"Nothing in the world causes so much misery as uncertainty." ~ Martin Luther
Chapter 132- Uncertain Future
The last day of testing seemed to go by like a movie in fast forward. Jasper and I went to get Teddy as the others were slowly starting to wake up. George and I made our alterations to the recipes, redid the results, and reevaluated those results. It took less time than it did with the original Skiving Snackboxes. By the end of it all, we had perfected recipes with no extreme side effects.
"So what does this mean now?" Jasper asked when George and I announced the success on Monday when the others were about to leave.
"Now we have to go and work on design, and release dates, and all of the marketing," I said.
"Basically Alice and I are going to be working long hours for a while," George said.
"But we aren't going to start doing that until after our week with Teddy," I assured Jasper.
I looked over to where Teddy stood talking to Harry.
"We'll be there tomorrow as soon as we drop Teddy off at the Burrow," I said.
George nodded.
"Will you be staying for dinner?"
I shook my head.
"Esme has bought things for him to eat while he's here. I'm sure it wouldn't go to waste if we did eat up there, but I'm trying to get in the habit of cooking for him."
"It's a good habit," George said. "So I'll see you in the morning."
"Bright and early," I remarked back. "Now go before you miss your Portkey."
He hugged me once before he hurried to join the others on the far end of the lawn. Teddy joined Jasper and I, sitting on the stairs. I waved to them all, and got one in return from each of them, and Teddy, Jasper, I watched from the porch as they disappeared.
"Only a few more months," Jasper said with a smile, running his hands up and down my arms in a comforting way. "Then they won't seem so far away."
"I know," I said, "and I'll see them tomorrow, so it's not like I won't see them."
I couldn't explain why I got so upset every time that they went home. I would see George at work, and I would see the others when I went to go pick Teddy up from the Burrow. Jasper wondered if it was the fact that they lived in another country.
"Maybe," I agreed, later that day after Teddy was safely tucked into bed in Edward's old room. "It doesn't sound like an unlikely reason."
He pulled me closer to him, and tucked my head under his chin.
"I'm sorry."
"What for?" I asked, frowning, pulling away to look at him.
"Making you leave in the first place."
I pulled his face down to mine, and rested my forehead on his.
"Don't beat yourself up about us leaving them. Good things came from us leaving. If we hadn't, who knows if I would have started expanding my powers."
I didn't give him time to respond. Instead I gave him a kiss, and turned away to continue working on the dishes I had started on.
The week that we spent with Teddy was great. Teddy seemed very fond of Emmett, who had paid extra to get his gaming system early. It had arrived only hours after the others had left, and he attempted to teach Teddy how to play, but Teddy, who was more or less amazed by Muggle technology, didn't really get the hang of it. Teddy listened to my cautious warnings, and kept a distance from Renesmee. Instead he studied her from far away, and on the second night that we were there without the rest of our family, he asked Jasper if he had a notebook. After Jasper brought him one, and I provided a self-inking quill, I noticed that as he watched Renesmee, he wrote stuff down in the notebook.
"He's so much like Remus," I told George the next morning at work. "I don't have a single clue what he's writing in that notebook, but what I do know is that he has separate sections for separate people."
"Have you asked him about it?"
"Jasper wanted to, but I didn't know whether or not it's overstepping our bounds."
George laughed.
"Alice, you're his mother. It's your job to overstep your bounds."
I scowled.
"I never wanted to be the kind of mother that I see on the Muggle shows where they snoop through their kid's stuff."
"Ask him about it. I'm sure he's got a million and one questions about the things that he's seeing."
"I think Jasper's planning to ask him about it when we get home anyways," I said, nodding my head at where Jasper stood, helping a customer. "He has the same view that you do. It's our job, and we need to know whether or not we should be concerned."
"It didn't cause an argument, did it?"
"Not an argument, per say, but it did cause a mild disagreement."
"Well it won't hurt to ask Teddy."
"No," I said, sighing. "I don't guess it will."
Jasper and I came to find out that Teddy was writing questions, but he was also writing observations.
"Teddy, if you have questions you can ask us," Jasper told him.
"I know," Teddy said. "I just want to have them written down so I don't forget them."
"Do you have any pressing questions you want to ask before you go brush your teeth?"
Teddy thought about it for a moment.
"Why do Jacob and Rosalie fight over Renesmee?"
Jasper and I both stifled our laughs, but a few chuckles could be heard from downstairs.
Maybe we shouldn't tell him the actual reason, Jasper said.
I gave a nod to show him that I agreed.
"It's been a long time since there's been a new baby around here," I said. "Rosalie hasn't seen a baby in a very long time."
"How long?"
"Since 1933."
"That's a long time!" he said, his eyes widening.
"It's a very long time," I said. "And they both want to be around Renesmee, so they fight."
"You and Papa don't fight over me," he said, his brow furrowing.
"That's because your mama and I are more civilized than they are," Jasper whispered in his ear.
"Can I ask another question?"
"Sure."
"Will we have one of those game things at our house?"
Jasper and I looked at each other.
"Papa and I will talk about it, Teddy, but if we get one, what will happen to it when you go to Hogwarts?"
"I'll take it with me!"
"It won't work in Hogwarts," I said with a gentle smile.
"Then I'll play with it when I come home on breaks! But I want to show it to Victoire!"
"Mama and I will talk about it," Jasper said. "Go brush your teeth, and let's go say goodnight to everyone."
The week was anything but easy though. At exactly one week old, Renesmee spoke her first words, and her first sentence immediately after.
"Mama, where is Grandpa?" she asked Bella, who had been across the room from her. I hadn't been too long getting back home, and I was in the kitchen starting on Teddy's dinner. I stepped out into the living room, and watched Renesmee closely.
"He's not coming today," Edward told Renesmee in a small voice. "We'll go see him tomorrow."
"Why can't he come here?"
"Because he doesn't know about Teddy, and you can't tell him about Teddy," Edward answered.
He looked up at me.
What does this mean? Edward asked, his internal voice sounding panicked. If she's starting to talk now—
Just breathe, I interrupted as I disappeared back into the kitchen. I'll talk to the others tomorrow, and see when the kids started talking. We'll get an idea of where she's at.
As the week went on, Teddy asked more questions. He didn't ask them to just Jasper and I. There were some points where he asked Emmett or Edward. Rosalie was still hurt about the fact that Teddy hadn't exactly warmed up to her. He talked some, and he didn't hide behind my leg anymore, but he didn't strike up the conversation.
