I'm so glad that I can finally give you the next in the series. Just know I've already read Book Six and have taken my notes. Now ... I can start to write it.
Thanks must go out to my team. My pre-reader Pienuniek and my Beta Alice's White Rabbit. I would be lost without the pair of you, truly.
I don't own Twilight, or Harry Potter, I'd be a richer person if I did. But I do so love to create my own places for them out in the world. No copyright infringement is intended.
See you at the bottom ...
Chapter Three ~ Summer Part III
I was so glad that Izeldor was going to be okay, and he was ever so grateful for my help in saving his life that he vowed to help me with anything, anytime. All I needed to do was ask.
"He's a nice fellow," Bella said as we stepped into the lobby of St. Mungo's.
I snickered. "He was completely enamored with you, Bella."
"At least, you find his infatuation funny."
"He's harmless. He knows you're mine, but he thinks you have to be the prettiest thing he's ever seen. But he does wonder if you have a sister out there somewhere." Bella thought for a moment, and I could see her thought processes. "You can't do that, Bella. What if Gabrielle already has a mate? She may not have spoken about her dreams yet."
"I know. Besides, she's way too young," Bella replied to my admonishment. "Know anyone else we could set him up with?"
"No. He'll find his own mate, in his own time. Don't push the issue." I pulled her to me and kissed her on the mouth to distract her a little bit. "Shall we get going? Won't Newt and Opi be there about now?"
"Uh … yeah, yeah, I think so. What's the time?"
I reached into my pocket for my watch. "It's almost half past three."
"Then, yes, they'll both be there."
"Shall we apparate then, my dear?"
Bella giggled like a schoolgirl. "Your first licensed side-by-side apparition. I'm so glad it's me."
I snorted as we spun. "Like it would have been anyone else."
In a few seconds, we were standing outside the range of the Fidelius charm. Well, I was standing, Bella was a bit dizzy. The only other time we had apparated had been with Dumbledore. It was before our first year had started, and he took us to France to have Opi build our specialty wands. Bella'd had a little trouble then, but I knew the more we practiced, the better at it she would become.
"This will become a problem, I think."
"What will?" Bella asked as she recovered.
"James having to retrieve us each time. What if he's not here? How are we going to be able to access Potter Mansion?"
"A question I have asked myself a lot since we started clearing this place out," James said as he walked into view. "And I've decided that the only way to free this place up, truly, is to get rid of some of the enchantments. Make it so that once you've been shown where the mansion is, by the secret keeper, then you can have access all the time."
"Much like Sirius's house?" Bella looked in his direction, then continued when James nodded. "That makes sense."
"And, like you said, Edward, it'll give those access without me here." James walked over to me. "By that popping sound, I take it that you completed your apparition course?" I nodded. "Then congratulations! We should celebrate tonight. You and the twins have done something that is quite hard."
I smiled and shook my head. "We shall see. Time to go in?"
James nodded and reached out for each of our hands. "Yes. The others are quite anxious to see you."
We chatted aimlessly as we walked through the Fidelius charm but froze when we'd made it to the other side. A loud, mournful, scared wail sounded through the air. The three of us bolted for the front door, with Bella and me making it first, before sprinting up the stairs.
We made it to the third floor, to one of the rooms that had been closed, only to find Esme at the door with her hand over her mouth. She was upset, that much I could tell, but not why. It wasn't until we stepped through the doorway that we saw what was upsetting her.
It seemed that Molly had decided to take it upon herself to try and rid the wardrobe of the boggart. Unfortunately, it had seemed to get the best of her. Molly was down on her knees, her face locked in a horrified state, and the boggart cycling through all her worst fears. Especially given the upcoming war.
I watched, with pity, as each of her family members cycled around in front of her. Each one of them was dead. Some of them had gruesome proof of how they had died. Others, not so much. It started with Arthur, and he was missing half of his head. Percy looked like he had been scared to death. Bill was the most horrifying yet—he had half of his neck and shoulder gouged out like he had been preyed upon. Charlie, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny. On and on it went.
We were unsure what to do to help Molly, despite the fact that Bella, James, and I knew the spell. But how did we pull her from this hell?
It wasn't until Newt stepped into the room that we all sort of unfroze. He spoke quietly as he entered. "Esme, can you please come and help Molly? You'll know when. She cannot continue to carry these fears around with her. And I heard that you might be what she needs to talk them out."
Esme nodded and walked to Molly's side but didn't reach out for her. Newt gave Molly one more look before he stepped in front of her. The boggart immediately pulled into a vortex before spitting out a desk covered in papers, an old adding machine, and pencils rolling all over the place.
"Riddikulus," Newt said, turning the boggart into himself, holding a niffler upside down, and trying to empty it of as much gold as possible. There were a few chuckles, enough for Newt to capture the boggart in his suitcase, but those of us who had made it upstairs were more concerned about Molly.
