I, London Man, did NOT write this story. This was written by Early-Frosts. I am just hosting it because EF was going to cancel their account. EF allowed me to have them on my site so people can read or reread them if they wanted.

I did NOT steal this story. Also, I want to thank Early-Frosts for letting my host their stories.

Chapter 12: Eleven: Yuletide

Family Matters

Disclaimer: Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer and all related materials belong to their respective owners. This is non-profit fanfiction.

Warning: This story contains slash.

Chapter Eleven – Yuletide

December brought new forms of torture into Alexander Cullen's life.

His grounding had ensured that he did nothing fun. No driving lessons. No video games. No talking on his cell phone.

The last of the listed restrictions was particularly difficult for Alexander because it meant that he couldn't talk to Jacob Black. The other boy had no forewarning that Alex would be unable to talk to him, so he probably believed that he'd been abandoned by his friend. Alex had considered mentioning that little detail to his parents, but had opted not to. His friendship with the Quileute boy was a secret and risked the coven's treaty with the La Push residents. Telling his parents that he needed to let the other boy know that he couldn't contact him would reveal the forbidden friendship. And likely Edward's knowledge of it.

The thought of the mindreader brought new pains to Alexander's heart. It was bad enough that he was struggling to understand just what his feelings for the vampire were exactly, but Edward had made it abundantly clear over the past few weeks that he wanted virtually nothing to do with the mortal.

For the life of him, Alexander couldn't figure out what had prompted Edward's change in attitude. Edward had remained almost totally indifferent towards Alexander since almost the beginning to the Tournament. The only exceptions seemed to be his warm attitude on Alex's birthday and his angry yet concerned attitude in the days following the fight at school.

What could Alexander have done that could totally destroy the strong bond he had had with the bronze-haired vampire? Had Edward perhaps heard the green-eyed boy's conflicted thoughts about him months earlier, become uncomfortable, and then decided to cut the boy out of his life entirely?

What did Edward now think of the future? Did the idea of Alexander becoming a vampire and a permanent fixture in the coven upset him?

The fact that Alexander was grounded meant that he had massive amounts of time to dwell on these things. And the more he dwelled, the more depressed and irritable he became.

The Yule Ball, formerly a huge annoyance, was now becoming a welcome distraction.

His parents had decided to allow him to attend the ball because it was a major event at the school that Alexander was responsible for planning. Were it not for the fact that he was personally responsible for planning the thing, he almost assuredly would have been forbidden from going.

In the last week before the ball, Alexander's time was devoted to all of the last minute details. Amongst these details was preparing for his promised dance with Cedric Diggory.

Alexander had known how to dance since he was little. Although not something he enjoyed, it was something that both his mother and his father felt he should know how to do. And, given what significant role music had played in his life when he was younger, it only seemed natural that the boy should learn how to move to it gracefully.

He already knew how to lead, so the new challenge was in learning how to follow.

Several afternoons were spent with Alice playing the role of Cedric Diggory, moving Alex around a makeshift dance floor in the boy's room. He could have practiced upstairs, but was so embarrassed about the promise to dance with Diggory that he wanted as few witnesses to his lessons as possible.

The Cullen boy was the first one in the Dining Hall on Christmas Eve. He arrived early in the afternoon to oversee the final preparations for the ball personally. He ensured that all of the decorations were in place, that the kitchens were preparing the appropriate food in the appropriate quantities, and the stage was set up to the specifications of the band that had been hired.

The massive windows of the Dining Hall had been enchanted so that, rather than showing the darkened campus, they displayed a snow-covered glade somewhere in the mountains. The ceiling had been enchanted to appear like the sky during a winter's snow. The latter idea had been drawn from descriptions of Hogwarts' magnificent Great Hall.

Most of the tables in the large Dining Hall had been cleared away to make room for the dance floor. Far fewer tables were needed as dinner wouldn't be served at the ball, only hors d'oeurvres. The dance floor was surrounded by elegant ice sculptures of various magical creatures that had been enchanted to not melt in the comfortable temperature of the Hall and the staff table had been removed to make way for the stage.