When it came time to take him home, Teddy didn't put up a fight. Before he left, he asked Carlisle and Esme if he'd be allowed to come back soon. They agreed with welcoming smiles, and Jasper and I assured Teddy that we would talk to Andromeda about doing it again. He gave Emmett a huge bear hug, and hugged Edward too. He eyed Bella cautiously, but he extended his hand to her.
"Are you ready to go?" I asked when he returned to my side.
"Ready," he said.
Then we were gone. Jasper and I didn't stay at Andromeda's house very long. We talked about Teddy over the week, and about his notebook. We briefly discussed doing something like it again, probably sometime after Jasper got settled at Hogwarts. We agreed that we would talk about it later, and after saying bye to Teddy, Jasper and I took our leave.
Jasper finished his last week at the shop with pride. Every day he was more and more engaging with the parents of the students that he would be teaching in the next week. I watched him from where I sat behind the counter going over the notes from mine and George's meetings the previous night. Then on Friday, he paused before we left the store, looking around.
"I can come back and work over breaks right?"
"If you want, but are you really going to want to spend your breaks working? You could spend them relaxing."
Jasper scoffed and waved a hand at me.
"I'm relaxed when I'm with you and you are here."
I smiled, and wrapped my arms around him, nuzzling my cheek into his back.
"You're sweet, but if you don't want to work, George and I will be okay. Ron's coming back on Monday so we'll have plenty of help."
Jasper patted my hand.
"We'll talk about it closer to that time."
"Yes we will. Are you ready to go home? We've got the rest of today and tomorrow before you're off to Hogwarts for a week."
"Yes."
We said bye to George, who was heading for the office to use the Floo system, I locked the door, and then the two of us were gone. We spent from the time we got home Friday, until it was time to go together. We didn't leave our rooms until right before it was time to leave. I Apparated with him to the gates, and the two of us said our goodbyes.
"It's just a week," I smiled. "We can do a week."
Jasper sucked in a deep breath.
"I can do this."
"You can, and you'll be excellent. Then when I come to get you in a week, I want to hear everything."
"Are you going to be okay?"
"I'm going to be just fine. I'll work during the day, and I've got work to do at home."
I smoothed out the wrinkles on his coat, and gave him a smile.
"Well I guess I'd better get up to the castle," he said, glancing behind him at the Thestral pulled carriage that waited.
"I guess so. George and I are staying late so if you need me, use the Floo to call the store. Anybody can help you if you need it, and—"
Jasper cut me off with a kiss. He smiled when he pulled back, and he brushed a loose strand of hair from my face.
"I've got everything covered, Alice. I'll be okay."
"I know," I said, giving him a sheepish smile. "It's just I don't want you to feel out of place."
He laughed.
"I could never feel out of place here. All I feel is you."
I smiled and gave him one more kiss. I watched as he turned and headed through the gates for the carriage. And when it began to leave, I took my own leave, heading for the store.
The week came and went. I buried myself in work and practice. The day after Jasper went to the castle, George stopped by Dominic Maestro's on his way into the store to grab the keys. We each kept our key in a locked drawer in our desk. One day, in the middle of the week, I went to see Teddy. I stayed with him until it was time for dinner, and then I took my leave.
When I came home from seeing Teddy, I poured myself into cleaning the already clean house. The others watched me, but nobody commented on it. Not out loud anyways.
Are you doing okay? Edward asked, as I brought out a couple of vases from the kitchen.
Fine, I responded. Just ready for Sunday.
You're going to be able to handle this?
It's just for the rest of the week. I said, pausing as I sat a vase down on the entertainment center. After this week is done, he'll be going through the day when I'm working, and at least once a week for patrols.
I turned and glanced at Edward who was watching me carefully. Jacob looked between the two of us, and raised an eyebrow at Bella.
"Silent conversation," she whispered. "They both can read minds, so they don't have to talk out loud."
I glanced over at Bella and Jacob and sighed.
"It's nothing you need to be suspicious about," I said, turning back to the dining room table for the rocks I had set out to turn into bouquets. "Edward is just questioning my ability to get through the week without Jasper."
"When's he meant to come back anyways?" Jacob called.
"I'm meant to go get him Sunday."
"Meant to?"
"He wrote a letter to the store yesterday. He might stay another week."
"Why would he want to do that?" Jacob asked, watching as I began to turn the stones into bouquets of flowers.
"It's the castle. It draws you in. Makes you never want to leave." I laughed and shook my head. "Honestly though, I think he just likes feeling useful. He said that the students all listened to him more than the Muggle students listened to their teachers."
Things were silent for a moment before Rosalie spoke up.
"Renesmee wants to know why you're making the flowers."
I turned and showed Renesmee the rock that I was turning.
"Technically I'm not making them," I explained, crouching down to the child. "I'm transfiguring them. Turning them from one thing to something else. By doing it this way, they'll last longer. They won't wilt."
Renesmee eagerly patted Rosalie's cheek.
"She wants to know why."
"Because rocks don't die. They won't wilt. Technically they're still rocks, but they look, feel, and smell like real flowers."
I turned away from them, returning to the mantle to stick the new bouquet of flowers into the vase. When I had gone to move on, I heard a burst of applause behind me and the tinkling laugh of Renesmee. When I turned, I found that she had walked over to me.
"I want to see them."
In the same way that he did when she spoke her first words, Edward looked at me with worry.
Alice, how old were the others when they took their first steps?
I don't know about many of them, but I know that Fred was about ten months old and Rose just started walking at the beginning of September, and she just turned one last week. Ginny says that Albus could start walking at any time and he is just about eight months old.
Do you think that magical children develop faster than Muggle children?
I guess they could but are we considering Renesmee a magical child or a Muggle one?
Edward didn't answer right away, but Renesmee didn't like the fact that I hadn't complied with her request earlier. She tugged on my pants leg.
"Show me!" she demanded, frowning up at me.
"Be mindful of your tone," I said. "Ask again nicely and I'll show you."
"Can you please show me the flowers?"
I nodded, and sat down in front of her. She sat with me, and watched as the rock turned into a new bouquet. She reached a gentle hand forward to brush across the petals before she looked up at me.
"What are they?"
"They're called asphodels. They're a relative of the lily."
I pointed out the bouquet of lilies on the table.
"Are they magical?"
"They can be, but they have mundane purposes too. If you turn it into a powder, it can be used to make potions."
"And the mun-dane?" she asked, adding a space as she attempted the new word.
"Medicinal mostly."
"Med—"
"They help people feel better," Rosalie said before Renesmee could get the question out.
