefully this way it would be easier to steer them in the right direction, especially considering Edward's friendship with the boy. Maybe Esme would be able to convince the older one too, and then they wouldn't need to worry about any opposition.
Of course, they might prefer to stay neutral like those wretched wolves. However, he didn't understand why wizards wouldn't pick a side. It was their war, after all.
Frankly, the uncertainty worried him: he liked to be in control. Not knowing, not being able to say for sure what would happen, always wore down his calm façade.
He tried to push the concerns out of his mind. Right now, concentrating on today's attack was the most important thing.
"Any plans for today Harry?"
Harry looked up at his godfather and hastily swallowed his mouthful of cereal. "I'm meeting Edward at 3 o'clock, and then we thought we could meet up with you and Esme at 5 o'clock when you finish work?"
Sirius gulped. "To find out about her feelings on the war?"
The younger wizard nodded, and added, "Edward thinks it's the best way. We decided that if we needed, to we could obliviate her."
Sighing, Sirius admitted that it was worth a shot. He put down the rest of his toast, his appetite gone. Esme was the only person in Forks that he had to talk to apart from Harry. He couldn't help but desperately hope that she would want to turn from her family.
He was brought out of his thoughts by his godson telling him that he was going upstairs to do some homework. He looked up, and just as Harry was about to walk out the kitchen door, he called, "Oh Harry, before I forget!" He waited until he was sure he had Harry's complete attention before he continued, "I don't want you to go on the Indian Reservation, or at least not by yourself."
"Why not?" the younger wizard asked interestedly. His curiosity only grew when his godfather averted his eyes, and his cheeks reddened. "Why not?" he repeated slightly impatiently.
Pushing down his embarrassment, Sirius looked up. "I went for a run as Padfoot, and ran into some sort of giant wolf, although I'm pretty sure it wasn't just an ordinary wolf. I mean it didn't attack me or anything, and I know you can defend yourself, but…"
"You'd feel better if I avoided it anyway?" Harry supplied. He felt slightly irritated at being mollycoddled, but he squashed the feeling, reminding himself that Sirius was just trying to look out for him.
Sirius nodded, glad that Harry wasn't angry with him. Casting a quick tempus, he realised it was getting on for quarter to 10. "Right, I'm off to work. I'll see you at 5?"
Once Esme had left for work, the rest of the Cullens jumped into action. Edward stood to one side, attempting to make it look like he was interested.
Alice and Rosalie rushed upstairs to put on clothing suitable for fighting, and Edward rolled his eyes as he heard Alice complaining about how unfashionable she was going to look.
Addressing his sons, Carlisle said, "I've got some human weapons for us to use." He unzipped the large suitcase on the dining table, and starting carefully extracting its contents. Seeing the questioning look that Emmett and Edward shared, he explained, "Those who learn magic tend to neglect physical fighting. Their offensive spells will merely glance off our skin, and so with our speed and arms we will easily overcome them."
The eldest vampire gently tucked his weapons of choice into his holster. Lining the rest up on the table, he waited for his children to choose their own.
"A gravity knife!" Emmett shouted excitedly. "I've always wanted to use one of these!" He grabbed the weapon and peered at in with intense interest.
Although Jasper was more reserved with his inspection of the different knives, he was completely in his element. Pulling a sword cane from the table, it struck him as similar to the thin but deadly Cavalry Saber he'd used in the Confederate Army. He admired the intricate dragon carving at the top of the cane, before slowly removing the cane shaft to reveal the blade beneath.
Happy with their attire, the girls flitted back downstairs. They held little interest in the specifics of the weapons in front of them, so they each just picked out a couple with lethal-looking blades.
Once the table was bare, Carlisle cleared his throat. "Remember to stick to the plan: we can't have the humans suspecting us. Use your knives, rip them apart or crush them to death, but don't drain them. We've all fed well, so I trust you all to have the restraint to remain vegetarian."
"Will their blood be like James'?" asked Jasper worriedly. He didn't think he'd be able to resist the bloodlust otherwise.
