Unfortunately, I am not the fabulous JK Rowling or Stephanie Meyer. I don't own anything in the Harry Potter, Twilight universe.
CHAPTER 43 THE PROPOSAL & DECISIONHPOV
I did enjoy being back in Forks. Although I still had to retain the identity of Bella Swan while here. So once again I was changed to look like her. It was a safety tactic to protect me and my family from any Death Eaters. I may look like Bella Swan but I can still act like myself thank goodness.
My visit to Forks was originally strictly a social visit however Dumbledore gave me a task before I left. I guess you can say that I (actually Bella) was sort of being used as bait to hopefully draw out the Cullens. Why was Dumbledore trying to find them? It was because Voldemort had caused one of the biggest breaches of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy since the one in 1749 that also concerned vampires. Voldemort told the Volturi about the Wizarding World. In turn the Volturi had told all of the vampire world about the magical world and gave the vampires an ultimatum: to either join the Volturi and Voldemort or be killed.
Some vampires had joined them while others, like the Cullens, had gone into hiding. Dumbledore wanted to get into contact with the Cullens to ask if they wanted to receive protection at Hogwarts, to also help us with security, and to hopefully help us understand how the Volturi works.
Dumbledore thought that just maybe, the Cullens would come to Forks to see what happened to me. I highly doubt it but I am not complaining because I got to hang out with my cousin and enjoy some time away from the craziness that is going on across the pond. Of course I am keeping in touch with Harry and the rest of my friends over there. Back to the mission. If the Cullens did come calling on me I had to send the signal to Dumbledore (the fact that I don't have a tracer in America is really coming in handy). Dumbledore then would then come to us as fast as he could to wherever we are.
Like I said, I highly doubt that they would come this way because they are supposed to be in hiding.
It had been three glorious weeks since I arrived in Forks. Liv, Angela, and I had been taking advantage of the down time. One cloudy morning as Liv and I finished breakfast, we heard the doorbell. Liv went to go answer it as I made my way to the living room. I heard a voice that I never thought I would hear again. It was Alice Cullen. Well I'll be! Dumbledore was right! I sent Dumbledore the signal and waited for Alice and Liv to come into the room.
"BELLA" screamed Alice as she made her way to me to give me a tight hug. "I am SO sorry Bella! We should have never left like that! PLEASE can you forgive me!"
"I do Alice... but can't... breath!"
"Oops! Sorry! So how have you been?" If Alice could blush she would. She sat down on one of the chairs as Liv and I sat on the couch.
"I have been good. I actually have been away at a boarding school and just got back for the summer holiday. Also let me introduce you to my cousin Olivia or Liv for short."
"Nice to finally meet you, Alice. I have heard so much about you."
"Likewise! However, Bella could I talk to you in private?" She probably wanted to talk to me without accidently divulging to Liv that she and the rest of the family were vampires. Even though Liv definitely knew. Liv decided to comply and left the room since we did not want Alice to totally freak out.
"What's up Alice?"
"Oh Bella! The world has gone crazy! The Volturi has given all the vampires an ultimatum that we have to join the Volturi or die! Everyone said that we had to stay away from you for your own safety but I had to make sure that you were okay. Then I saw you and I couldn't leave without apologizing. You won't see any of us ever again because we are going into hiding. Good-bye Bella." She started to make her way to the door.
"Wait! Alice! PLEASE don't go yet!"
"I am sorry Bella but I have to."
"You have to listen to me! I know all about what is going on. I know that the Volturi has joined Voldemort."
She froze and turned around to face me. "H-how do you know about Voldemort?"
"I am a witch, Alice."
"What?"
"I am a witch. Here I can prove it." Taking advantage of not having a tracker, I levitated the lamp on the table. Alice just stood there dumbfounded.
"Why did you not tell us you were a witch?"
"It's a long story. Let's sit down, I must tell you that Liv, Charlie, Renee, and the Webbers are witches and wizards as well."
"How…" Before she could finish her question we heard a noise from the fireplace. Suddenly Dumbledore walked out of it. He used magic to clean himself and the floor of floo powder.
"I got your message. Hello you must be one of the Cullens."
"Yes Professor. This is Alice Cullen." Alice was still frozen in surprise.
"Nice to make your acquaintance Alice. My name is Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please have a seat. There is nothing to be afraid of. We are fighting on the opposite side of Voldemort. I know that you must have a lot of questions. However it will be easier if we had your entire family here to explain. Don't worry, Charlie and Renee have put many enchantments on the house for safety so you all will be safe here."
That got Alice out of her stupor. She looked at me like she was trying to think if she could trust us or not. Or if she needed assurance that she was not hallucinating. However, could vampires hallucinate? I just smiled at her.
"Ok ummm… well it might take them a little bit to get here."
