I do not own Twilight or Harry Potter.

Previously:

We were in close proximity. Too close. I looked away. I could feel his breath on me as he looked at me. My lips ached to touch his. I couldn't bear this. I cleared my throat and stood up. I barely felt a sting. I looked at him.

"I should get to bed. Wait! Actually, I'm going to clean up the kitchen, and then I'm going to go to bed." I spoke.

He also stood. "Bella, you are not going to clean the kitchen. You'll get cut even more because you are barefoot. Let me do it." He glared at me as I glared at him.

I huffed. "Fine! You win, but only because I really don't fight with you right now. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

I walked up to my room and settled underneath the soft covers. Soon, I was out like a light. I was also afraid of what the coming days would bring.

Now:

The days passed slowly. There was a nagging in my chest that warned me of nearby danger, and that nagging was incessant. In order to get some separation from the Cullen's, I decided to go back to Charlie's home for the rest of my stay in Forks. I could use my magic freely there, and if there was any trouble, I wouldn't reveal myself like I had done previously. The memories of each Cullen remained in my trunk and I didn't want to leave them unprotected either.

Of course I knew my decision would bring up a fight, but I never predicted it would be this big. And I couldn't use any of my reasons because they all had to do with the Wizarding World.

"You're dad said that you are to stay with us, so you're not going anywhere!"

"I can't allow you to leave. I'm sorry."

"We won't lose you again."

I was getting angry quickly. They didn't control me!

"Who are you to say I can't leave? You're not my keepers. I'm eighteen and a legal adult. I can do as I please! If I want to leave, I can," I said hotly.

"You can't leave without a doctors consent to saying you are well enough. When we signed you out, I directly put that I will watch over you and make sure you stay safe. If you refuse to cooperate, I can have you kept under suicide watch at the hospital. We don't want anything to happen to you, and I will make sure you are kept safe to the best of my ability," Carlisle said.

Tears of anger and sadness formed. "I would never try to kill myself! I don't know what crazy image of me that you have in your mind, but I am not that kind of person! I like my life just the way it is! I would never do anything to risk everything I have and the people that love me and have faith in me! You have no idea how many people believe in me-!"

I stopped abruptly. They couldn't know. Not yet.

"I just want to go somewhere where I feel safe and have my own privacy." I quickly blurted out.

Carlisle narrowed his eyes and studied me briefly, to see if I was telling the truth. Surprisingly, a part of me was honest about that. In the corner of my eye, Edward opened his mouth to protest.

"Carlisle, I don't think-"

"Fine. You can go back home. But, I will stop there once a day, accompanied by Jasper. I will release you from my custody legally and you'll be left alone for the better part of your time."

"Thank you, Carlisle."

After that battle was done with, I hurried to pack, folding up my clothes just because. I smiled as I packed the dress I'd borrowed from Alice for the single prom I attended. That brought back soft, innocent memories. I zipped up the bag quickly, and carried it down the staircase, ready to say my goodbyes.

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"Bye, Bella," Alice waved as she drove off from my home.

I watched her until her car rounded the corner, and then made my way to the porch. The key was still under the eave and I pushed the door open gently. I slipped out of my shoes at the front door and dropped my bag off in my room. There was nothing in the kitchen to eat, so I ignored my growling stomach. I'd go get groceries later.

I picked up around the house vacuuming, dusting, wiping, scrubbing, and coaxing dirt from areas in the house. I put the old laundry to wash and mopped the kitchen. I wondered when it was last clean because as soon as the mop touched the floor, the mop turned black, and the floor turned this really bright white I had never imagined was there.

My loose hair kept blocking my view so I put it up, but a few stubborn tendrils refused to cooperate. Finally, finally, finally, the house was spotless. I could now sit on the couch and dust wouldn't come flying off because I vacuumed the couch clean. Yes, I was that stubborn!

After tiredly putting the cleaning supplies back in the laundry room, I removed my dirty black gloves and threw them in the trash. Then I gathered a clean pair of clothes from my room and took the longest shower I'd ever taken. I scrubbed so hard that my skin turned red and brought tears to my eyes.

"Ah!" I shrieked at the sudden pain that made me keel over. The beads of water beat against my head, making my hair stick to my face.

My blurry face stared back at me. The mirror was old and dirty. The room in the reflection was wooden, and dark. A single dim light bulb barely illuminated the room, and all I could see was my face. I stared back at myself.

My eyes…were not my eyes. They looked like tiny slits carved in my face. I blinked and frantically ran my hands over my face. When I stared at the mirror, Voldemort smirked back at me.

"We meet again…Isabella."

The way he spat my name was frightening.