Carlisle nodded. "Anyone with magic will have blood like his. However, there may well be muggle relatives or even squibs, who will smell like ordinary humans."
Edward waved them off as they got into the least ostentatious car in the garage. He swallowed down his disgust as he wished them luck and told Emmett to 'get one' for him.
Having decided to meet for a couple of hours before going to see Esme and Sirius, Edward was sitting on a bench in the park, waiting for James to meet him.
Hopefully James would be able to distract him from the imminent conversation. Despite their memory-removing back-up plan, he really wasn't looking forward to it. If Esme wasn't with him he would lose all his family, and he didn't think he could handle that. He'd already lost his human family, and he would be devastated to lose all of his vampire family too.
He raised his head as he caught James' familiar scent.
"Hey Edward." Harry said, plopping himself down onto the bench.
"Hey yourself."
Seeing the vampire's slightly strained smile, Harry asked gently, "Ready for later?"
Edward shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be."
Attempting to take Edward's mind off his worries, Harry launched into an anecdote about him and Sirius going out for lunch the day before. "… and then he still wrote his number on the bill, despite a warning from the manager about harassing the staff!"
Edward chuckled. "I can't believe he thought that the waitress was flirting with him rather than you!"
"Well, Paddy's always been a bit of a ladies' man from what I've heard. I don't think he can face the idea that he might be losing his touch."
"But if she was about 18, then surely she'd be more likely to go for you anyway? It's not exactly insulting if someone 20 years younger than you doesn't fancy you."
"I think he was just taking advantage of my surprise. I don't normally get hit on by strangers." Or at least, not in the muggle world, Harry thought.
Edward bit back a comment about how he wasn't surprised that he got hit on, in case he made James uncomfortable.
A sudden strong burst of wind made Harry shiver.
Edward quickly shrugged out of his jacket. "Here." he said softly, draping it over the younger boy's shoulders. At James' grateful look, he shot him a crooked grin.
As he snuggled into the warmth of the jacket, Harry couldn't help but notice how good it smelled. Surreptitiously he turned his head slightly and took a deeper breath, letting the sweet scent fill his nostrils. He jumped slightly as he heard Edward's voice.
"Just to check, can I call your godfather 'Paddy'?"
"Yes definitely. He'd hate it if you called him 'Mr Black'. I think it makes him feel old."
Edward laughed. He couldn't wait to meet James' godfather: he sounded like a very interesting man. Then he scrunched his face up in confusion. "If Paddy isn't your father, why do you share a surname?"
Harry froze. Shit.
"Er… he adopted me?" he offered weakly. His statement came out as more of a question, so he was relieved when Edward didn't comment other than cocking an eyebrow.
Desperately grasping for something to change the subject with, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind: "How did you become a vampire?" Realising how intrusive the question was, he hurriedly added, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I mean… I know it's personal." Remembering that they were in a public place, he quickly cast a muffliato, so they wouldn't be overheard.
Edward shook his head in amusement. James' reluctance to offend others was very endearing. Maybe if he shared his own story, the other boy would be willing to tell him about his own.
Harry listened attentively as Edward told him about the Spanish influenza, his parents' deaths, and Carlisle saving him. He was confused about the slight bitterness he detected in the older boy's words, until he heard: "You know, I often wish he hadn't saved me. I think it would have been better to die then, than to live now as a soulless monster."
A rush a pity, followed quickly by anger went through Harry. "I can promise you Edward, you most definitely do have a soul." he ground out. Before the vampire could interrupt, he put up his hand and continued. "I've met lots of magical creatures in my time; giants, werewolves, merepeople, centaurs, and even an acromantula! If a giant spider that tried to eat me has a soul, then I can guarantee that you do too."
Edward blinked in surprise: no one had ever defended him or his soul so vehemently before. Looking down at his lap, he apologised, "I'm sorry James, I just… I end up feeling like I'm a bit of a monster sometimes."
