Chapter Notes: Lucky chapter 13! I just want to say that I'm amazed at how many reviews I've received for this story so far! Congratulations to Wishfull-star, who was my 300th reviewer! I love each and every one of you… you guys make this so much fun! Especially Nephila, who is the entire reason this story was born!
Chapter 13 – Returning Home
Gravel made a crunching sound under Severus' boots as he strolled past muggle construction machinery on what used to be Privet Drive. The moon gave him barely enough light to see by, but he was used to living his life in the shadows. Thankfully there was no one around, so he wasn't forced to skulk about like a juvenile delinquent as he completed his task.
Logic dictated that the center of the large clearing was most likely where the fiendfyre had been cast, and so that's where he was heading. Once there, Severus pulled a multitude of objects from his pockets and got to work. He used a potion of his own creation to draw the ritual circle. The magical properties in the mixture would amplify the remnants of magic left over from the massacre that destroyed most of this muggle neighborhood weeks before. All Severus would then need to do was perform the rest of the ritual and he would get a front seat viewing to the events as they unfolded.
Unfortunately, the elixir had taken him a great deal of time to brew, so he could only hope that the memories would be strong enough to make out. Otherwise, he was going to have to do a lot of piecing together before he reported to the Dark Lord.
Once everything was set up, the wizard took his position in the center of the faintly-glowing circle and sliced both hands before placing them palm down on the grouping of runes on either side of him. Completely unconcerned with the pain or bleeding, Severus closed his eyes and began chanting the long incantation.
The Potions Master had repeated the complex string of words exactly seven times before he was suddenly thrown back in time. He found himself standing beside a memory version of Lord Voldemort's nemesis, Harry Potter, and an unknown vampire. Severus watched as the boy cast a silencing charm on the house before calling out to his family.
He raised an eyebrow as Potter referred to the vampire as his boyfriend to the disgusting muggle he called "Aunt Marge" before following the woman down the hall to the kitchen. She spewed a litany of abuse aimed at his hated student the entire way. If Severus was surprised by Potter's admitted affair with the dark creature, he was completely astounded at what transpired next.
Not only did the Light's only hope, Harry Potter, happily admit to slaughtering his uncle, he then proceeded to torture and kill his aunt as she sat bound to her chair. In a daze, Severus followed the boy's memory-self up to the attic where he reverently ran his fingers over a dusty old trunk once belonging to Lily. He felt his chest ache as he remembered the love of his life. From the moment he had first met the little redheaded girl, he had felt a connection. Something about her seemed to call to him, which confused him as he grew up. It was rare for a dark wizard to ever feel such a strong link to a light witch.
Severus had once believed that his love for Lily, despite her leanings, had been just a fluke… the exception to the rule. As he watched the memory of her son cast two final spells, one with devastating effects on the surrounding muggle populace, he wasn't quite so sure Lily had been as light as he'd thought. He bore witness to young Potter and his vampire lover speeding off without once looking back before the ritual came to an end.
The Potions Master opened his eyes to the barren wasteland that had once been a happy community, full of life. A wave of his wand erased all evidence of his ever having been here before Severus apparated away to tell his Lord of his discovery. He inwardly rejoiced, knowing from what he had seen, that Dumbledore and his Order didn't stand a chance of winning this war.
Harry was sitting in the living room of the Cullens' home, reading about what he would be able to expect as a dark veela. He had been intrigued by the prospect of the creatures' ability to take on different forms at will. It seemed to be a different version of the light veela's allure. While they had to send out a vibe to attract their prey, dark veela's were simply able to change appearance to better suit their victims' tastes.
It seems that all veela, both light and dark, were somewhat like incubi in that they fed from sexual energy. This was why their creature didn't emerge until the final stage of puberty. He was lucky to have found his mate so soon in life, because otherwise he would have had to resort to having various bed partners once his creature fully emerged. The thought of giving that part of himself away to anyone but Jasper made him feel physically ill.
It was all going to take some getting used to, though the shape-shifting bit could prove to be fun in the bedroom.
Edward, who was playing chess with Jasper in the corner, choked on his laughter at Harry's last thought. The wizard glared at him in response. Jasper just shook his head and took Edward's knight before calling checkmate. He was all too used to his brother's gift and its effect on others.