The combination of illusions and decorations made Alexander feel that he was actually standing in the middle of an elegant party that had been set out amidst a winter wonderland.

After he was certain that everything was set up as it should be, Alexander went up to his shared office and changed into his dress robes. Alice had picked a set of stately black robes accented with various shades of green that the vampire believed would accentuate his best feature: his green eyes. She had also forced him to wear contact lenses rather than his usual tinted glasses.

Upon returning to the hall, Alexander promptly ran into Charles Potter. Although the Yule Ball was traditionally only for fourth year students and above, the decision had been made to allow all students to attend since all of the students of the visiting schools were forced to reside at the New England Academy for the Tournament.

The redheaded boy immediately greeted Alexander his usual, exuberant way. "Alex!"

"Hello, Charles. You look very dashing this evening," Alex complimented with forced cheerfulness.

Charles Potter was wearing very traditional dress robes that were accented with Hufflepuff yellow. He smiled broadly at Alexander's words, as though he'd received a very high complement from the Minister of Magic himself.

"Don't flatter him," a new British voice interrupted. "He'll get a swollen head."

Alexander turned to look at Cara Potter. Her red hair was out of its typical ponytail and she was dressed in a very pale lavender dress that sparkled around her waist as though accented with diamonds. The effect, Alexander quickly realized, was the result of a charm.

Cara and Alex had only spoken twice. The first time was at the Welcome Dinner and the second was a week after the big fight on campus. The second conversation had only been so that Cara could properly thank Alex for protecting her brother during the small riot.

"So should I tell you that you look lovely, or is it better that I don't risk giving you a big head?"

The Potter Witch laughed. "So you came—what is the word?—stag?"

"Yes," Alexander answered. "Though I've promised a dance to someone. What about you?"

"Cormac is meeting me, but we aren't officially here together."

The pair continued to make small talk for several minutes as the other guests arrived a handful at a time. Charles interjected a sentence or two here and there and, although his statements were often unimportant or outright off topic, Alex was careful to pay attention to the younger teen and make him feel included.

After around twenty minutes, the time finally came for the party to start properly. Headmaster Justinius walked out into the center of the dance floor and began to address the partygoers.

"Good evening everyone, and welcome to the Yule Ball. This is a time-honored tradition of the Triwizard Tournament and one of the highlights of the entire competition. To open the ball with the first dance, may I present your Champions and their escorts."

When the headmaster finished speaking, the two sets of doors on either side of the stage swung open dramatically.

The champions entered the Dining Hall through the right door and their escorts entered through the left. Each pair met in front of the center of the stage, locked arms, and then proceeded down the center of the hall onto the dance floor amidst the applause of the audience.

Matthieu Moreau and his date, a pretty blond girl that Alexander had seen around campus wearing Beauxbatons uniform, entered first. Eric and Marcia were next and Katie Bell and Jonathan Potter entered last.

All three of the guys wore very traditional dress robes, even Eric. Moreau's were accented with Beauxbatons blue, Potter's were accented in Gryffindor red, and Eric's were accented with a mixture of white and ivory. The dates all wore dresses that matched the accents of their respective Champions.

After the Champions and their dates were in position, the band began to play a slow song to open the ball. The Beauxbatons students were amazingly elegant dancers and moved about the dance floor with an almost inhuman grace. Katie and Jonathan were decent dancers, but were nowhere as skilled as Matthieu and his date.

Eric and Marcia's dancing was . . . interesting to say the least. Eric accidentally stepped on his girlfriend's foot only a few second in. She responded by intentionally stomping on his foot so hard that the Champion almost cried out of pain. He then twirled her so hard that her hair fell from its carefully crafted style. When Marcia came out of the twirl, she allowed a seemingly limp arm to smack Eric hard on the chest. By the time the first dance ended, the pair was laughing so hard that they could barely hold themselves upright.