"That is perfectly okay. We can wait for them," said Dumbledore.
"Okay, let me call them."
She started calling and I made my way to get Liv. I found her in her room. She told me that she informed Charlie and Renee about what was going on. I told her that it would take some time for the rest of the Cullens to come. She texted Renee and Charlie about the new information. We then made our way downstairs and into the living room. Dumbledore and Alice were just sitting there in silence.
"So you are a witch too, Liv?"
"Yup."
"And you knew all along what we were?"
"Well, I only knew after my parents told me what happened when I was away at school."
"Is Charlie and Renee coming to the house?" asked Dumbledore.
"Yes they will be here. Dad is finishing something at work and mom is finishing some errands."
"Is everyone coming Alice?" I asked.
"Yes, I did not tell them exactly what happened but pretty much say that it would be in their best interest to come here ASAP. I do see them all making their way here. Jasper will be here in 15 minutes. Esme and Carlisle will be here in about 45 minutes. Edward will be here in about an hour. Emmett and Rosalie will be here in an hour and a half. All are on course now. I am just trying to figure out how I could not see any of this! I mean Bella, I was trying to keep tabs on you but I could not see anything! I just thought maybe you started to hang out with the La Push crowd, much to Edward's chagrin. I know I cannot see anything once they are near."
"There is an explanation but we do have to wait until all of your family have arrived. I also ask if you could not mention that we are witches and wizards until all have arrived. I feel like it is best to say it all at once." Said Dumbledore.
Alice pouted a bit but not for long since soon Jasper arrived. He was very wary and hesitant but he felt that no one was lying. Apparently he knows if someone was lying by their emotions, who knew! So he came in and sat next to Alice after he gave me a hesitant hug apologizing a gazillion times. I told him I forgave him a long time ago.
Next came Esme and Carlisle, they were hesitant but since Alice and Jasper were already here, they came in. Both gave me hugs and apologized for leaving me without a goodbye. I told them I forgave them a long time ago.
Next came Edward. He came and hugged me, begging me to forgive him. I said that I did, which was true. If it weren't for him kissing me on the forehead, who knew when I would have gotten my memories back. He sat near me.
Last came Rosalie and Emmett. It took some time for Rosalie to trust us enough to come in but eventually she did. Emmett came and gave me a huge hug saying that he missed me and that he was sorry he left. I told him that I missed him too and that I forgave him a long time ago. He then went and sat next to Rosalie.
"Thank you all for coming. I know that at this moment it is extremely dangerous but I feel like all of you all will like my proposition. Since Alice is the only one that knows at this moment I should tell you that Bella, Olivia, Charlie, Renee, the Webbers, and myself are witches and wizards."
"WHAT?!" shouted Emmett.
"We are wizards and witches, here let me show you." Dumbledore levitated the coffee table. All exclaimed in shock except for Alice since she saw it before. "I am the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Great Britain. I am here to ask for your help. However I think that it is best that Bella explain her story first." Dumbledore motioned for me to start.
"When I first met you all, I had no idea I was a witch. You see I was hit by a memory charm that was improperly casted. I was supposed to lose all of my memory but I only lost the ones after I learned I was a witch when I turned eleven." There were some confused faces.
"There are students, just like Bella that were born to non-magical parents, who have no knowledge of the wizarding world. However Bella has magical ability. Once the children with magical ability turn eleven years old we invite them to attend Hogwarts or one of the other schools. That way they can become a part of the magical community. So what Bella is saying was that she was left with only the memories before she got her invitation to Hogwarts." The Cullens then gave a look that they understood but kept silent so that we could continue. "I guess we should then explain why she was hit by this particular charm in the first place. I am guessing that you are somewhat familiar with this story. It all started about 14 years ago when a very dark and misguided wizard named Tom Riddle or more commonly known as Voldemort was trying to take over the wizarding world. Many people were killed. Voldemort then turned his sights onto a family called the Potters. There was James and Lily and their one year old son Harry. The Potters went into hiding and were betrayed by a close friend. Voldemort killed James and then Lily. However Lily died trying to save Harry, which caused him to be protected by some of the most powerful magic of all, love. When Voldemort tried to kill Harry, the spell backfired. Many thought that Voldemort was killed but unfortunately not. He was just weakened to a point that he had to go into hiding. In the meantime Harry grew up and attended Hogwarts. He and his two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, let's just say had some interesting adventures and have saved lives and the school from Voldemort's clutches multiple times. Then two years ago, Hogwarts hosted the legendary Triwizard Cup. The tournament had one student from 3 different schools compete for the cup. However, Harry's name came out as the fourth champion. I wish I could have stopped the tournament there but could not because once the representatives, or champions as they were called, were chosen there was no way in stopping it. There were three tasks that each champion had to do. After the second task, Hermione Granger saw something that could blow the cover of someone who was sabotaging the tournament for Voldemort. So he casted an incorrect memory charm that hit Hermione…"
"Wait, don't you mean Bella right? Or was Bella hit too?" asked Alice.