"Do they have a story?" Edward asked. "I saw something flash across your mind."
"They were talked about in Greek mythology."
"Can you tell me?" Renesmee asked.
I glanced at Edward and Bella, who nodded encouragingly. I stood up, and held my hand out to Renesmee. She took it and the two of us walked back to the couch. Jacob immediately took her into his lap while I sat off to the side.
"This gives me the opportunity to practice illusions," I said, pointing to the empty space.
"Illusions?" Jacob questioned.
I nodded.
"It's what Severus and I have been practicing this week. I'm getting better at using them in a general sense, but George is going to let me practice on him so I can make certain people see certain things."
"Why would you need to know that?" Bella asked.
I shrugged.
"It could be helpful in battle. Trapping people in their own minds."
"If you need someone to practice on—" Edward started but broke off when Bella gave him a frightened look.
"I'll help," Jacob said.
"That's very kind of you," I said. "If you actually want to help, then you can come with me to practice tonight."
"Aunt Alice, can you tell me the story now?" Renesmee asked.
I nodded.
"Sure. Watch there."
I focused on pulling up a sphere broken down into layers.
"The ancient Greeks believed that when we die, we'd all go to Hades. Hades is both the name of the Underworld, and the God who controls it. The Greeks said that Hades was divided into two main sections." I paused as I zoomed in on the sphere, breaking it down into two halves. "The first was Erebus and the second was Tartarus."
I waved a hand and the sphere disappeared, but everybody's eyes remained locked on the place where it was. I pulled up the illusion of Charon, the ferryman of the dead.
"When you die, you first enter through Erebus, and Charon takes you down the river Styx," I broke off as I made the illusion row down a stream. "When you cross the river, you go to Tartarus, and from there you are judged. The judgment, the way you live your lives, will determine where you go. Much like Hades itself, Tartarus is broken up."
"In two pieces?" Renesmee asked.
I shook my head.
"Three. You have Elysium. If you lived a good life, or were blessed by the gods, then you would spend eternity there." The illusion changed to a brightly lit field with flowers and waterfalls. "You have Tartarus where the bad people go—"
I paused and shifted the scene to the fiery inferno that was described in the books, but before I could continue again, Jacob interrupted.
"When somebody says they're going to Tartarus, how do they know whether they're going to the bad place or just the general Tartarus?"
"Well everybody starts out in the 'general' Tartarus as you put it. You'll know during your judgement."
"How do they make the judgement?"
"Three kings, King Minos, King Aeacus, and King Rhadamanthus, judge you."
"Why do they get to do it?" Renesmee asked.
"Because they were Zeus's sons, and Zeus was the King of the Gods."
"So what's the third place?"
"That would be the Asphodel Meadows. That was the medium place for neither good nor bad people."
I showed them a field filled with the asphodels flowers.
"Why is it grey?" Renesmee asked.
"Because grey is a medium color, so I made it grey."
"So those are the options? Good, bad, or medium?" Emmett asked.
"Well there is believed to be a fourth place called the Fields of Mourning. There women who spent their lives on 'unrequited love'," I said, putting quotes around the words, "spent the rest of eternity. There's only a handful of people who have been sent there."
"What does that mean?"
"That the person doesn't love you back."
"Aren't there stories about that too?" Carlisle asked.
I nodded.
"In eastern Asian culture there's this thing called Hanahaki Disease. You love a person but they don't love you back so you throw up flower petals until you die."
"Will that happen?" Renesmee asked with wide eyes.
I shook my head.
"No. They're just stories."
Jacob and Renesmee watched in wonder as the illusions disappeared.
"So if that is 'getting better'," Edward started, putting air quotes around my words, "then what is being excellent at it?"
"Being able to make you feel like you're there. The breeze or the fires, the sounds. A total illusion."
"And how do you do that?"
"It'll be easier when I start practicing with people. It'll be easier to create total illusions on one person than a group of people."
"So what time is training?" Jacob asked.
"You still want to help?"
He nodded.
"I can help until Jasper comes home."
"I should find out when that will be soon."
"So practice. What time?"
I looked up at the clock, and sucked in a breath.
"I'd say we'd better leave here around seven."
"That's earlier than normal," Edward commented.
"Yes, but Severus will have to talk to Jacob and give him the rundown of everything that's happening."
Renesmee pressed her hand to Jacob's cheek, and he listened to her very intently.
"It's perfectly safe," Jacob said. "Aunt Alice has used magic on me before. I trust her completely."
She patted his cheek, and I could hear the thoughts passing through, questioning when magic had been used on him.
"I broke some bones a few months ago and she helped fix them."
It was nearly worse than that when I came back after I saw Bella jump off the cliff, I told Edward with a smirk.
What happened?
Put my wand to his chest, and my hand started sparking.
I showed him the memory and he laughed. Jacob and Bella turned and gave him a questioning look.
"Bella, you never told me that Alice threatened Jacob when the two of you were about to come to Italy," he remarked, as Jacob's face turned red.
"I didn't think it was important."
"In my defense, he was going to shift, and I was just warning him that he wouldn't get the chance."
Jacob's blush deepened.
"Sorry about that, Pixie."
"No harm done."
Carlisle and Edward locked eyes for a moment. Edward didn't say anything out loud, but after a moment, he turned to face me.
Alice, you have some time before practice, right?
I glanced up at the clock.
A couple hours.
Do you think you could help Carlisle and I with some research?
I nodded.
When?
Now. Do you still have that book you took from Spinner's End?
It's on my shelf.
Can you get it and meet us in Carlisle's office?
I nodded again and stood up. Jacob watched me carefully.
"Are we going now?"
"No. Not yet. I just have a couple things to do before."
I spent the time away from work helping Carlisle and Edward with research, and I helped Rosalie and Bella create a baby book that spanned over years rather than a few weeks. I heard from Jasper on Friday, asking me to meet him at the Hog's Head Inn after my shift. George and I moved the meeting we had planned for that evening to Monday, and I left as soon as we flipped the sign. Jasper was sitting in the corner waiting. He spoke to Aberforth, and smiled when I stepped through the door.
"Alice!" he exclaimed, meeting me halfway through the inn.
"Hi there," I grinned as he pulled me into a tight hug.
"I've missed you," he whispered into my hair.
"Come, sit. I want to hear about it."
I exchanged a greeting with Aberforth who was heading back behind the bar. I sat across from Jasper, and grinned as he reached for my hands. He told me about the classes over the past week. He told me about how Professor Powell was very impressed with the student response. Students who were similar to the way that Ron and Harry were in school, suddenly turned in their work, and the effort was much more clear. Those assignments did very well.