Alexander smirked as the pair hobbled his direction. He was about to say something sarcastic about their dancing skills to Cara, but found she'd moved on. Apparently, the Witch hadn't gotten past the urge to cause severe bodily harm to Eric.

The Cullen boy shook his head before regarding his two schoolmates. "I lost count. Who's winning?"

"She is," Eric admitted defeat. "I think she broke my big toe with those heels of hers."

"You started it," Marcia grumbled as she attempted to put her hair back up.

"So, when do we get to see you out on the dance floor?"

Alexander shrugged in response. "I haven't even seen Cedric yet."

"You can dance with other people, you know," the Witch pointed out.

"I'm happier as a wallflower," the young Wizard confessed. "I've never really enjoyed dancing."

"Haven't you been dancing your whole life?" Eric questioned.

"I've had lessons. But it was also just something I had to know, not something I wanted to know."

The trio didn't talk for very long; Eric and Marcia were, for some unfathomable reason, eager to return to the dance floor for another round of assaulting one another and so Alex was left to his own devices. Not really interested in the ball all that much, he went about the room checking on the decorations. Even if he had been interested in dancing, he wasn't sure he could relax and have fun at a party where he was entirely responsible for almost every little detail.

He was inspecting the charms on a centaur ice sculpture when Cedric Diggory finally made his appearance. The British Wizard was wearing robes very similar to Charles, suggesting that he too had been a Hufflepuff. Aside from the obvious difference of size, Cedric's robes also had the emblem of the British Ministry of Magic—a large 'M' bisected by a wand—embroidered on the right breast.

"Sorry I'm late, I was on guard duty outside of the party," the Auror-in-training explained.

"No problem," Alex replied. "I was just checking on a few things."

"Do you ever stop working?"

"No," the Cullen Wizard smirked. "Do you ever work?"

The gray-eyed boy laughed. "Of course I do. I spend loads of time helping troublemakers get out of tight spots."

"And then you demand payment," Alex added.

"Well, a bloke has to do what a bloke has to do. Now, about that dance." Cedric extended his hand to the object of his affection and, once Alex had taken it, pulled the younger Wizard out onto the dance floor.

Alexander was acutely aware of the number of eyes that were watching him as he was pulled towards the center of the room at the start of another slow song. There was pointing, a little bit of giggling, and some very slack-jawed expressions. He felt his face blush horribly at the thought that he was now the center of attention.

Cedric positioned the American's hands so that they were resting on his shoulders before settling his own onto the younger boy's hips. Then, once the music began, he began to sway in time. It wasn't what Alexander traditionally thought of as dancing, but it was okay, all things considered.

"You're blushing."

"There are literally hundreds of eyes focused on us right now. How can I not?"

The Hogwarts alumnus chuckled. "You have no idea how many eyes are on you on a regular basis, do you? I had to let slip that you were coming with me to a dozen blokes to keep them from asking you. I thought that Beauxbatons bloke was going to challenge me to a duel over it."

"Beauxbatons bloke?"

"Moreau," Cedric answered. To accentuate his point, he slowly moved the pair around so that Alexander could see the way Matthieu was glaring at the pair. There was something . . . distinctly off about the way the boy was staring at them.

As Alexander was being turned, he also saw Professor Brekenridge smiling broadly at him.

"He's never even spoken to me," Alex mumbled.

Cedric's shoulders raised under the green-eyed boy's hands as the taller Wizard shrugged momentarily. "I just happened to be standing nearby when he was discussing his plans to ask you to the ball with his mates. Decided to burst his bubble."

"You're incorrigible."

"I'm also persistent, if you haven't noticed."

Alexander shook his head. "I don't get it, why me? Half the room would be interested in being involved with you, but you seem to have zeroed in on me since the day we met. Why?"