"My name is not really Bella Swan. It is actually Hermione Granger." They all looked at me like I had two heads. Thankfully Charlie entered the back door at this time.
"Charlie! Perfect! You are right on time. Can we please remove Hermione's disguise?"
"Absolutely." Charlie came towards me and casted the spell. The disguise was removed and I once again looked like myself.
"B-but what...h-how...why?" stuttered Alice.
"Since Hermione did not have any memory of the magical world. We felt that it would be the best way for her to recover and regain her memories if she was away from all things magic and slowly reintroduced to the world in hope that it would jog her memory. We also needed to disguise her because she was known in the magical world as one of Harry Potter's best friends. Even though he had gotten out of the medical profession, Charlie is still one of the leading memory healers in the magical world so I asked him to help with Hermione. Coincedently, Charlie is Hermione's mother's cousin. So he and Renee volunteered to take in and help Hermione."
"So Bella Swan was never a real person?" Asked Carlisle.
"Sort of. A good portion of her memories were artificial and some traits were modified, like the clumsy trait to throw off any Death Eaters. However most of Bella's personality is Hermione's personality." Explained Dumbledore
"Looking back with my memories of hanging out with you all, I can assure you that it was my personality and I would not have done anything different, except I would not have been so clumsy all the time. Also I am a little more outspoken than Bella. For obvious reasons that was one trait that had to be hidden." There was a collective nod that they understood why. "It's also true like Dumbledore said that I still have a knack for trouble finding me along with my best friends, Harry and Ron."
There were a couple of chuckles from Emmett and Jasper. While the rest gave concerned looks.
"When did you get your memory back Hermione?" Asked Esme.
This is the question I have been waiting for. I have thought about what to say that stays mostly close to the truth but still protects Drake.
"Before mine...or should I say Bella's birthday, I was slowly getting my memory back. That is why I zoned out that night because I was having a memory of me as Hermione. At the time I thought I was going crazy, that maybe I had gotten amnesia from the car wreck and that she was a good friend or something. After Edward left me in the woods, that is when I got my memory back. I believe that it came back to me because in a way at the time, you were my only link to the magical world. Even though the vampires have been banned from the magical world for centuries, you all still have magic in some way. Charlie and Renee did such a great job concealing anything that is part of the Magical world from me. So with you gone there was nothing connecting me to the world that I have known since I was 11. I think it was the fear of being completely isolated from the world I belong in that triggered my memory."
"So let me get to the proposition I have for you. We need your help. Since Vampires have been separated from the magical community for so long we need your help in understanding vampires, more importantly the Volturi. I believe that this information is crucial in defeating Voldemort. I know that I am asking for you to go against the leaders of your community. I am not going to sugar coat it but you will have an even bigger target on your back. However, if we don't defeat Voldemort, the world will be in complete chaos. Have you been paying attention to the news? All of those incidents were because of Voldemort. What I can offer you is protection at Hogwarts. Hogwarts and all of the other magical schools are protected by some of the most ancient and powerful charms. Not even Voldemort could penetrate them without inside help."
"Well, we would love to help but I don't think we should be too close to witches and wizards. You must know about the incident that happened when Bella, sorry Hermione, got a simple paper cut." said Carlisle
"Ah, I have a theory on that. Right now you are surrounded by wizards. Does anyone feel thirsty?" All the Cullens shook their heads no.
"No but we did not have an urge until the paper cut. But it was strange because Hermione had cut herself before with no issue."
"Anyone with magical ability has a natural protection and it has doubled because of what happened centuries ago. At the time Hermione's protections were dimmed because of the memory spell, however there was still enough to protect her initially. I have a theory that because Hermione was gaining her memory back, her magic was also coming back at a rate that the protection could not keep up with until she fully gained her memory back. It was a very rare thing that happened. I do not think that you will be a danger around the students, since all of them will have the full protection."
"I don't know. All you have is a theory. We don't want to be a danger to the students and faculty."
"I don't think that will be a problem. You see before the breech, vampires were part of the magical community. In all the reading I have done there are no known incidents of vampires attacking any witch or wizard because of thirst. I think I should start with why you never knew or have no memory about the magical world until today."
Dumbledore proceeded to tell them about the Statute of Secrecy breached in 1749.
There was a collective gasp from the Cullens.
"If you say that vampires have magical powers then how come none of the vampires have accidentally used them?" Asked Carlisle.