"So what I'm hearing is you're the Remus of Muggle Studies."
"Sounds like it," he laughed.
"So tell me," I said, taking a breath. "Why did you want to meet? I have a feeling I know the answer, but…" I trailed off and offered him a smile. I could feel his nerves surrounding the room.
"I want to talk to you about staying for another week. Just one more."
"I think that's between you and Minerva."
"I want you to have a say. If you need me at home, then I'll come, but this last week—" he broke off and looked at me. He took a few deep breaths and watched me carefully. "Is it stupid for me to ask this? I mean I know I've missed you, and I was supposed to come home on Sunday."
I smiled and shook my head.
"It's not stupid at all. I had a feeling that this is what you were planning when your future kept changing."
"I wanted you to hear it from me," he said.
"And I appreciate that. If you want to stay, then I'm okay with that. I do miss you, but this is a really good thing for you, and I'd be a fool to tell you that you can't do it."
"Maybe we can meet up on Wednesday," he said. "We can meet up like we did today and it wouldn't seem so bad to have to wait."
"I think I can make that work," I laughed. "I'll stop by George's before I go home to talk to him about switching some things around."
"Is he not at the Burrow?"
I shook my head.
"Before you wrote to me this morning, we were going to have a meeting that would put us going home around eight or nine."
"Who's getting Fred then?"
"Angelina went to her father's last night and Fred's with her. He got sick, and we were planning on the meeting."
"I'm sorry if I messed things up," he said sheepishly.
I squeezed his hand and smiled.
"You didn't. I'm really glad you wrote to me."
"Minerva said that my first paycheck should be going into the vault tonight. She knows how you are about order, so she's going to give me statements."
He reached into his pocket and passed me a piece of parchment paper.
"Is this this week's statement?"
Jasper nodded.
I unfolded it, and when I saw the total I beamed at him.
"Jasper, that's amazing! You're making more than I did when I shadowed Severus!"
"Minerva says that having connections helped," he said in a voice that was almost smug.
I snorted.
"Well it would appear that I was wrong about how much it would take to make back what we spent on the down payment for the store."
"Is that a good thing?" he asked, smirking.
"A very good thing. This is a very good thing for you, Jasper. I am so proud of you."
He beamed at me, and pulled my hand to his face.
"Can you stay with me? Just a little longer?"
"How long until patrols?"
"I don't start until ten."
"Why don't we walk around Hogsmeade a bit?"
"We could go to Honeydukes and get blood pops."
"I like the way you think."
"Come back before you leave," Aberforth said. "I got to talk to your husband, but not to you."
"You got it, Abe," I laughed as Jasper wrapped his arms around me.
Jasper and I spent an hour walking through Hogsmeade together. We stopped at Honeydukes where we each got a few blood pops, and I got Jacob some other sweets.
"It's a thank you," I explained to Jasper as we walked to the gates. "He's been helping me at practice until you come home."
"How's that going?"
"I'm nearly a master at illusions. Tonight we're going to do a Netherworld lesson so we can start working on the next thing."
"Are you going to be okay?" he asked.
"Perfectly fine. I'm going to snuggle up in one of your sweatshirts and sleep on your side of the bed. You're going to be there even when you're not."
I smiled up at him, and he studied my face closely.
"You're sure that you're okay with me staying for another week?"
"Yes. I'm sure. I'll be okay."
"I don't know if I will be," he whispered.
I pulled him into a tight hug, and he buried his face in my hair.
"You're going to be fine. I'll come see you on Wednesday and we'll spend time together like we did today. You're going to teach, do your patrols, go to meals and interact with the teachers."
"I wish I had brought the cuff so that I could eat with them. It'd be less awkward."
"Your wish is my command," I grinned.
I stepped out of his hold and waved my hand over my other wrist and a black cuff appeared.
"Anybody can take this off," I said, popping the cuff off and handing it to him. "You'll be able to eat with them, but remember that you still technically can't digest the food."
Jasper nodded, and grinned at me before he slipped the cuff into his pocket. He pulled me back into a hug, and sighed.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
He tilted my head back to where my eyes met his, and he gave me a kiss. When he pulled away after a few minutes, he rested his forehead on mine.
"You'll come back Wednesday?"
"As soon as I'm done at work."
"We'll meet at the Hog's Head?"
"If that's where you want."
"Maybe we should both wear our cuffs and we can go on a date," he grinned.
I laughed.
"That's actually a really good idea."
"So should I bring my cuff?"
"Yes. You definitely should. I'll bring mine and we'll have a regular human date."
Jasper nodded, and smiled.
"I guess you'd better get going if you want to talk to George so we can do that date."
"Yes. And what will you be doing before patrols?"
"I've got some things to grade, and I've got to work on next week's lesson plan."
"So it sounds like you'd better get going too. You've got a lot of work to do."
He nodded.
"So Wednesday after work, we'll meet at Hog's Head."
"Yes. I'll see you then."
We kissed one more time, and he pulled away from me, heading for the gates. He walked backwards, keeping his eyes on me until he went through the gate. From there he waved once more, turned on his heel, and he was gone.
The next week went by faster than the first did. Jasper and I met up on Wednesday and we went through the events of a date. When we separated for the night at the gates of the castle, he held me close.
"I'm coming home on Friday," he said. "After classes are over and after you get off."
"How about I come get you after classes end and you can sit with George and I?"
"That sounds great," he grinned.
Jasper and I learned how to make things work. Unfortunately for me, when the energy decline came, Jasper had no way to get back and forth, so he simply stayed at the castle, but I did okay. He loved what he was doing, and I was happy for him. We found balance in the midst of our chaotic lives.
As October faded into November, Carlisle, Edward, and I continued our research for Renesmee. I recorded any and all research that we did on Renesmee and any research that we found, but there wasn't much to go on. Edward, Bella, and I started talking about going to Brazil. They would find the Ticuna tribe who had legends, and I would go to the magical community. We were very careful when we talked about this though. Careful enough so that Jacob wouldn't hear.
When Thanksgiving came, my powers were still not at the full capacity of where they could be. Dumbledore said that it was understandable considering that I had duties elsewhere, and I couldn't focus my whole undivided attention on it. He was sure that it wouldn't be too much longer though. Severus was patient, and in some cases when the overwhelming stress of the Cullen house became too much, instead of practicing he would just let me vent about anything and everything.
"Only a few more months," he would remind me in a soothing voice. "Just hold out for a few more months and then you and Jasper will be on your way back to Britain."