"Honestly? You intrigue me. Yes, it started off that I was just attracted to you. But as I tried to get you to talk to me, I learned loads about you. You're very kind and loyal. Hardworking. You're everything a Hufflepuff could ever want," Diggory explained sincerely.

Alex thought over the older boy's words as they continued to dance for several more minutes. When the song finally ended, Cedric led him off the dance floor and towards one of the far walls of the Dining Hall.

"Well, that's the one dance you owed me," the British boy said. "Unless you're interested in having another."

The New Englander shook his head. "I don't really care for dancing." He then looked up at the Hufflepuff.

Cedric brought one hand up to rest on Alex's cheek. He locked eyes with Alex and then slowly moved to kiss him.

From the instant Cedric's hand touched his cheek, the Cullen boy was struck by the wrongness of the situation. It wasn't supposed to be Cedric's hand on his cheek; it was supposed to be Edward's. Just like that day in the woods.

It was always supposed to be Edward.

In that moment, many things in Alexander's life suddenly made sense. The way his heart raced around the vampire. The way the distance between them tore at his heart. The way Alexander felt as if there was just no reason to get out of bed in the morning after spending an evening doing homework while Edward avoided any and all contact with him.

It wasn't mere affection that he felt for Edward. He loved him. He was in love with him.

In the split second before Cedric's lips would have connected with his, Alexander turned his head. The result was that the older Wizard ended up kissing him on the cheek.

After only the briefest contact, Cedric ended his attempt at kissing Alexander. His eyes were clenched shut rather than lightly closed and his lips were pressed into a hard line as he pulled his face away. When he opened his gray eyes, he allowed his lips to morph into a sad mockery of a smile.

"It just isn't me, is it? I'm too late. Someone else has your heart."

"Yes," Alexander answered honestly. It may have been the most honest answer he'd given in months.

"I hope he knows how damn lucky he is."

"Cedric . . . I'm sorry. You're a great guy. You came on a little strong, but you seem pretty decent. It just . . ."

"It isn't me," Cedric answered. "You're in love, and it just isn't with me."

"That's right."

The former Hufflepuff sighed heavily and nodded his head a bit before walking off, leaving Alexander alone with his revelation.

Alex turned to look at the party with all of its happy couples. He saw them paired off, laughing and having fun. Many of them madly in love.

"Screw this," he muttered to himself as he left the Dining Hall. He didn't give a damn about the ball or his responsibilities. He didn't care if the enchantments failed everyone ended up dancing around an ordinary room for the rest of the evening.

He cared about going home, fixing things with Edward, and spending Christmas Eve with his loved ones.

The Cullen mortal stormed his way across campus towards the portkey point. He was about halfway there when he heard someone calling his name.

"Alexander Cullen?" the voice almost shouted.

The boy turned to find the reporter with the stiff, curly blonde hair that had been attempting to interview Jonathan Potter at the First Task making her way towards him. "Alexander Cullen, my name is Rita Skeeter. I'm a reporter with the Daily Prophet. I wonder if I might have a moment of your time."

"I'm actually on my way home," the boy replied as he continued on his way.

"Well, I'll walk with you. A talented boy such as yourself can walk and talk at the same time, can't he?"

Alex didn't answer. Not that an answer to that sort of question was really expected.

"I wonder, Mister Cullen, if you mind telling my readers why you were so opposed to the Triwizard Tournament being held at your school."

Alexander had read a few of the Witch's articles and knew that not answering the Witch would be just as awful as giving her a bad answer, so he had to craft his response very carefully. "The individuals planning the Tournament initially refused to take on extra precautions to ensure there wasn't any tampering with the Goblet of Fire or to ensure that an underage student wasn't entered into the Tournament."

"Are you referring to when Jonathan Potter entered himself in the last Triwizard Tournament and was somehow selected as a competitor after the three true Champions were selected?"

That, the Wizard knew, was a dangerous question to answer. She would undoubtedly attempt to twist his words into something damaging to Jonathan. His second answer took a few extra seconds to compose. "I am only aware that Jonathan Potter's name was entered into the Goblet of Fire, his name came out of the Goblet, and that he was obligated to compete as a result. I wanted to avoid any situation in which a minor, willing or otherwise, was named a competitor."