"Good question. I believe that when the vampires' memories had been wiped it was just like what happened to Hermione. The magical power is inside of you but not all was able to be contained. I understand that you all have some special ability in some shape or form, some more powerful than others. The magic is still there but it doesn't have a way to come back out yet. I believe that once you get a hold of a wand, your magic will be released.
"How can you be sure?" asked Carlisle.
"It is a theory but I have the original texts of what the witches and wizards did after the breach and I have studied them. I have corresponded with Charlie and other trusted friends who have more knowledge in memory spells than I and this is the theory we have come up with."
Charlie nodded in agreement.
"How will you be able to test this theory?" asked Carlisle.
Right now it is the middle of the summer and no one is at Hogwarts. If you would like to come with me then we can test it. If you need a few days to think about it, I understand. I know that I am asking you a lot to go against the Volturi."
"Thank you, I think we do need a few days to decide." said Carlisle and the rest nodded.
"Absolutely. Just tell the Swans your decision and they will pass it on to me."
"We will. I think that the best thing is for us to go to our house."
"WAIT! Our house is not safe! I see that there will be visitors from the Volturi coming tonight!"
There were multiple gasps. "Oh dear! Where can we go that is safe." exclaimed Esme
"We have a magical safehouse that is undetectable from unwanted intruders. I can get you there safely."
"Thank you Charlie. But we don't want you and your family to be in any more danger because of us. To be honest I don't think we need a couple of days to make a decision, would you excuse us while we talk in the dining room."
"Of course. Take as long as you need." Said Charlie. He got up and showed the Cullens to the dining room and closed the doors. He then proceeded to cast a silencing charm. He came back and sat down on the couch. "Well it seems that they took it better than I thought."
"Yes, I was a little worried that they were going to run for the hills but I guess since they are magical then it's not so hard for them to believe that there are other magical beings." I answered.
"I am going to start cooking dinner. We are having chicken enchiladas. Dumbledore you are more than welcome to stay for dinner."
"Thank you Renee I would love to."
"Hermione and I can help you mom."
"Thanks girls!"
We proceeded to the kitchen and cooked the chicken enchiladas Muggle style. That way it would keep us busy while the Cullens were discussing what they wanted to do. Charlie and Dumbledore stayed in the living room to watch whatever football game was on.
As Renee was getting the enchiladas out of the oven we heard the dining room door open.
The Cullens stepped out of the dinning room and made their way into the living room. We then proceeded to follow them into the living room and sat down.
"We have come to a decision. We want to help defeat Voldemort. However, there is a condition, we will only stay at Hogwarts as long as we are certain that we would not be a danger to the students and staff. At the first sign of any of us becoming a danger we will leave immediately" said Carlisle.
"Understandable. Thank you. You do not know how much your help would be appreciated. Since Alice predicted that the Volturi would be coming for you I think that the best thing to do is to get you all to Hogwarts as soon as possible. Charlie, Renee, and I can go with you if you have to pick anything up."
"That won't be necessary. Anything that has any value to us has already been secured when we had to go on the run. Everything we need is in our cars thanks to Alice, who told us to be ready when she called us earlier. However I don't know what to do with the four cars that are currently outside of this house."
"Don't worry about that Carlisle. Renee and I can take care of the cars."
"Just a little undetectable extension charm on the garage and your cars will be safe."
"WOW! Would you be able to do that to a closet?!"
"Of course Alice. If you pay attention in class you will eventually be able to do it yourself." said Renee.
"YAY! Let's go!" We all chuckled.
"Ok if everyone is ready, please go get whatever you need out of your cars."
The Cullens went out to their cars. Charlie proceeded to put an undetectable extension charm on the garage. The Cullens then moved their cars inside. Once it was all done they came back into the house. Once everyone's stuff is in a pile in the middle of the living room, Dumbledore proceeded to send it all off to Hogwarts. The Cullens were in awe since magic was still new to them.
"If everyone is ready, you will need to hold onto this hubcap." Dumbledore raised a hubcap that looked like it was from the 50s. "This is a portkey that I have created that will take us safely to Hogwarts. It has been modified to withstand a vampire's grip so do not worry about if you are holding on too tight. No matter what, do not let go until I say so, understand."Each of the Cullens nodded. "Good let's make our way outside so we do not make a mess in the living room."
Everyone made their way out to the backyard. Dumberdlore said that he would be back in a week to pick me up and take me to the Burrow. I waved at the Cullens and told them I would see them at Hogwarts. All of them hugged me. Surprisingly even Rosalie hugged me. Then made their way to Dumbledore and grabbed onto the portkey. Before we knew it there was a gust of wind and they disappeared.
We then headed back inside to eat our dinner.
Hope you enjoyed it! I hope everyone is okay with all the Corona virus stuff. I am still working but have some days off so I am planning on updating in a quicker manner. As always please review!