He continued. "I hope you have no hard feelings against me for trying to kill your friends…I was trying to get you." He smiled sickeningly.

"What do you want from-"

He screeched suddenly, his voice rising higher and higher, it was so loud now, my ears were almost bleeding and-

"NOW!"

Shadows upon shadows of cloaks and faces all mixed together to make this overwhelming sense of darkness and it coming closer and closer, it was going to swallow me up and-

The scalding hot water brought me back to reality. My vision was blurry and I felt like I was burning. I slammed the knob of water shut, cutting off all water supplies to the shower. My skin was nearly bleeding in some places and an irritated red in others. It hurt so badly that I had to grip the sides of the tub to get out. I lightly toweled myself dry and dressed.

Throwing my dirty things in the laundry room, I headed downstairs to go get groceries. It was 5:30, and the store didn't close until 7 p.m., so I hopped in the car and made my way closer into town.

Everything looked so different now. There was more joy as I gazed across the front lawns of the townspeople. The grass was a light green and the sun was just beginning to set, casting an orange glow across the rooftops. The overpopulating tall, green trees added an adoring feeling to the town, as if it was perfect.

When I arrived at the grocery store, I entered the store preparing for nosy stares. And I did get them. But it was a bit easier to ignore them than usual. I filled my cart with a few vegetables, a lot of fruit, pop tarts, meat, bread, milk, juice, fish and condiments. When I went to get in line to check out, Eric was the one who was checking me out.

"Hey, Bella…you look good."

"Thanks, Eric."

He seemed hesitant. "So…did you know that the Cullen's are back in town?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Oh. Nothing."

I loathed the fact that he thought I would go breaking down. Granted, I was depressed for months, but can't a person get over something without it being the end of the world?

I quickly loaded the truck up and left, heading back home. As I drove, I could have sworn something was following me. I repeatedly glanced in the side mirrors trying to catch a glimpse at what it was.

By the time I arrived home, the sky was pitch black. A light breeze swept the throughout the trees and made the tree branches wave uncontrollably. I flipped on the lights throughout the house and put the groceries away. Then, I took out a bowl of soup to heat on the stove and poured it into a small pan. After quickly eating and washing the dishes, I went upstairs to relax. I knew I needed to mull over what had happened recently and make a new plan.

When I was carefully situated on my bed, I began to think. Although Sirius' death still saddened me to the point of tears, I needed to focus. I could tell the Cullen's what I was, but that would give them free access to a more vulnerable me. Yet I knew I was strong and had faced worse. So that was that and suddenly…it became so simple. Tell them, give them back their memories, and explain. It was better to do it sooner rather than later. Then I could return to Hogwarts in time for sixth year. I was already caught up because I'd studied so hard to learn everything I needed to pass the N.E.W.T.s I missed each year that I wasn't there.

I settled in bed and turned off my light. As I stared at the ceiling willing myself to sleep, I thought things were beginning to look up.

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I managed to wrestle my Hogwarts school trunk into the back of my truck. It was around seven o'clock in the morning and I'd already showered, dressed, and eaten. That was new record for me. But now, I couldn't find my keys. They were nowhere in sight! I checked under every large piece of furniture, in the cabinets, drawers, shelves, even the plants. And I finally spotted them on the kitchen counter. I laughed to myself, feeling like a broomhead. They'd been in plain sight the entire time. I snatched them up and headed towards the Cullen household.

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I parked the driveway, fiddling nervously with the bottom of my blouse. I breathed slowly, calming myself over non-existent and ridiculous fears. It would be all right. I let my mind's shield slip a bit, just so Jasper could read my mood and Alice could see my future. I exited my vehicle and pulled my school trunk from the back of my truck and hauled it up the porch steps, ready to tell and share.

The door opened before I knocked and Esme let me in, confused. I led myself to the living room and laid my trunk down on the ground, unlocking it but not opening it.

"Can you all come down here please?" I asked softly, knowing they'd all hear me. As expected, they had all sat down on the couches a moment later.

I choose my next words carefully, looking everyone in the eye. "I haven't been completely truthful about everything. You see, I'm not who you think I am. Yes, my name is Isabella Marie, but my surname is Jennings. I am a witch, and a lot you know about me is not the truth. First of all, Charlie is not my father and Renee is not my mother. In fact, I hadn't even known them until two years ago. My real parents were killed when I was one and I was sent off to my aunt and uncle's. They were wretched. It was absolutely horrible living with them because they treated me as if I didn't exist. I even lived in a small cupboard until I was nearly eleven. I never grew up knowing my true heritage and who I was.