"Speaking of Jonathan Potter, I have it on good authority that you meet with him almost every day. Care to comment?"

Alexander was more than a little surprised by that. How in the world did Rita Skeeter know that he and Jonathan met almost every day? Did she know that they were both studying Occlumency and was trying to trap him, or was she just fishing?

"I don't really know how that is any of your business. Or that of your readers," he evaded.

"Well, Jonathan Potter is quite the newsmaker. In fact, I've been working on a special project involving him for quite some time. I was hoping that you'd be able to provide a little insight into what the public doesn't see on a regular basis."

"Doubtful. Jonathan is a fan of Quidditch. I'm a fan of Quodpot. We're each trying to show the other what our sport of choice has to offer. I really doubt that 'Jonathan Potter: Quidditch Fan' is a headline that will cause your paper to go flying off the shelves."

"I see," Rita replied. Her tone of voice didn't reveal whether she knew she was being lied to or not.

The pair were now almost in sight of the portkey site. Alexander started to walk a little bit faster in order to end the impromptu interview faster.

To his surprise, Rita didn't ask any more questions. He turned around midstride and found that she was gone, as though she'd just disappeared from the island all together.

The Cullen boy frowned before continuing on home.

Alexander surprised everyone with how early he'd returned. He quickly explained that he wasn't all that interested in the ball anyway. He'd fulfilled his obligation to dance one dance and had left.

Alice and Esme insisted on taking a few pictures of Alex in his dress robes before he was allowed to change into something more comfortable. He then spent the evening describing the whole affair in as much detail as possible. Alex, of course, neglected to mention either his near kiss with Cedric Diggory or his encounter with the obnoxious reporter.

Silently, Alexander bided his time until he could get Edward alone and begin to repair whatever damage had been done to their relationship. Even if Edward would never return his feelings, Alexander was determined to have the vampire in his life; he couldn't live in a world where he didn't at least have the immortal as a friend.

The opportune moment came after Alice and Jasper retired to their room for the rest of the night. By that point, Rosalie and Emmett were snuggled together on one of the sofas that were positioned around the television, too wrapped up in one another to notice anything that was going on around them. And Esme and Carlisle had gone to their room to finish wrapping Christmas presents.

Edward got up from his seat in the living room and walked out the back door onto the patio, likely to avoid being trapped with only Alexander to talk to. Regardless of his motivations, the mortal followed him.

"You're awfully quiet tonight," Alex observed.

Edward looked over at the Wizard momentarily before turning back towards the forest. "I have some things on my mind." He fell silent for a few seconds. "I'm sorry that you did not enjoy your evening very much."

Alex moved so that he was standing directly next to Edward. "I love spending time with my family."

"I meant the ball."

"I know. I got through the bad part of the evening as quickly as possible so that I could get to the good part," Alex said before changing the subject. "Do you remember when I was little and I'd leave cookies and milk out for Santa?"

The corners of Edward's lips curled up in a smile. "Yes."

"When I work up in the morning, all that would be left was a single half-eaten cookie. After I figured out that it was you and not Santa that had eaten them, I remember being so angry at you for fooling me."

Edward's smile grew a bit larger.

"But I never really thanked you for it. I know what eating food is like for you, but you did it anyways. Just to make me happy."

"I did," the vampire confirmed, his voice sounded like the Edward that Alexander was familiar with. "Your happiness means a great deal to me."

Alexander turned to look directly at his brother rather than at the trees. "Edward, I-"

The immortal interrupted him. "It's freezing out here. You should go inside." His voice was no longer warm, but hard and commanding.

Alex swallowed hard. "Yeah, I guess I should."

Without another word, Alexander returned to the house and went down to bed. Once alone in his room, he curled into himself and tried his best to sleep. It was another restless night.