"It just feels like they expect me to have all the answers," I said one night in late November. "I can't give them the answers that they want, and they take their anger out on me."
"They're afraid," Severus shrugged.
"That isn't justifiable. I warned them that this wasn't going to be easy. It's such an unknown subject that it's hard to know anything for certain. But they want me to have answers and I just don't."
"I never said it was justifiable. I'm just saying that they're afraid. They've been reliant on you having all the answers for so long that now you don't have them—"
"I take the fall for anything that goes wrong."
"If it's any consolation, it doesn't seem like Jasper's giving them much leeway to blame you. I saw his reaction to Bella asking you to take some time off of work to focus on research."
I hadn't been conscious during that outburst, but I had heard about it from Jasper when I woke up. He had reminded Edward and Bella that I had warned them of the complications that would come with this child. He reminded them that I didn't even want to be here, and that I was not going to put my life on hold because they decided that they needed me.
That made them ease up on my involvement in Renesmee some. But when Renesmee turned three months old, and she was starting to resemble a child the same size as Fred, a new problem started. They worried about the lifespan of a hybrid child. They came to me with all their questions, even when I didn't have the answers to them. I had tried to delay talking to the Brazilian magical government until I could talk to Kingsley about what they were and were not required to tell the Volturi, but Kingsley had been swamped with meetings.
"When are you going to talk to Kingsley?" Bella demanded when I came home in the early morning from dropping Jasper off. Jasper had a meeting to go to, and he wouldn't be done until later in the day.
I let out a deep sigh and turned to face her.
"I have a meeting with him tomorrow. He's been busy and tomorrow is the soonest he can see me. I told you this the other day. Why?"
"Renesmee can read now."
"It's probably just a repetition thing," I said, waving her off as I sat my bag down. "James is able to recite books that Harry and Ginny have read him a lot."
"That's just it," Edward said. "She'd never heard it before. Bella was reading her Tennyson."
"Where is she?"
"Finishing breakfast on the porch with Jacob."
I watched the two of them closely.
"Okay, give me one minute."
I disappeared into the room and pulled one of Jasper's philosophy textbooks from the shelf. I returned downstairs and Jacob was holding Renesmee.
"Renesmee, come here," I said, waving her to me.
She wriggled in Jacob's arms and when he sat her down, she came and sat on the floor next to me.
"Your mum tells me you started reading last night, is that right?"
Renesmee nodded, and I showed the book to her.
"We're going to read some of this, and you're going to tell me about it, okay?"
Renesmee nodded again, and I opened the book to a page before passing it to her.
"Read this," I said, tapping the page. I dragged my finger down the page. "Start here."
"It's tempting to think that happiness and the good life are, like love, highly subjective," Renesmee read perfectly. "But notice that we can love, prefer, and pursue things that are also quite self-destructive. Between love and happiness it is quite possible for us to be at odds with ourselves. Indeed, this is the stuff of tragedy. So perhaps what will make us happy and lead to a flourishing life isn't so subjective after all."
Renesmee continued to read until I stopped her. She looked up at me questiongly.
"Tell me about it, "I said.
"What does this prove exactly?" Bella questioned.
"Comprehension. If she's understanding what she's reading or if she's just repeating words that she's seen. So Renesmee, tell me about what they said about Philla."
Renesmee told me about the things that she had read, and she gave opinions about it too. I found that she had a greater understanding of the things that she read than most people in their twenties would have.
"Thank you for reading with me," I said, jumping up to my feet.
"Can we do that again sometime?"
"Maybe," I said with a soft smile. "For now, I think Jacob wants to play some more."
Renesmee flew to Jacob's side, and he picked her up and headed out the door. I sat down in the chair, and Edward, Bella, and Rosalie looked at me with frightened eyes.
"So what does it mean?" Bella asked.
"Physically her aging is slowing down for now, but her mind isn't. She's gaining an understanding about the world around her. She's growing more and more curious by the day. I think it would do her some good to teach her things. Things you would learn in school."
"So homeschooling?"
"Basically. When she understands the basics, then you can move on to more complicated things."
"Like?"
"Things like philosophy," I said, holding up the book, "or perhaps things like vampire history. Whatever really. But you have to feed the knowledge. We can't stop it, so we might as well work with it."
"What does that mean for her body though?" Bella asked. "By the time she's four she'll look like an adult, and by fifteen she'll look like an old lady."
"Possibly," I agreed. "Or she could stop aging altogether. Fact of the matter is we don't know what's going to happen. But if she's not learning, she'll grow frustrated, and I don't want to see what would happen in that case."
"So we teach her…" Edward said in a small voice. "Find the balance."
"Right. We can go to Olympia and get some primers."
"I think we're way past that stage," Rosalie snorted.
"Maybe. But it'd be easier to teach harder things if she's officially taught the easier things."
"Could you help us?" Edward asked.
"I can try. Come on. We'll go ahead and go now, figure out a plan, and we'll start tomorrow after Bella, Renesmee, and Jacob get back from hunting."
Edward nodded and grabbed the keys to the Volvo.
"We'll be back," he said.
"What do I tell Charlie?" Bella asked. "He'll be here in twenty minutes."
"Tell him that we had to go to Seattle for the oxygen tank," I said. "That should give us plenty of time."
"And Jasper?"
"Say he's with us."
Bella nodded.
I waved a hand, and the oxygen tank appeared. I put it on before Edward and I headed to the Volvo.
"Thank you for doing this," he said as we pulled out.
"Sure," I said, leaning my head on the window. "If I help out now, it'll be easier when I'm gone."
"No it won't," he sighed. He glanced at me and took a breath. "We never really talked about it. What will happen when you leave, I mean."
"What do you mean?"
"Are you still my sister?"
I sucked in a deep breath. I knew Edward would want to have the difficult conversation sooner or later. I just hoped it would be later.
"Honestly, it hasn't felt like I've been your sister for a long time…"
"I tried to fix it. You have to know that I tried."
"I know," I said. "I know you did."
"So the answer is no?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly.
"The answer isn't no, but it isn't yes. I guess the answer depends on you. Truthfully, I don't think me being gone will make a difference in your life."
His knuckles turned a different shade of white as he gripped the wheel.
"You're going to break your car," I said, leaning over to pull up his fingers. "Listen, I'm not trying to be mean. I'm just calling my observation."
"Your observation is wrong."
"No," I said, shaking my head, "it's not wrong. So long as you have Bella and Renesmee, you're satisfied in life. You could live without the rest of us. Hell, I'm certain that you could live without Renesmee. But Bella…she makes the difference. If my observation was wrong, then when we left in September you would have been able to stay."