"On my eleventh birthday, Hagrid, the gamekeeper at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, came to take me to Hogwarts to learn magic. He was surprised that I knew nothing of witches and wizards and angered that I thought my parents had dies in a car crash. He took me to get supplies and even bought me an owl once I opened my acceptance letter to Hogwarts. I was overjoyed! I spent the better part of the next four years at Hogwarts, only going to my Uncle Vernon's every summer holiday and traumatizing my bratty cousin.

"I was pulled out suddenly after my fourth year because a very bad man, Voldemort, had been resurrected from the brink of death and was out to kill me. They placed me here in Forks so that no one from the Wizarding World would harm me. I was to hide everything from everyone until it was safe enough for me to return. They feared that Voldemort would kill me. Everyone refers to Voldemort as You-Know-Who or He-Who-Shall-Not-Be Named because they're afraid. Voldemort is an evil wizard. But most witches and wizards live peacefully with each other, other species and muggles, the non-magic folk. Most don't take advantage of what they can do. But Voldemort wanted power, and lots of it. Because of his pure blood status, he thought he was better than everyone else. Before you ask, there are three types of witches and wizards. There's a pure blood, which is where you have a long line of magical ancestors and very little, if any muggle blood. If you only stick to those of magical blood, then it would be incest. Most people have had to go with muggles otherwise the whole family would die out. Then there are half-bloods. That's where you're mother and father are both witches and wizards, but you have muggle blood in you too. One of your parents could be a muggle too, but it's still the same. Then there's muggle-borns. That's where none of your family are witches or wizards, but you are. They are very rare, but one of my best friends is a muggle born.

"Anyway, Voldemort used to be a boy named Tom Riddle, but took his original name and transformed it into Voldemort. He believed that muggle borns were unworthy to study magic, and don't belong in our world. So he killed them. He was uncontrollable. His followers, called Death Eaters, all had matching mark to identify them as such and went around killing muggle-borns and even muggles just for fun. Our world lived in fear of him, even the Ministry of Magic. He had a dark mark too, which was used to tell everyone that he'd been there. He used them on the homes of his victims. There is only one person he is scared of, and that is Dumbledore. Dumbledore is the greatest sorcerer of all time, and the only one who was strong enough to fight against him.

"He began a group called the Order of The Phoenix, who fought against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. The Order thwarted him quite a lot, but people were still being killed. Each side fought for dominance. Then, he changed. He didn't go after muggle born, primarily. He wanted more power. He went and tried to recruit the strongest witches and wizards around, my parents being one of them. Of course, he didn't just knock on your door. He'd threaten your family and friends, he would follow you and attack you, ruin everything you had until you had nothing left other than to accept. Anyone who still said no, were killed.

"My parents refused. They had me and hid from him as long as possible. But he had heard a prophecy about me. It went like this: She who must conquer the Dark Lord, is born as the ninth month begins, whose parents have thrice defied him. Neither can live will the other survives. Voldemort thought it was me, because everything fit. On Halloween night, he tried to kill me. He'd already murdered my parents. But he didn't make it, because my mother had put a secret protection on me with love, right before he killed her. His greatest weakness was love and he failed. They spell rebounded and made him so weak. But he managed to live and he returned a few years ago.

"Recently, he has threatened me and even killed someone I loved dearly. There are some things that have taken place that you do not remember because you didn't know anything yet and your memories have been saved. So, after you remember, I will be happy to answer any questions you may have."

I opened the heavy lid to my trunk and passed around each person's memory to them. They all drunk it in one quick gulp and I waited expectantly for their curious eyes.

"Can you prove that you really are a witch? Like show us something, for instance?" Alice asked.

"I can't actually. The Ministry of Magic prohibits it to underage witches and wizards. To be of age, you need to be at least seventeen. I'm sixteen. I needed to pose a bit older, because I really wanted to be an adult or close to it. But my birthday is on the 13th of September."

Emmett went. "What's the Ministry of Magic?"

And so the questions began. I answered question after question until the sky turned dark. The worst was done and over with. Surprisingly, no one had overreacted of been tremendously shocked. I guess since vampires were possible, so were a lot of other things.

Then came the dreaded question that I'd been avoiding all evening:

"Why didn't you tell us before?"

I sighed. "You have to understand that this is not only my secret. There are thousands like me that are depending on me to keep them safe. I had to make sure I could trust you. After you told me your secret, I wanted so badly to tell you mine, because I finally trusted you. So I asked permission from Dumbledore. This had turned into something much more than just staying here for my safety. But Dumbledore didn't think it was the right time and I kept my mouth shut. When he finally allowed it again, it was a few days before my birthday and I was gathering up the courage to tell you. Then, you left. When you all came back, Dumbledore wasn't stopping me, but I didn't trust you yet with the knowledge of my people. I thought I had known you. But, a part of felt betrayed still. I chose to do this today because you earned back my trust and realized that you couldn't dictate my life. You let me go back home. And now that you know, you can join me at Hogwarts. Your very presence there will scare some Death Eaters off. So, what do you say?"