Everett burst into the house, grinning widely after laying eyes on his new little brother. He plopped down beside Harry, startling the wizard with the suddenness of the action. "So Harry… how's Trix?"
Harry chuckled and put down his book. He loved how Everett seemed to be a male version of Alice… bubbly and a little eccentric. "Can't complain, Everett. So, Alice tells me you're into trains. I must admit that the thought of a vampire with a collection of model trains amuses me. When did this all start?"
The brown-haired vampire's eyes were full of joy as he began telling his story. It turned out that Everett had been a track worker when he died in 1870. "I had worked for Union Pacific for a few years, trying to make enough money to send home to Ma and Pa and I've been hooked ever since."
Everett chuckled, his reddish-amber eyes facing the window as he pulled the memories from the dark recesses of his mind. Harry knew from Jasper that a vampire's memories from their human life faded over time. "I was only a little older than you when I got word from my brother Elmer that he'd gotten us both jobs laying tracks… if you pull up the famous picture taken of the meeting of the First Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 on the internet, you'll see me and Elmer way in the back."
"That's amazing," Harry exclaimed.
"Absolutely, bro… but not nearly as amazing as my collection." Harry let out a very unmanly squeal when Everett grabbed him and raced up the stairs in order to show off his model trains. Everyone else just laughed, knowing all about their family member's obsession by now.
Dressed in somber black robes, Arthur Weasley numbly watched as the coffin containing his wife was lowered into the dark hole by magic. He stood stoically with an arm wrapped around his only daughter as she sobbed into his chest. Ron and Percy stood together on his other side, both continuously having to wipe away fresh tears as their mother was laid to rest.
Percy's estrangement from the family was ended when he received word that he would never have the chance to make things right between he and his mum. It was that understanding that drove him back to his father, terrified that both of his parents would die thinking their third-oldest child hated them.
He may have to live with the fact that the last words he had spoken to his mother had been in anger, but it was still better than Ron and Ginny's last memory of the woman. Both of his youngest were terrified to sleep now, knowing that the nightmares would replay Molly's gruesome death over and over. Arthur, himself, would never forget the horrible sight which awaited him when he floo'd home from Gringotts. He had been gearing up to break the news to Molly that he'd been unsuccessful in securing a loan to pay for the services of another Curse Breaker when Ginny's screams had him rushing into the kitchen.
Everything that had taken place after that had been a blur.
Arthur shook his head, astounded that Bill, Charlie, and the twins had outright refused to attend their mother's funeral. He'd known, of course, that there had been a lot of animosity between Molly and the four boys over the years, but they were still family! This was the time to come together and show support and love to those who shared your blood.
He was greatly disappointed in the majority of his children right now.
As the last day of their visit arrived, Harry was busy shrinking their bags. Even with the expansion charm on the car's trunk, they would be hard-pressed to fit both their luggage and Harry's new wardrobe inside. He still couldn't believe that he owned so many clothes now after having to make do with only a few sets of his cousin's cast-offs growing up. Come to think of it, he didn't think even Dudley had this much clothing!
All of the vampires' heads turned to the same direction as they caught the flutter of wings which preceded the sound of a faint tapping of a bird's beak against the glass of their living room window. Emmett, who was the closest, snickered at the sight of the large gray owl staring at them intently. "Did anyone order delivery? Owl is okay, but I much prefer bear."
Harry laughed as he went to let the owl he recognized as belonging to Neville into the house. "You goof! Neville would permanently stick you to the back of a werewolf if you ate his owl." He smiled at the various sounds of disgust as he opened the latest missive from one of his best friends. Green eyes widened at the article that had been clipped from The Daily Prophet, outlining the suicide of Molly Weasley. A short note from Neville was attached, saying that Charlie, Bill, Fred, and George had refused to attend the funeral.
That was interesting.
Jasper put his arms around his mate when he felt a great sense of disappointment. "What is it, Darlin'?"
Sighing, Harry refolded the article and stuffed it back in the envelope. "Molly Weasley went into a fit of insanity from my curse and stabbed herself to death with a steak knife."
