The headlights and purr of a sleek silver car greeted Harry as he exited the house. Bella was still sat inside, conversing with her boyfriend. The leech turned his head to eye him.

His cousin hopped out when she saw him, waving with a smile, "Hey Harry, where are you going?" The vampire slid out as well, leaning against the side of the car with crossed arms as Bella strolled up to him.

"Jacob's, you coming with?"

Cullen didn't seem very comfortable with that, shifting a little when Bella answered. "Oh yeah, sure, let me just put my bag away! I'll drive us there," she said. Darting over to her uneasy beau, she kissed him goodbye before running back up the stairs, hand on the railing to avoid falling. "See you tomorrow, Edward," she called back.

Making no move to leave, Cullen watched Harry carefully. The younger boy notched an eyebrow in question. The vampire shut the car door, glancing around shiftily as if expecting death to come at him any moment. Ah, that might just be right, Fawkes had a rare talent for the art of appearing out of thin air, discounting his literal ability to do so.

He seemed satisfied with the result of his cursory yard-examination, no boogie birds in sight. Turning his full attention back on Harry, his face turned smug. Or knowing, Harry realized. The younger boy smiled in amusement.

"Did you really think," the leech started, stepping forward dangerously, "no one would find out?"

Now Harry was really curious, he raised both brows in question.

Cullen smirked, trotting lazily forward with a satisfied expression. He pulled out a paper from his coat, folded neatly in two. Unfolding it, he presented it like one may a high-price lottery ticket at a bank. It was a copy of a black and white newspaper, poor quality, clearly not taken in the best conditions.

Harry recognized the grand ballroom of Buckingham Palace, despite the lack of colour. It wasn't hard to recognize the profile of his own face either. Whoever had snuck the picture during his confidential investiture had risked their neck, figuratively, maybe.

The picture may have been leaked, but any information surrounding it had thankfully been withheld. Clearly, the vampire didn't know what he'd stumbled over, only recognizing Harry being surrounded by important people of the British monarchy and government.

"Nice photo," Harry nodded indulgently.

Cullen frowned at the lack of reaction, but quickly recovered. "This is you," he asserted.

"Great observational skills there."

"What was this? A trial? You're surrounded by military," he questioned, impatiently eager to uncover the details of his find.

"You got me. I was banished from my country. It's why I'm here," he stated sarcastically.

The vampire's eyes narrowed in contempt. He seemed to think of something, brow smoothing out again. "I wonder what Charlie will say about this."

Why did he assume the man was unaware? "I'm sure he'd love to hear about the bloke stalking on his young nephew's background," Harry remarked amiably.

His pale face froze. Somehow, that thought hadn't occurred to him before now. He didn't need more reason for his girlfriend's father to dislike him, and this was sure to shorten his visitation hours further. He scrambled for words, "This wasn't," a pause before he decided on his excuse, "I just came across it."

Harry nodded agreeably. "Exactly what my cousin told my aunt when she found him elbow deep in the cookie jar." A lie, of course. His aunt would've given Dudley another jar.

The door opened then, interrupting the other boy's next defence. Bella paused, surprise written on her face. "Oh, you're here still?" she asked, looking at her boyfriend.

The vampire's mouth formed a thin line, unwilling to divulge his reasons. Eager to get going, Harry spoke, "Just some small talk." He waved the matter away, stepping over to Bella's truck.

They set off, the red wreck thundering its way out the driveway. "Sorry if Edward said anything," Bella said eventually. Harry glanced over, had the leech already showed her the photo? "He doesn't really like La Push," she continued, reddening.

Apparently, he had not. Relaxing back into his seat, he asked, "Why's that?"

She hemmed and hawed, hesitating in her explanation. "Well, it's just that—there was some rumours, I guess. Superstitious stuff," she laughed it away. He kept silent, inviting her to tell more. Bella tightened her grip on the wheel. "It wasn't anything bad," she assured him. "But, well, it boiled down to them being banned from entering La Push."

"That's a little over-the-top," he observed. Unless they knew they were vampires of course, which Jacob had already come close to confirming some weeks back. Now it seemed the Cullens were just as aware of the Quileutes.

She didn't comment further, steering the conversation over to other matters. They soon arrived at the Blacks' house. Jacob was already in the door; no doubt having heard their rumbling approach a mile away.

"Hey," he grinned as they both hopped out. Slapping a hand on Harry's shoulder, he guided him inside, Bella following the two with a humoured expression.

The day was spent lazily watching movies, teaching Bella cards and Jacob reviewing car theory as the two cousins listened indulgently, the mechanic talk going straight over both their heads.