Silence greeted me for a few moments before quiet murmurs broke out, all directed to Carlisle since he was the leader. He considered each opinion with an explanation I couldn't hear and I leaned back on the couch. It made sense that they didn't believe immediately. I mean, I wouldn't, unless I was given proof.

Finally, they reached a decision.

"Ok. We'll go."

And it was that simple. They were rewarded with a brilliant smile from me. Now, nothing was a lie between us. I felt relief at the thought. I was honored that they trusted me so much that they went on my word.

"Great," I said, clapping my hands together, "You'll need to pack for a long-term stay at a safehouse before we can do any shopping. Bring anything valuable, but don't bring more than one suitcase. If needed, I'll expand it with a charm. We'll leave tomorrow morning at seven a.m. I'll write to Dumbledore immediately and tell him where we'll be going. Hopefully he can get a portkey over here quickly."

We disbanded from our little meeting and I searched for a piece of parchment in my trunk with a quill and ink. I asked him about asking the Minister to legally allow me to perform some magic for the next twenty four hours and get me a legal portkey to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, London. I told him that I had told the Cullen's and that they were coming with me. After I signed my name at the bottom, I went outside to the front porch and yelled for Hedwig. My snowy white owl flew towards me, and landed on the rail. I stroked her wing softly, smoothing her feathers down.

"Hey, Hedwig. Are you doing okay?"

She nodded her small, fluffy head at me.

"Well, I have a letter for Dumbledore. It's something he needs to read tonight. Think you can do it?"

She nodded once more.

I tied the letter to her foot and sent her off. When I turned to get back inside, the family was staring at me.

"That was my owl," I explained, "I bought her when I first found out about the Wizarding World. She's grown up with me ever since the Dursley's. So, when I get permission to perform magic, I'll prove it."

We all went inside, where Alice begged me to help her pack. I couldn't really refuse, because she was like the sister I never had.

"What's the weather like over there? Is it cold? Because then I'll need to pack heavy to act like everyone else. Oh! Look at this sweater and this skirt! Perfect for-"

"Alice, you won't need to blend in over there. Every witch and wizard knows about the existence of vampires. We've known about them for years, and some even hang out in Diagon Alley. And they're not afraid of you. There are many spells that will protect them from you if necessary, such as shielding. And we can cause you to lose one of your senses if you drink a drop of Thany's Sensible Brew for Senses and that seriously takes hours to wear off. I tried it once."

"Why would you try a brew like that? Do you have any sense at all?"

"Yes, I do," I said, a bit offended, "and it was for fun! Why else?"

"What did you lose?"

"My sense of touch. Do you know how uncomfortable it is that if you sit down, you can't really feel what you're sitting on? It took six hours to wear off and a few more hours just to be able to act normal. Not to mention I was touching everything in sight and committing it to memory so I would never forget! So many people looked at me oddly. But, if you're me, they just shrug it off and blame it on Fred and George."

"Who are Fred and George?" she asked, packing item after item quickly and neatly.

"How could I forget to tell you? Well, Fred and George Weasley are practical jokesters! I met them through their younger brother, Ron. They have played every trick known to man on Slytherin's and I joined on this one prank where we were supposed to change Filch into a different color. Peeves, the Hogwarts poltergeist, helped us by luring him to our hiding spot. We had buckets full of balloons. The balloons were full of this sticky, horrid-smelling, paint that stained your skin for weeks. Filch walked right into our trap and we began dumping the buckets on him. It was horrible and stunk badly, but it was really fun! We ran before he could get his mind together and hid in the Gryffindor common room. Fred and George were covered in the paint but I, being a genius, had cast a spell on myself that deflected any paint. Picture me being covered in slippery plastic. Well, that was what I looked like. Once we were safely inside, we burst into loud laughs. Some congratulated us.

"Filch was red, yellow, pink, purple, and blue the next morning. He glared at the Weasley twins and gave them detention for a month. I didn't get in trouble because I didn't have paint stains. But it was fun anyhow!" I ended with a giggle.

"Wow. So you're really different from the Bella we know, huh?"

"A bit, but in a good way."

We smiled at each other. Things were going well.

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Wow! It's been a while, eh? We'll I don't have an excuse so you'll have to love me anyhow! Please review!