Raising an eyebrow, Jasper turned Harry around so he could meet his eyes. "Why in the world do you feel so disappointed, then? I thought you hated that woman!"
The wizard snorted. "With every fiber of my being… I'm just disappointed that I didn't get to watch it happen." He stood on his toes in order to kiss the blonde. "I didn't even get to see her suffer before she offed herself."
Jasper just smirked and kissed him again. "You evil little wizard… I'm so glad you're on my side."
Whatever Harry was about to say flew out of his mind when the entire family surrounded he and Jasper, all grinning from ear to ear."
"Harry," Carlisle said, "we have something for you." He handed over a small box wrapped in gold paper. An ivory ribbon completed the wrapping, making Harry hesitant to open the gift and spoil the beauty. "This is a 'Welcome to the family' gift, from all of us."
Harry smiled as he tugged the ribbon free and unwrapped the box. He gasped when he saw the beautiful pendant displaying the Cullen family crest inside a jeweler's box. It had been cast in white gold with black diamonds outlining the edges of both the shield and the pendant. "It's beautiful, thank you!"
Carlisle smiled happily. "All of us have a piece of jewelry showing the Cullen Crest, and it gives us great joy to include you in this little family tradition."
The wizard had tears in his eyes as he embraced his new father. His whole life he had longed to have a family of his own. Until Jasper had come into his life, he had never known the feeling of being loved and accepted for who he was. Even Sirius, as much as he had cared for him, had openly shown his disappointment when Harry didn't act like James Potter had when he'd been alive. Now, because of these wonderful vampires, he knew the euphoria of unconditional love for the first time and he would do nearly anything to keep it.
Edward, who had heard his thoughts, pulled Harry into a hug as soon as he let go of Carlisle. "You'll forever be a member of this family, Harry," he whispered into his brother's ear. "Nothing will ever change that."
"I'm hungry… are you hungry," Jasper asked once they had been on the road toward home for about thirty minutes.
Harry smirked and set down his mother's journal. "I am a bit peckish… though probably not for the same thing you are."
The vampire chuckled before dialing his brother's number. Edward was actually following them home in order to keep an eye on Harry during the times Jasper had to leave the house. The blonde couldn't stand the thought of leaving his mate behind when he was incapacitated by the pain of the transformation. He also knew that the mind-reader had the best resistance to blood, other than Carlisle, out of all the dominant vampires in the family.
Harry shook his head in amusement when Jasper told Edward the two of them were hungry and were going to stop at a fast-food restaurant. He laughed outright when his mate asked the bronze-haired vampire if he wanted them to pick him up something to munch on.
Jasper turned to him and shrugged after pocketing his phone. "He hung up on me… was it something I said?"
Jasper pulled into the parking lot of an out of the way McDonald's. Before the two even entered the building, Harry pulled his Cloak of Invisibility out and handed it to his love. "Try not to get blood on it," he said before giving him a kiss. "I'll meet you back here after getting my food."
The vampire nodded and pulled the magical artifact over his head. "Am I covered," he asked before shaking his head when Harry didn't even pause before heading toward the restaurant. He had forgotten that the cloak kept all sounds from escaping. He entered directly behind his mate and veered off behind the counter and into the back. He supposed he could have lay in wait in the restroom, but who would want to eat their dinner in such a place? Not to mention the fact that there was a chance someone else would stumble upon him at an inopportune moment.
He shook his head and smirked when he came across an office where a woman, most likely the manager, was hard at work on her computer. "Perfect," thought Jasper as he slipped into the room. He made not a single sound as he closed and locked the door before removing the cloak. The plump brunette wasn't aware of the fact that she was no longer alone until a cold hand was covering her nose and mouth, ensuring that very little sound escaped as he sank his fangs into her jugular vein and fed.
Once the girl was dead, Jasper re-donned Harry's cloak and carried the corpse out. It would be too suspicious to leave a trail of bloodless cadavers. The blonde much preferred the humans to come to the conclusion that his victims died by other, less supernatural, means. As soon as he slipped out the back near the dumpsters, Jasper ran until he found an adequate place to dump the body before returning to the car with the cloak draped over his arm.
He smiled at Harry, who was happily munching on his hamburger, before pulling back onto the road for home.
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