"I was looking for Victoria."
"Yes, but I heard your thoughts, Edward. You wanted to be alone."
"I came and stayed with you and Jasper."
"So I could help you. Not because you wanted to be there."
Edward huffed and glanced at me.
"You really believe that I don't care for you?"
"Yes," I said slowly, turning my attention back to the window.
"You're wrong…you said the decision was up to me. What does that mean?"
"I guess I just mean if you decide to keep contact."
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Well it's no secret that I don't care for your child, and I care less and less for your wife as the days go on."
"But what does that have to do with you and I?"
"Because they are your world. They are the most important thing in your life, and if I don't like them, why would you keep me in your life?"
Edward didn't answer right away. I could see in his mind he carefully considered my words.
"I just can't imagine a life where you're not my sister."
"Maybe we'll be like the distant families in those movies."
"Seeing each other on birthdays and holidays?"
I nodded.
"Then we wouldn't be gone always."
"Just mostly…why do you want to erase yourself from our lives?"
"Because it feels like I'm only loved when I'm useful. It feels like Jasper and I are spare pieces to what could be an incredibly strong family."
I didn't see his eyes as he looked out the window.
"It doesn't have to be a complete cut off," he said.
"We'll see how things are when we leave," I said quietly. "I don't want to say that we're never going to talk again and we will be in a good place in February or swear that we won't lose contact and we will be on bad terms."
"I think that's smart," Edward said, with a small nod.
"So can we agree to come back to this conversation before we leave?"
Edward nodded.
We spent the drive to Olympia talking about Renesmee's growth and what it could mean. He asked about coming with me to my meeting with Kingsley, and I agreed as long as it was just him. We made it to Olympia and got primers ranging from kindergarten to the fifth grade. I also spent some time looking for the future. Things were uncertain, and I saw everything except for what I was looking for. I could see a new trend in the stock market that I made note of to mention to Carlisle. I saw a snowstorm that wouldn't come for another six weeks, and a possible visit from Irina, although that decision wasn't entirely clear. I had a bad feeling, but everything that came up didn't seem like a bad thing. The more I searched for something bad in the future, I saw something else entirely, so instead I stopped looking. I focused instead on the books in front of me.
"So this is what you teach Muggle children," I murmured as I stood in the aisle flipping through a fifth grade science primer.
"I can't tell whether or not that's an insult," he frowned.
"It's not. I just think it's interesting…"
"What time do you have to go back for Jasper?"
"This time or England time?"
"Either."
"I have to leave here at one."
"So we're going to Apparate there and get him then Apparate home?"
I nodded.
"Well sorta. We're going to Apparate to the treaty line."
"What are we going to do about the car?"
"I'm going to shrink it and we're going to drive it from the treaty line."
And that's what we did. We stayed in the garage long enough for me to fix my hair and to change Jasper's clothes from his teaching clothes to normal Muggle clothes. I also altered my face some. Charlie hadn't seen me in about a month because of the long hours George and I had been pulling at the store. As far as Charlie knew I had been in LA. We'd tell him that I got back last night. The newly weak appearance wouldn't come as too much of a shock, afterall I was meant to be getting worse instead of better. Before returning to the living room, I summoned some of the Puking Pastilles and hid them away in my pocket.
When I stepped into the living room, Charlie's eyes studied me for a long time.
She looks horrible, he thought.
After a moment, Jacob nudged him, and Charlie blinked before shaking his head. I settled into a chair that Emmett moved out of.
"How are you, Alice?" he asked.
Stupid question, he thought to himself.
"I'm okay," I said, my voice sounding weak with the help of charms. "I've definitely seen better days, but I think I'm okay."
"When did you get back from LA?"
"Last night," Jasper said. "From what we hear, we only missed you by about an hour."
"And they've said nothing?" Charlie asked.
"Just the same," Carlisle said in a quiet voice. "Nothing can be done now but making her comfortable."
"Let's move onto another subject, hmm?" I said, glancing at Bella.
They kept a handful of conversations up, and I leaned on Jasper who told me about the meeting.
They talked about who would stay at the castle and who would go home, Jasper said.
"And what'd you say?" I murmured.
I said I was going to be at home. I told you and George I'd help during the holidays.
"And I appreciate that, but if you want to go—"
"It's already been decided," he said out loud. "I thought about it. It'd be good to get an extra two weeks pay but I figured it'd give us time to spend together."
I beamed.
"How sweet of you."
He leaned down and kissed the top of my head.
"So how are we doing Christmas?" he asked.
"I guess this year at least we're doing two," I murmured. "One here and one at the Burrow. I'll have to ask George what the plans are this year."
We could have one big one here, Edward suggested.
Edward, I don't know if there's enough room for everyone.
You can expand the space like you did before.
We'll talk to Carlisle and I'll talk to Molly and the others. I'm not saying yes, but I'm not saying no.
Jasper nudged my shoulder and raised an eyebrow.
"Why don't we go upstairs?" I murmured. "I need to get out of this thing for a bit."
Jasper nodded and helped me to my feet. He picked up the oxygen tank, and hiked it onto his shoulder.
"Everything okay?" Charlie asked, looking up at us.
"Everything's fine," Jasper said.
"Just tired," I said with a weak smile.
"Sleep well," Edward said.
I smiled and Jasper and I headed up the stairs.
I filled Jasper in on what Edward and I had discussed. Jasper stayed quiet for a moment, and looked over to the stack of presents in the corner.
"Maybe it's just me," he said slowly, "but I feel like Edward is trying to keep us from severing ties completely."
"Maybe," I said, "but isn't that what we planned to do? Cut ties completely?"
"Yes…is that what you still want to do?"
"For a little while at least. Go on our own, find our bearings. Then maybe if we leave on good terms we can bring them into our lives. Like the Denalis."
Jasper nodded.
"I think that's a good plan."
I rolled onto my side, and rested my chin on his chest.
"So you want to spend your break off from work helping at the store?"
Jasper shrugged.
"I like working there."
"But that's meant to be your time away from students."
Jasper waved his hand and grinned.
"I think I'll survive. They're not bad kids."
"I didn't say they were," I laughed.
His fingers grazed across my cheekbones, and I closed my eyes as he traced my face.
"Thank you for encouraging me to do this," he murmured. "I finally feel like I have a place."
"I'm glad."
"So what are we going to do on Thursday and Friday since we're both off of work?"