In all it was a good time, Bella making good on her promise to spend more time with them both.

…

The night sky was clear, thankfully. He'd rather not re-go through the month-long leaf process because of a couple clouds. The forest around him was quiet, bar the soft gust of wind curiously investigating his presence.

"Hello again," he greeted the spirit. "Hope you don't mind, just here to collect some dew and I'll be out of your— err, wind."

It followed him curiously as he approached the circle of trees. The dew had to be untouched by both human feet and sunlight for a week. Thankfully, the soul inhabiting this part of the mountain kept people away whilst the dense foliage blocked out the sun. Kneeling below the thick canopy of trees, he collected a spoonful worth of the clear water dripping off the grass straws from the earlier bout of rain. Forks' terrible weather was a godsend for the ingredient.

"Right, thank you," he bowed his head gratefully. "Sorry for the disturbance."

The wind poked at his hand holding the phial of dew, confused by its purpose.

"Oh, it's just for a little project," he waved off. Before leaving he remembered the strange trio connected to the spirit. "You wouldn't happen to know why Sam Uley has it in for me, do you?"

The wind perked up; Harry could swear it was sniggering. But it quickly retreated. He scowled at the non-answer.

"I'll find out," he called after it in warning.

Disapparating, he moved to a small clearing where the full moon shone down unobstructed. He conjured a stone stand taller than the long straws of grass and placed his crystal phial in the centre. Finally removing the mandrake leaf from his mouth, he shoved it inside, grateful for his finally clear mouth. The moonlight struck it and he could at last place inside the dew and a single strand of his hair.

Digging around, he found the moth pupae he'd ordered. He'd have to drink this when it finished, he realized, grimacing at the thought. Choosing not to think too hard on it, he plopped it in with the rest of the components before picking the phial back up and vanishing the stand. He'd lived after Pomfrey's potions, who knows what she put in them.

Peering down at the little phial in his hand, he sighed. "Now to keep you out of sunlight until a lightning storm." Thankfully, he'd planned for this particular step ahead of time.

He apparated closer to home, the crack of his arrival a rumbling echo in the night. Sneaking quietly through the door, he made for his room. The old desk Charlie had left for him was sturdy, dense and most importantly; it had drawers. Lockable ones, at that.

He pulled the bottom one out and carefully placed the potion inside.

The weeks following were long. Thankfully, he rarely slept much in the night, so the daily chant at sunset and sunrise wasn't too hard to remember. But waiting for a lightning storm was a feat of patience Harry was impressed someone of his godfather's unpredictable nature had been capable of. However, it soon became a habit.

"Are you in, Harry?" Bella called, knuckles rapping excitedly on his door. She must've just come home from her allocated time with her boyfriend.

He groaned. They were going through advanced algebra again today, with a break of American history in the later evening. Can you call in sick from at-home study-sessions? Shaking his head, he got up and opened the door.

Bella grinned at his pouting face. "Ready?"

"Yup," he grumbled.

She had the audacity to laugh at his exhaustion. As they sat down next to each other by the kitchen table, she said, "You can take a break, you know? You were ready for your placement last week."

Magical study aid potion or not, he had been wholly unintegrated in the muggle world less than two months ago. The test was set to take place on the following Monday. Only a week away. Only a week left to make sure he wouldn't screw it up.

"Let's go through trig again?" he requested.

Bella smiled warmly at his dedication. "They'll put you in the same class as me at this point."

He rolled his eyes, getting to work.

It was the Saturday before his test that Bella and Jacob decided he was due for a break, whether he liked it or not. Sat down in Bella's truck, he was stuck between the two conspirators.

"This is kidnapping," he complained. "It's against the law."

"I have police clearance," Bella easily replied.

Jacob nodded solemnly, "Charlie ordered your take down." After weeks of regular visits, he'd gotten much better around Bella. Seeing her as a good friend rather than just an attractive girl.

"Abuse of power," the wizard grumbled.

They stopped outside a diner, hopping out to avoid the puddles. The rain bore down on them as they rushed inside.

Gathered around the table, Bella ordered burgers for all three of them. Harry had never had one, but he had heard of them at least. They ate in quiet, Bella and Jacob exchanging pointed glances throughout the meal, arguing silently.

Harry put his burger down, tired of the obvious attempt at subterfuge. "Alright, why did you really bring me here?" he asked.

Jacob looked sheepish whilst Bella blushed. She wrung her hands together on the table. "We weren't snooping or anything," she started. How reassuring. "But, well, when Charlie was signing your admittance the other day, I saw your name on it." She turned to Jacob.