"The fact that you are even able to consider that you might have a monstrous nature must mean you have a soul." Harry insisted stubbornly.
Deciding to let the matter drop for now, Edward latched onto something that had caught his curiosity during James' rant. "You mentioned werewolves a minute ago. Does that mean you've met the Quileutes?"
"Huh?" Harry asked eloquently.
Edward suppressed a laugh. "Maybe not then. In La Push there is a pack of werewolves and I thought you might have come across them."
The memory of talking to Sirius that morning entered Harry's mind. "Wait! Si- my godfather said something about running into a wolf. He thought it felt unnatural."
"Ah right. Well we have a treaty with them; so long as we don't bite a human or go on their land, they won't expose us."
"What!? But you're vegetarians!" Harry said indignantly. "What about them! How is it not dangerous when there's a pack of werewolves running around at full moon uncontrolled!?"
Edward looked at the smaller boy in confusion. "They would never hurt a human: they're only a danger to us. And what does the full moon have to do with anything?"
"Come on Edward." Harry rolled his eyes. "Everyone knows that werewolves only transform on the full moon."
The vampire laughed. "No, the Quileutes can transform at any time."
Harry blinked in surprise. "Huh. Well they aren't real werewolves then." He tilted his head to one side and considered it for a minute. "They must be shape-shifters or something…"
"You'd better not tell them that!" Edward chuckled. "I don't think they'd appreciate being called a fake werewolf." When James made no move to continue the conversation, he asked hesitantly, "You know my story now, may I know yours?"
Biting his lip, Harry thought about what he could tell the vampire. He trusted him, but he wasn't ready for him to find out exactly who he was just yet. "Well you already know that Voldemort killed by parents, and after that I lived with my aunt and uncle. When I was eleven I got my Hogwarts letter." Checking Edward's face for comprehension, he continued, "I met my best friends and gained a second family at school, and I was the happiest I'd ever been."
Edward watched as James' emerald eyes started to glisten with tears.
"After the final battle, everything changed. Voldemort was dead, and so were many of my friends and members of my second family. Those who were still alive abandoned me. Paddy was the only person who stuck by me, and to avoid what was happening back home, we moved here."
Seeing that James was desperately fighting tears, Edward shuffled along the bench and put his arm around the younger boy's shoulder. He decided that words wouldn't be of any use, so he just slowly rubbed James' shoulder, reminding him that he wasn't alone.
Knowing that Edward was there for him gave Harry the strength to hold back his tears. Taking a few deep breaths, Harry looked into the vampire's warm golden eyes, and whispered, "Thank you."
Edward squeezed his shoulder, before withdrawing his arm completely.
After thinking for a minute, Harry promised, "One day I'll tell you everything, but I can't right now." The understanding in Edward's eyes made him breathe a sigh of relief.
Edward checked his watch, and seeing the time hastily stood up. "It's almost time to meet at the shop. Shall we?"
The Cullens spread out around perimeters of the settlement.
Carlisle spotted faint green sparks in the distance. This was the Carrows' signal that the floos had been blocked, and anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards had been put in place. As much as the idea of acting like an animal disgusted him, the Cullen patriarch threw back his head and howled twice in succession.
Hearing Carlisle's signal the other four darted forwards instantly, honing in on their prey.
Emmett crashed through the window of the first house he saw. Avoiding the curses that were thrown at him, he quickly pinned the middle-aged witch to the floor and quickly slit her throat. He turned instantly as her muggle-scented husband attempted to smash him over the head with a vase. Growling animalistically, he ripped the man's head from his shoulders in one movement. Walking outside whistling, he headed to the house next-door.
Alice ran through the streets, setting houses alight and attacking anyone who tried to get past. The wizards who rushed outside to douse the flames were easily taken care of.
Jasper walked calmly into a manor house. Entering the dining room, he started barking out orders. His authoritative tone, threatening demeanour and raised sword meant that in less than a minute the entire family were lined up in front of him. He sprinted at each, expertly killing each of them with just one thrust of his sword through their chests. In less than thirty seconds all 14 lay dead on the floor.