The Muggle Studies teacher, Maya as we've grown to call her, insisted that Jasper started his winter break a few days early. She told Minerva that he's so invested in his work that she thinks he deserves it. When I saw the decision being made to give Jasper the day off, I went to George. I asked for the same days off.
"We can do anything," I grinned. "What do you want to do?"
"I'd be okay with just laying here all day," he said as he ran his fingers through my hair.
"I think that'd be great," I murmured, closing my eyes again. "It's been a long time since we've just laid here."
"What are we going to do when we have Teddy? We're not going to be able to just lay in bed all day."
"We'll send him to stay with Andromeda or Harry. When I was young Mum and Dad used to pass me off to James and Lily to have a date night."
"Really?"
I nodded.
"Before James and Lily went into hiding. Then when they were still in Hogwarts, they'd leave me with Remus or with a teacher so they could have a break."
Jasper laughed.
"So nothing has to change. We're still us."
"Exactly. We're still us, we just have another mouth to feed."
"Two," he corrected. "We have to feed Kreacher."
I laughed.
"Okay, so we're still us with two mouths to feed."
"Four if you include ourselves."
I laughed again and shoved away from him.
"Can I just make my point please?"
He grabbed my waist and pulled me back to him.
"Sure, but you can make it from where you were."
I smiled and kissed his jaw before laying back on his chest.
"You know, there's something I was thinking about," I said, looking up at him.
"What's that?"
"When Teddy goes off to Hogwarts, what are we going to do if he wants a cat?"
"We'll get him a Kneazle."
"I thought you were against it," I frowned, remembering when I had mentioned a cat when we were staying with Helen and Tobias in New York all those years ago.
"Well that was before I got close to one," he laughed.
"When did you get close to a Kneazle?"
"Friday. The Defense Against the Dark Arts class started on vampires on Thursday. I got overly curious and since I didn't have a class I sat in on the lesson. People asked about the effects of magical animals on an animal drinking vampire. Since I didn't have an answer we did an experiment, and a girl brought her Kneazle to class the next day. It had no effect on me."
"You didn't tell me that!"
"I thought I did," he frowned.
"What would you have done if you attacked the cat?" I asked, putting a hand over my mouth to stifle the laugh.
"We didn't think about that until after we had done it."
I shook my head, and smirked.
"We should see if Half-Kneazles have the same effect. We could get one from Mrs. Figg."
"We'll have to see about that."
We didn't return downstairs until well after Charlie left. I didn't have practice for the night, but it was nearly time for us to go and my bag was downstairs.
"Be careful," I told Bella as I picked up my bag, getting ready to go. "I have a bad feeling about today, but I can't place where the bad feeling is directed from."
"I'll be with them," Jacob said. "Everything will be fine."
"I have my meeting with Kingsley, and George and I are shutting down the store early for a restock before Christmas, so I'll be home to talk to you and then I'll go get Jasper. Go ahead and book your tickets to Italy too. I don't see any problems there."
"Is it meant to snow?" Bella asked, looking out the window.
"Yes, but it won't stick. It'll be gone by the time Jasper and I get home."
Bella nodded.
"Okay. If anything happens should I call, or—"
"Jacob can make my future disappear completely. If something happens and you need me, use that to your advantage, and I'll be here."
"Thank you," Edward said.
I nodded, and looked at Jasper.
"You ready?"
He nodded, and took my hand. We both waved, and then disappeared.
My meeting with Kingsley went fairly well. He told me that the magical governments were under no obligation to tell the Volturi anything unless it was a vampire violating the Volturi's laws. Because this was strictly research, he didn't think I would have anything to worry about, but to be we would send the letters under his name. I wrote out my letter before leaving his office, and he sent it with the promise that he'd send it to me as soon as he heard something.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Kingsley said.
"About sending a letter to Brazil?"
"About the Cullens keeping this child. It's not in direct violation, but if the Volturi finds out about it's existence it could lead to your entire coven being sentenced to death."
"I still have my Unbreakable Vow in place. They can't come for Jasper and I unless we break a law. We didn't break a law."
"But you were an accessory and that in and of itself is breaking a law."
"None of the laws say anything about hybrid children."
"But they're the kings," Kingsley said. "They can alter the laws."
He let out a deep sigh and he watched me carefully.
"I just worry about you, Alice. The world needs you."
"The world doesn't need me," I said. "Individuals, sure, but not the world."
"No, I believe that you're going to change the world, but you can't do that if you're dead."
"I won't. I'll fight."
"And I believe that you'll win."
I smiled, and let him take my hands in his.
"Listen to me carefully, Alice. The kings are planning something. I don't know what, but I'm worried…you have to promise me that if they come for you, then you and Jasper will fight, and you'll get out, and you'll come home. We'll protect you here."
"I don't want to start a war between wizards and vampires," I whispered.
"But promise that you'll fight if they come for you."
"I promise."
"Good. I swore to Remus that I'd keep you safe."
I watched him carefully.
"When?"
"The night he died. He made me swear that I would never let anything happen to you."
"Well we're going to make sure you keep that promise. If anything happens, I'll make sure that you know."
"Even if it's just you writing a letter, make sure that you let me know."
I nodded, and the two of us stood up. He pulled me into a hug.
"I'll let you know as soon as I hear back from them. It should be a few days."
I nodded.
"Send it to the Cullen house, and I'll answer."
"If anything comes up, send me a Patronus."
"I will."
He squeezed my shoulders before he smiled.
"I'll talk to you soon."
I headed for the fireplace, and headed for work.
I spent the day on edge, and it was affecting my work. I struggled with focusing on the books that I was working on, and it took longer than it should have to check out a woman buying gifts.
"I'm sorry," I whispered as I quickly moved through her stuff.
"It's no problem, dear," she smiled. "It looks like you have a lot on your mind."
"I think it's quite the opposite, really," I murmured. "I lost my train of thought…"
"Well that's no good, is it?" she said. "The great Mary Alice Black losing her train of thought?"
I laughed.
"Happy Christmas," I said, handing her the bag.
"Happy Christmas," she said, dropping a Galleon in the tip jar.
George eyed me carefully and took my hand.
"You alright, Ali? I've never seen you so…"
"Unprofessional?" I guessed.
"Not unprofessional...but you do seem off."
"I'm worried," I sighed, resting my forehead against the counter. "I don't know why but these last few weeks I've just had a bad feeling about something that is coming."
"Kind of like your feeling that you won't be around for Christmas?"
I nodded.
"But when I try to look for it, I'm seeing everything but what I'm looking for."
George patted my shoulder, and I looked up at him.