As soon as Newt had the boggart under control, Esme had stooped down to Molly's level and began to pull her from her almost catatonic state. We all stood quietly to see if we were going to be needed, and we all let out—what would have been comically—relieved breaths when Esme helped Molly from the floor.
I'm going to take her home and talk to her away from prying ears, Esme thought as they walked past. I just nodded, letting her know that I'd heard her.
"Will she be okay, Edward?" James asked quietly from where he was still standing at the door. "I've never seen Molly like that."
I could see he wasn't the only one concerned. "She will be. She has fears, and that is completely normal. She's a mother, a wife, and a friend. She doesn't want anyone to be hurt, but the reality is that this will be a war. And wars have casualties. Esme will help her."
"Is it those fears that are wanting her to keep all of us 'children' in the dark?" Bella mused as she stepped to my side.
"She thinks that if we don't know about it, we can be kept out of it," I answered.
James shook his head. "You're already involved. All of you, but especially you, Bella, and Harry. Voldemort has been thwarted by you two, more than once, and because Harry is the Chosen One. Being in the dark only hinders your chances of survival."
"Deep down, Molly knows that," Newt spoke up, his head sticking out of his suitcase. I hadn't even noticed he'd entered it. "She wouldn't be a mother if she didn't want to keep her children far away from anything that could hurt them."
"That didn't seem to extend to Quidditch," Bella laughed. "How are you, Newt?" Bella hugged him after he closed his suitcase.
"I'm good, little one. My Luna has been asking when she can see you all. She was very disappointed not to be able to come today."
James smiled. "Let me contact the ministry and get the floo network connected, then you can send word. It's time to get this place functional again." Bella followed James out of the room. She wanted to be able to contact Luna as soon as possible. She was also going to send word to Draco, this place could become a refuge for him and his mother.
"Edward, a word before you follow?" Newt asked. I nodded and took a seat on the chairs that had been placed in the room for storage, after pulling one out for Newt. "Thank you. Do you know that the Weasley twins have been in contact with me?"
I smirked. "I hadn't. But I'm not surprised. Their ideas have merit and a lot of wonderful uses."
Newt chuckled. "They do, and a lot might be useful in this upcoming war. I've been able to sneak them some ingredients from around this mansion as I've been collecting the magical creatures." Newt sighed. "I know Molly isn't supportive of their joke shop after they graduate, but I think we should help them. They told me how you and Harry gave them your winnings from the Triwizard Tournament. I would also like to help them, but I think I need to circumvent Molly. Could I send things to them via you?"
I could see what he was saying. Molly would flip her lid if she knew we were helping them. "Send things to the twins under the guise of sending me exotic potion ingredients?"
"Exactly. Throughout my travels, I've collected a lot of interesting creatures, many of them useful in potions but also in creating jokes, pranks, and most importantly, distractions. I will, of course, be sending you things too. I've heard of your exploits as well. Potions will only be useful."
I held my hand out for Newt to shake. "Newt, we have a deal."
"Good boy. I was willing to go through Bella if I had to."
I laughed. I had no doubt he would have had no shame in getting Bella to make me comply. Everyone knew I would do anything my mate asked me to do.
"Now scoot. I know Opi is waiting for you down in the labyrinth."
I gave Newt a salute, then used my vampire speed to run down the stairs, collecting Bella from the family room, causing her to burst into laughter, before making my way to Opi. I could hear from his thoughts that he was at the geode in the center. He wanted to talk to all of us "children", and as such, all of the misfits except for Luna and Draco were waiting on us.
"Did you contact Luna and Draco, Bella?" I asked as we stopped at Opi's side.
Bella giggled because I hadn't put her down yet. "Yes! Luna is on her way, but you stole me before she arrived, and Draco will be able to get away later this afternoon. Put me down, Edward, and go get Luna!"
"Hmm, nope. I think you can come with me." I took off with her still over my shoulder, causing laughter to echo around us, back to the house. Luna had just stepped out of the fireplace when I arrived. "Hello, Luna." Without pause, or giving her time to answer, I just scooped her up onto my other shoulder and ran back the way I came.
"Oof. Oh … hello, Edward, Bella. This is an interesting way to travel," Luna replied once she got her bearings.
"Hi, Luna. Edward is feeling a little silly this afternoon. He passed his apparition test, and it's affecting him."
Luna giggled. "As well it should. Congrats, Edward!"
"Thank you, Luna. Here we go, girls." I plopped them down, having to balance Luna a little before spinning them to face Opi.
"Opi!" Bella squealed, jumping forward to hug him. "It's good to see you again. We don't see you enough."
"You're at school for most of the year. When am I supposed to see you?"
Bella opened her mouth as if to argue before snapping it closed again. She conceded with a "Good point."
"Now that's settled, there's a reason I wanted to talk to you guys out here. You lot are the younger generation, and I wanted to explain a few things before the teachers completely swayed your education." Opi paced a little, gathering his words before he spoke them. His thoughts seemed older than they normally did somehow.