Carlisle sprinted around the perimeter, cutting off anyone who attempted to escape.
Rosalie kicked down the door in front of her and burst into the dining room. The family sat there silently in shock, staring at the beautiful but wild-looking woman, until she rammed a knife into the chest of the family matriarch. Finally realised the danger, the children started to cry and scream, while the men desperately tried to protect them. Rosalie faltered: could she really kill children?
The hands of the clock slowly dragged themselves towards 5 o'clock.
As soon as the last customer left, Sirius threw himself into the nearest available chair. Bloody hell, and he'd thought his first shift had been bad! His day had start off just brilliantly when some horrible snot-nosed kid kicked up a tantrum when he wasn't allowed two cakes. Then when his mum had finally given in and Sirius was handing them over, the disgusting creature had thrown up all over him.
Despite frantically scrubbing off the mess, the next three people in the queue had told him to take a bath!
Then, around lunchtime, a man had come in and given him a 10 minute lecture on how to make an omelette in a plastic bag. He'd then been quizzed for a further 10 minutes on the exact quantities of the ingredients and the precise timings of the cooking. Clearly the man was eventually satisfied that Sirius would be able to make the dish, as he happily went off with his cake. After a couple of minutes, the man's wife had come up and apologised profusely, before telling him not to make it because it would probably poison him!
From now on, he would avoid Mr Newton at all costs.
Luckily the afternoon had passed without incident, but he was still utterly exhausted.
He turned around as he heard a soft laugh behind him. Esme walked towards him and settled in the seat opposite. "Sorry about today." she started. "You seem to have the worst luck when it comes to customers somehow."
Sirius grinned. "Maybe I just attract the loons."
"Well, it definitely makes things more interesting!" Esme giggled. "Despite everything that gets thrown at you, you've done amazingly well. I think you'll do very well at this job, and I'm really happy to have you on the staff."
Sirius beamed. He was relieved that he was actually doing well. He'd been really worried about being able to cope working with muggles, but it seemed that despite Harry's doubts, he was capable of becoming a part of their world.
They both turned around as there was a loud knock on the front door of the cake shop.
Esme was surprised to see her son and another boy at the door, and turned to Paddy letting her confusion show, so he would know that it was unplanned.
"Sorry!" He said sheepishly, running his hand through his hair. "Ha- James did mention that they would be coming over when we finished at 5."
Ah. So the other boy was James. Esme hurried to unlock the door and let the boys in.
Edward smiled widely at his mum. "Hey Esme, I hope you don't mind us intruding."
She returned his smile, saying, "Don't be silly dear, of course I don't mind!"
Harry felt a small wave of sadness. Esme reminded him a lot of Mrs Weasley, with the way she seemed happy to see her son, and her use of loving endearments. He attempted to push the thoughts out and concentrate on the task at hand. This wasn't the time to get lost in old memories.
Esme then turned to the boy standing quietly by the door. "And you must be James?"
"That's right Mrs Cullen." he agreed, and then added, "It's lovely to meet you."
Smiling, Esme said, "Do call me Esme, please. 'Mrs Cullen' makes me feel old!"
Sensing that James would be fine with Esme, Edward briskly walked over to the man at the table who he assumed was James' godfather, and stuck out his hand. "It's nice to meet you Paddy; I've heard lots about you from James!"
Surprised but pleased, Sirius grabbed the vampire's hand and shook it warmly, saying, "All bad I hope?"
Edward winked at him. "That would be telling." Then he gestured to the seat next to him, "May I?"
"Go for it."
Harry and Esme made their way over, and sat in the two remaining chairs.
Sensing the slightly uneasy atmosphere around the table, Esme asked worriedly, "Now, what did you need to talk about? I'm assuming it's something important."
When the others kept quiet, Harry sighed and decided to take charge. Muttering under his breath he cast a silencing charm around them, so that any eavesdroppers would be sorely disappointed.