"Okay," he said, brushing my hair out of my face, "when you look for the bad feeling, what comes up the most?"
"Irina. She's thinking about coming to talk to Carlisle but her decision isn't final."
"Irina…she's from the Denali coven, right?"
"Right. She wasn't at the wedding because she was still pissed…"
"Okay, so what about Irina could bring something bad?"
"Two things. Renesmee, and our alliance with the pack."
"Okay, so could Irina be the source of your bad feeling?"
"Maybe," I said, sitting up straight. "But I don't know."
"When did you last talk to Helen and Tobias?"
"After the wedding. I don't know what I'm supposed to say to them."
"Maybe you should call them."
"Maybe," I agreed.
George was quiet for a moment, and his eyes never left my face.
"You know, you've been my best friend for as long as I can remember," he finally said after what felt like a long time. "You know me better than anyone else in the world. Even Angelina. To an extent, I think that goes the other way around too…"
"What are you getting at, Georgie?" I asked, looking up at him.
"I remember during the war, you were setting a plan in action in case you had to run…are you going to do that now?"
I didn't answer right away, but I could see in his eyes that he already knew the answer to it.
"I think," I said slowly, "that it wouldn't be a bad idea. I was thinking of writing a letter for Minerva, you know just in case, and keeping it in my bag. I know that if I ran, Jasper would come with me."
"If I thought I could keep up, I would too," he said, offering a weak laugh.
"I don't know when to write it though…Jasper's always around when he's home and I just don't want him to worry."
"Go ahead and write it here. I think it'll help clear your head some."
So that's what I did. In between checking out customers, I wrote a letter to Minerva. I didn't go into any specifics of what happened because in truth, nothing had happened. Not yet anyways. But I made sure to include that the letter was written as a precautionary measure and if she had received it then something had happened and Jasper and I were on the run.
It helped some. I knew that Jasper's job at least would be taken care of.
"So what about you?" I asked, leaning against the counter. "If something happens how do I fill you guys in?"
"You'll come and set up protective charms around the houses like you did last time."
I nodded.
"So things are set."
"Yes. And when you go home, set up an emergency bag. Just in case."
I nodded.
"How is it that you know exactly what will make me feel better?"
"Because it's like I said. We've been best friends for so long that we know each other."
He pulled me into a tight hug.
"Everything will be okay, Alice. I promise."
But when I got back home after going to get Jasper, it didn't feel like everything was going to be okay. Bella, Jacob, and Renesmee were still gone, and while nothing in the house felt out of the ordinary, something felt wrong.
"What's wrong, love?" Jasper asked, tightening his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. We were in the bedroom and I had been standing at the bookshelf for much longer than I had meant to. Jasper noticed, and he immediately spread peace through the room.
"I don't know," I murmured. "Something just feels wrong."
"I'm sure everything is fine," he said, kissing just below my ear.
I sighed, and relaxed in his hold, resting my head on his shoulder.
"What if it's not?"
"Then we'll take care of it like we always do."
I twisted in his hold, and buried my face in his chest.
"I'm scared."
"Don't be afraid, Darlin'. I'll be right here."
He pulled me back to the bed, and held me tight. From downstairs, I could hear a phone ring.
"Focus on me," Jasper murmured, his lips brushing against my ear.
I tried. Jasper hummed and I could feel the vibrations coming from his chest. It made it easier to focus on him instead of whatever was happening downstairs.
"We'll be there in half a minute," Edward said, and I could feel the air change as he and Carlisle left.
"What's happening?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"I don't know," Jasper said. "Just focus on me, alright?"
I nodded, and closed my eyes, listening to his humming.
We waited, and it wasn't until a few minutes later that Bella came in that we were disturbed.
"Alice!" she called from downstairs. '
Jasper sighed and patted my shoulder.
"Come on then," he said.
When we got downstairs, Bella and Jacob explained everything that had happened. Carlisle and Edward had gone after her, and Bella wanted to see if I had an idea as to where she was going to give them clues. I saw nothing. No decision in Irina's future was clear. It was a blur and the only things I could make out were green and an orangey light that almost reminded me of fire.
"Her future is uncertain," I murmured. "I can't see where she's going, but we should probably call Tanya."
Hey guys! So I want to give a little bit of an explanation as to where I've been, where my head has been at, and then I have a couple notes on the chapter.
So the last time I uploaded a chapter was February 20th. At the time of writing this, it's April 25th, which means that it's been a little over two months. This chapter started on March 25, so it took me exactly a month to finish it. I don't know what it was, but for whatever reason, at the very beginning of the chapter, nothing felt right. I would write something, come back a few hours later and delete everything. This became routine for like two weeks, and then I was able to get past the first page. There was a point where I just didn't work on it. I didn't look at it, I didn't think about it. It was very out of sight out of mind. It gave me time to refresh, come back, and try again. So what's my point to this you may ask? Well I want to apologize for taking so long to get this chapter up, first and foremost, but I also want to make sure I'm writing a good chapter instead of pushing chapters out that my heart isn't fully into. Hopefully things are good for now, but we'll see how that goes.
Next thing we have is chapter notes. I have a few different ones. The first thing is Jasper's outfit that he's wearing when Alice drops him off at Hogwarts on his first day of shadowing. I don't picture the teachers at Hogwarts dressing in the same way that Muggle teachers dress. At least in my school, male teachers seem to wear these really tight khaki pants and the gingham-like patterned shirts with loafers. When I picture Jasper in particular dressing up to be a teacher I had two specific people in mind. The first person is Jefferson from Once Upon a Time. Something kind of like what he was wearing when he was first introduced (season one episode seventeen if you're interested). The other person I had in mind was Sir Thomas Sharpe from the movie Crimson Peak. The outfit I had in mind was the outfit he was wearing at the end of the movie. I highly recommend that movie. My next note is regarding Hanahaki Disease. From what I understand about it, Hanahaki Disease is something that occurs in Manga/Anime. That being said, that isn't where I heard it from. I actually heard it from a Marvel fanfic that I was reading on Archive of Our Own (or AO3). The concept of it was interesting to me, so I included that in here. If any of you know anything more about it, and I got anything wrong (no matter how small the detail) please leave a review or you can send me a message and I will fix it immediately. My final note is about the book that Alice had Renesmee read. The book was "Introduction to Philosophy" by W. Russ Payne. The section I picked out was under the chapter about love, and it is a really interesting read. There are PDFs of the book out, so if that's something you're interested in, I highly recommend the read.
With that being said, that's all my notes. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you in the next one!
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