He cleared his throat, continuing. "Well, she said it said 'Evans'."

"Wasn't that Aunt Lily's name before she got married?" Bella questioned.

Ah, he almost sighed in relief. He'd have to explain that eventually anyway, so their discovery wasn't too jarring. He spoke quietly, "I have to go under another name for the time being."

They both turned worried at his serious tone, huddling in closer to listen attentively.

"If you remember, there's been some attacks in Britain the past several years." Their eyes widened at the subject. The Death Eaters' brutal attacks had long since reached American news as well. "Even though the main organization was taken down, they still had supporters all over the world. I can't go into detail, but it's a safety measure. You guys are the only ones that ever really knew me, so it was easy to register at the school with a new name."

Jacob gulped at the revelation, glancing down at Harry's shirt-covered arm, no doubt remembering the heavy scarring. "I'm sorry, Harry, I- we didn't mean to snoop," he said, eyes round with sincerity. Bella nodded gravely, not noticing the look.

Harry ignored it. "Bella would've been equally confused had a teacher called me Mister Evans or something on the first day," he laughed. "I should've let you know before. Just, please keep my real surname to yourselves."

Both quickly agreed.

Bella's eyes widened in thought. "Does Charlie know?" she whispered.

Harry nodded, smiling wryly. "He's my guardian, the government couldn't exactly dump me on his doorstep without a word." Again, that is. Especially with the muggle government involved this time.

She nodded, relieved her dad wasn't in the dark about his circumstances. "Sorry about the interrogation," Bella apologized again.

Harry waved it away. "Isn't this my day off? Let's eat up and go have some fun."

The two eager grins were enough of a reply.

Hours later, they sat on the railing separating the parking lot from First Beach, ice creams in hand. The rain had taken a break and the waves lapped lazily at the sandy beach, birds chirping cheerily as they flew around the trees. Harry wondered if the wind spirit could reach all the way down here, but he hadn't felt any particular presence from it so far.

"Only a short couple weeks left of this," Jacob grumbled, eyes closed as he enjoyed the ocean breeze.

"Summer went by quickly," Bella agreed. She gasped suddenly. "Oh, what's the time," she asked looking slightly panicked.

Jacob and Harry both shrugged, neither carrying a watch. She ran over to her truck to have a peek at the clock on the dashboard. Harry hopped off the fence, moving to follow but Jacob held him back, gripping his wrist lightly.

The younger boy stared at him tentatively. "I wasn't sure if it was ok to ask," he admitted. "Especially with Bella here. But what you said before, does it have anything to do with," he hesitated, gesturing down at Harry's arm with his other hand instead, "all of that."

Harry held his gaze, staying quiet. It wasn't something he could easily talk about with his friend without putting the Statute or Jacob himself in danger. But he'd rather not straight up lie either. He pulled his hand away, using it instead to lean against the railing, breaking the eye contact.

Jacob looked to the ground, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He kicked at some of the sand. "Sorry, again, I'm not trying to pry," he promised. "I'm worried about you."

Before he could continue, and thankfully before Harry would be forced to respond, Bella called them over.

"Edward was going to pick me up at six," she groaned. The clock on the dashboard read quarter to seven.

Eager to switch over from the previously heavy subject between him and Jacob, he teased her, "What in the evening? So late! Does Charlie know about this?" Jacob snickered slightly forced, understanding Harry's wish to not talk, and settled into the car beside him. He was fully aware of her dad's overprotective act when it came to the Cullen boy.

She scowled at them both. "It's just for a couple hours," she sighed, rushing the old groaning truck towards Jacob's home to let him off. His cousin threw an extra glare at Harry, daring him to mention anything more about her nights. A bold move, but Harry smiled, letting it go. She breathed out, relieved despite herself.

They returned to Forks soon after.

Monday rolled by quickly from there. Walking in the school building for his test had been a test on his nerves. But with each question he'd felt more at ease, comfortable with answering from his relentless studies. By the end of it, he was confident he hadn't done too poorly, leaving the building with a smile.

Bella's red noise machine pulled up to the mostly empty school. She hopped out and ran over. "How did it go?" she asked eagerly.

"It was fine, I think."

"Anything you struggled with?"

Harry shook his head, "Not really. But you never know, maybe I flunked it," he joked.

She slapped his shoulder lightly. "You better not have!"

They took off, heading home. Harry relaxed into the car seat, sighing happily. "At least I'm done."

"You know you just signed up for another year of what you were doing all summer?"