He decided it would be best to get straight down to business. Having heard about what Edward said to Carlisle, Harry started, "I don't know if Mr Cullen told you, but I'm neutral in this war, and so is Paddy." When he saw his godfather open his mouth to protest, he quickly kicked him in the shin as a warning.
Esme was slightly confused. Why would it matter whether the Blacks were neutral or not?
"Edward mentioned that you didn't always seem completely comfortable with the things your family does for the war." Ignoring Edward's glare, he continued, "We know about the attack today, and the fact that you didn't want to join in. I can guarantee you that any future attacks will almost certainly be crueller and on a larger scale. The Death Eaters won't rest until everyone who opposed Voldemort is dead."
Unwilling to get too hopeful, Esme questioned timidly, "What are you saying?"
Harry took a deep breath: it was now or never. "I'm saying… if you want to go against your family, we will protect you."
Had Esme had a beating heart, it would have leapt in her chest. She turned to her eldest son, scarcely able to believe it. "Edward?"
Edward looked his adoptive mother straight in the eye, and said as calmly as he could, "I can't do the things Carlisle asks of me. I've been thinking about it for a while now, and I don't agree with what we're fighting for. James has offered to help me, and I wanted to give you the chance too."
Esme was torn. She agreed completely with Edward, and wanted nothing more than to become neutral. However, there was her family to think about. Carlisle had rescued her and fixed her wounds, both physical and mental, and although she'd still have Edward if she defected, she'd lose the rest of her adopted children.
"I… I don't know." Esme stuttered. "Can I have a minute?"
Harry nodded and conjured a smaller silence ward around himself, Edward and Sirius. "What is she thinking?" he asked the telepathic vampire.
Edward briefly concentrated on Esme's thoughts, and then replied, "She desperately wants to say yes, but she doesn't want to lose her family."
Harry dropped the ward. "Esme?" Once he had her attention, he continued, "I lost my family to Voldemort when I was a baby. More recently I lost all of my second family apart from my godfather, as well as all my friends. Sometimes you have to lose the people you love by doing what is right, so if you accept our offer we will completely support you. You and Edward will still stay at your house, and for as long as you can remain above suspicion you will still have your family."
Esme looked at the young wizard in front of her with new eyes. The poor boy had been through so much in his short years, and yet he was still willing to offer help to those in need, even vampires. Her eyes shining with venomous tears that would never fall, she whispered, "Okay, I'll do it."
Finally, there was silence.
Smoke rose solemnly from multiple buildings, their inhabitants almost certainly burned to unrecognition.
Apart from the odd mangled body strewn by the side of the road and the five vampires surveying their work, the streets were empty. Autumnal leaves glistened with deep red blood in the fading light. The pavements were scattered with droplets of the humans' lifeblood, which had fallen from the vampire's saturated clothes.
The scent of blood was thick in the air, although that of the wizards' blood managed to overpower the pull of the muggles' blood.
They felt satisfaction and triumph: everything had gone according to plan. The magical government was still none the wiser and all of the citizens had been wiped out.
Had Jasper still been human, his adrenaline would have still been pumping around his body at top speed. He'd overcome his bloodlust, and still been able to kill. He'd suffered when feeling the fear and pain of his victims when in Maria's army, but today he had just felt powerful. Their pain had given him strength. He remembered the feeling from further back when he'd been the Major, and he couldn't wait for the next attack.
Only slightly weary after the attack, they starting walking back to the perimeter at a human pace.
Suddenly, all five of them snapped their heads up when a faint sobbing was heard. Emmett spotted the child first and grabbed a knife, but Jasper grabbed his arm, offering to take care of it.
Rosalie closed her eyes, but that didn't stop her from hearing the sound of a blade being roughly pushed through flesh. once she was certain that it was over, she opened her eyes, refusing to look in the direction that she knew the body lay.
Carlisle took one last triumphant look at the destroyed village. "Let's go."
Just in case you were wondering… YES, the omelette thing has actually happened to me when at work!