Harry shook his head, he'd had to catch up on seven years of missed schooling this summer. In comparison, the school year would be far easier to stay on board with, only regular studying required. Besides, perhaps it was cheating but Wit-Sharpening potions were highly effective. And if all else failed, Harry wasn't too shabby with legilimency.

"I'm not too worried about that," he said finally.

"Suddenly confident now?"

"Scared you'll be pushed down to second place?" he retorted impishly.

"That would require us to be in the same class."

"Maybe they'll pull you down a year."

Bella smirked, "To babysit you?"

"The other way around, more like."

"I'm a year older, you know?" she stated, brows raised.

"In a couple days we're the same age," Harry reminded her. He'd be turning seventeen. A legal adult in the Wizarding World, but still a minor in the muggle world.

"Only for a couple months!" She looked surprised at her own playful exclamation. Harry knew she hadn't been looking forward to her birthday previously. Her expression turned to a smile. "How do you wanna celebrate?" she asked warmly.

He had rarely gotten to really celebrate his birthday. He'd received cakes and gifts after making friends at Hogwarts, but being stuck at the Dursleys most summers didn't lend itself to good parties. So he'd only had a real celebration a couple times when he'd stayed at the Burrow through his birthday.

"I think I'd rather spend the day with Uncle Charlie, you and Jacob," he finally decided.

She glanced at him gently. "You must have friends," she hesitated, "from Britain, I mean."

Harry frowned, straightening uncomfortably. "I do," he asserted. He missed all of them. Sighing, he continued, "But I won't be able to see them." Yet.

Her hands tightened on the wheel. "Is it because of," she trailed off, unwilling to bring it up a subject he may be uneasy speaking of.

They reached the house, the truck coming to a stop. Bella didn't move, offering silent support without pushing for information.

He hitched a smile at her, but it seemed to make her frown deepen. "Oh no, not you too."

Her face warped with confusion.

"First Jacob and now you." He poked her forehead. "You both think too much."

Bella slapped his hand away before rubbing the spot he'd poked at. "You're hilarious," she deadpanned.

"So I've heard."

…

On the night before his birthday, he lay awake. Fawkes by his side and the golden snitch fluttering about, the low hum of its wings the only sound in the otherwise quiet house.

"Only one more minute, Fawkes," Harry whispered, watching the spelled clock tick closer to midnight.

Fawkes trilled softly at him.

The glowing clock hands, suspended mid-air, aligned at twelve, signalling Harry's full sixteenth survived year coming to an end. He was seventeen now. He hadn't thought he'd make it. Technically, he hadn't, if you discounted his resurrection.

The night was quiet.

Turning over on his back, he sighed. What had he expected? He was isolated in a backwater town. Not even his friends knew exactly where he was. He closed his eyes, resting his head comfortably on the fluffy pillow. He should just sleep.

A tap on the window startled him. Another sounded just after. He sat up swiftly, head whirling to see what the noise was. Fawkes' attention also glued to the window.

An owl sat innocuously on the sill, waiting to be let in.

He got up slowly. Carefully opening the latch to let the bird in. It flapped over to his desk, a small box in its talons. Leaving it there, it swiftly flew out again, disappearing into the dark of night.

Harry's heart beat fast. Was this a trick? He grabbed his wand, checking for curses, jinxes and hexes, even wards. Nothing. Just a small box with brown wrapping paper and a little string bow.

With a wave of his hand, the box unwrapped itself. He checked each layer for curses.

Finally, a note appeared, folded up and stuffed inside. He flattened it against the desk, reading from a distance before he realized the identity of the sender.

It was from Mrs Weasley. He breathed out shakily. The note was crammed with text and signed by all the Weasleys still at the Burrow.

He turned over the small box into his other hand. It was a gold watch, the note mentioning it had been her brother's. A watch was apparently tradition when coming of age. The Weasleys had always been a second family to him, the confirmation that it went both ways made his heart lurch.

Clutching the note in one hand whilst gently caressing the watch in his other, he leant back against the wall to steady himself. He closed his eyes, breathing carefully. The world felt heavy. Sliding down the wall, he sat on the floor, legs crouched up against his chest.

He raised his head, eyes trailing over to the lowermost drawer of his desk where his potion still sat. Soon, whenever the next storm struck and if everything went according to his plan. He might be able to see them again without risk. He'd thank Mrs Weasley then.

Fawkes landed on his knee, head tilting at his reaction to the gift. He prodded the watch beseechingly with his beak, checking it for any intended maleficent purposes. Harry chuckled at the phoenix' confusion, petting his head softly. "It's fine, Fawkes," he assured the bird. "I'm just a little overwhelmed," he breathed out after a pause.

The snitch zoomed over, wings vibrating in front of him. Fawkes snapped at it, too slow as the winged golden ball zipped off again.

Harry huffed out a laugh at the display, regaining some energy. He got back up, using the wall for support, before falling back into bed. Turning onto his back, the snitch once again darted over. The hum of its wings loud as it flittered right above his nose.

"Shoo off, you." It obeyed, zooming for his closet, it snuck in through the slit in the door.

Harry closed his eyes again, sleep catching him as he lost out to the exhaustion.

The next morning was a groggy wake-up, his fitful sleep leaving him drained. As the sun rose, he uttered the potion's required phrase that had become his morning and evening mantra.

"Temp—" he cut himself off from uttering the time-spell, remembering his gift.

Picking it up carefully, he caressed the golden band, admiring the simple design. He put it on and it quickly resized to his wrist. It was far too early for his uncle and cousin to be awake, so Harry busied himself reading up again on the subject of vampires.

He had plenty of personal experience with the bloodthirsty creatures and he'd be going to school with at least one. This one, however, was an animal drinker, so the behavioural pattern may be different.

His eyes roved over the history section, a big part of which concerned the Volturi. Reading on he discovered something more disturbing; immortal children. Apparently their development was stunted by the early transformation, leaving them incapable of learning past the point of their age. The Volturi had conducted several decades worth of tests, incapable of different outcomes. Whilst interesting history, it didn't give him much in terms of a vegetarian vampire's lifestyle.

He came out to the kitchen much later, Bella having prepared breakfast already. Charlie smiled eagerly when he entered. "Good morning, Harry! Happy birthday!" Bella echoing his sentiments.

He handed him a hand sized box, packaged neatly.

"It's from both me and Bella," he grinned.

Harry smiled sheepishly, "Thanks, Uncle Charlie. Thank you, Bella." He carefully loosened the ribbon, ripping the tape off with more force. It was a white box, a black simple mobile phone on the cover. "Oh, wow," he exclaimed, pulling his magic in as tightly as possible to avoid breaking the fragile electronic device. "Thank you so much," he smiled. It was a very thoughtful gift, he just hoped he wouldn't break it on accident.

"Go ahead, take it out!" his uncle encouraged.

Nice and slow now, Harry, he reminded himself. He opened the box, picking up the phone in his hand. "It's wonderful," he grinned, he hoped it didn't come out too stiffly as he painstakingly held his magic in place.

"The charger's under there, you can just plug it in," he pointed to the wall.

Harry nodded placidly, walking over. In his mind, he was freaking out. An electrical socket? Really? He breathed in deeply, plugging the wire in.

The socket sparked. A second later the kitchen went dark with only the cloudy morning light peering in through the window.

Another stunned moment of silence later, Charlie laughed. "That used to happen to your mother all the time," he chuckled. "It must run in your blood."

Harry paled, grateful for the darkness disguising it. "How unlucky," he agreed. Misfortune had indeed stained his family.

Bella pulled out some drawers, searching until she found matches, a couple candles and their holders.

Placing one on the table, she lit it, bringing some more light in. "Setting the mood," she joked.

Charlie grabbed the other, "I'll have a look at the fuse box." He walked off into the dark hallway.

Harry took a seat at the table, resting one hand on it and supporting his head with the other.

Bella frowned, peering down at his hand. For a heart-stopping moment he thought she'd seen his worded scar, but it was covered up well by his long sleeves.

"Nice ring," she remarked instead.

Harry jerked in surprise, his face twisting in confusion. What ring?

"I didn't know you liked jewellery like that, but it looks good," she nodded down at his left hand.

Sitting innocuously on his index finger, lit up under the live flame, was a stone he'd not seen in months. Decorating a plain band, was the little dark rock. As the candlelight flickered, the engraved symbol of the Deathly Hallows shimmered into view.

…

Notes: Yeah, I don't know how placement works in schools when you transfer internationally, as you can no doubt tell. ;_; I just assumed you had to do a test of some sort to see where your education placed you.

But hey! It's moving fast now, ey? The first five chapters were over the span of, what? Three days? Feels good finally getting places B) You may have noticed my aversion to line breaks in the first few chapters. But last chapter and this one I included a couple! Hope it doesn't look too silly, I just felt the time hops needed more of a clean break. I may go through previous chapters and add some if I feel like it's necessary.

Also! It came to my attention that you guys get update notifications when I edit my chapters ;_; Sorry about that! I go through each of them over and over after updating (cause I'm so excited to upload it) and then I keep noticing small things that I don't like/want to change. So if you get an update notif and there's nothing there, I probably just changed a word up or something.