"Back when the schools were started, the teachers taught all magic, that included the spells that are now known as the unforgivable curses." There were gasps from some of our group, mostly the Weasley children. They were the ones who were influenced the most about Voldemort and his followers. "Back when those curses were invented, they were used for other things. For example, the Imperious Curse was used in medicine. It puts the person in a trance-like state … it enabled a healer to fix a broken bone or mend a burn without putting the person in tremendous amounts of pain. Back then, magic was connected to the earth, which made magic stronger. Spells connected to the earth could do wonderful things."
We had all taken seats on the grass around Opi, who had conjured a chair to sit on.
"What happened?" Hermione asked.
Opi sighed. "Salazar Slytherin figured out that a spell could change when the intent of the witch or wizard became involved. He was always a man who looked for ambition in his students, no matter the cost. He started teaching his students how to change the intent to change the spells. Spells went from selfless to self-serving. Potions went from helpful to harmful, and eventually, the unforgivable curses were born."
Everyone was quiet as we thought about the implications of what Opi was sharing with us. For me, though while what he shared was significant, it was how I was hearing it that made the biggest impact. It was how he shared it, like he had been there. But how was that possible? Opi couldn't be over a thousand years old. He wasn't even a hundred yet.
I know he wasn't a vampire; his heart still beat. He wasn't using polyjuice potion—I would smell it. So, it couldn't be possible that he was there during that time. Unless …
"So … why are you telling us this?" Harry followed up.
"Because I want all of you to be using the same earth magic that was taught all those years ago. Any students older than you, your parents, and any other adults are going to be influenced against using those spells deemed 'dark'. Their magic won't be strong enough …" Here Opi paused. "I want you to be strong. To give you all the best chance of survival, I want you all to connect to earth magic."
Bella narrowed her eyes at Opi. She, like I, could hear more than he was saying. "What aren't you telling us? Why are we out here?"
Again, Opi stood and began to pace. "A subject that used to be taught at Hogwarts, one connected to earth magic, was that of the lay lines and how that made our magic stronger."
"Oh! I've read about this." I jumped in. "All over the earth are lines that are filled with magic. They flow in all directions, they intersect, and they keep the flow of magic going …" This time, I paused. I remembered the first day we arrived here and discovered the geode at the center of the labyrinth. I remember both Bella and I feeling the amount of power the geode gave off. "The lay lines intersect here, don't they? There is an abundance of earth magic right here?"
Opi nodded. "I want you to learn to cast your magic using earth magic. This will give you an advantage because you'll be able to cast any spell, including the unforgivable ones."
"As long as we don't cast them with the intent to kill or hurt someone?"
"Exactly, Neville. Well done!" Opi praised. "This geode is placed directly on the intersecting lay lines. This whole house, all its magical properties, is enhanced and powered by the geode, the lay lines, and the sun. Hogwarts is too. It's placed on a large grouping of intersecting lay lines. Today, I'll teach you all how to harness that and how to access it at any time."
For the next several hours, Opi ran through the ways to connect to earth magic and the lay lines. Bella and I allowed our friends to go first because they were the ones who were most vulnerable when it would come time to fight. Bella and I were already immortal but knowing this would only help when aiding them.
"Bella, come. I want to see if you can feel the difference in your magic as the others have." Opi waved her forward. All the others were practicing different spells after learning how to use their magic better than ever before.
Bella stepped forward and placed her hand on the geode so she could feel the power the earth could provide. She closed her eyes and felt it flowing through her. When she opened her eyes, they were the glowing ones I'd come to love when she let her power truly go. Without thought or spoken word, she threw a spell in my direction. I blocked it from hitting me, again without thought or spoken word.
"Very good, Bella, Edward. How did that feel? Any different?" Opi asked, stepping forward to see us both.
Both of us shook our heads, but Bella answered. "No. I could have cast the spell as I normally do. This didn't feel different or stronger. I just feel in more control when like this. I can use my emotions better."
Opi nodded. "That's good, Bella. I take it you don't do this in class though?" Bella shook her head. "Can you cast a spell like you would in class? How long have you both been able to cast spells without talking?"
"We've been able to do that for a while. Sometimes, we will say it, especially in class," I answered. "But since we learned how to become an animagus, I suppose you could say."
I saw movement from the corner of my eye as Bella cast another spell in my direction. It was a good thing I was a vampire, otherwise I may not have been fast enough to cast Protego to protect myself.
Opi had also been watching. "Very good, Bella. Did that feel any different than normal?" Again, Bella shook her head. "Then I believe that your Veela instincts are already allowing you to access earth magic. Keep that in mind and you'll be able to do just about anything with your magic. Edward, if you could?"
I didn't give Bella time to think; I just fired Stupefy in her direction. I wanted to know that her instincts would protect her. Before the spell hit, it bounced off her shield and in my direction, causing me to jump out of the way. She wasn't even looking at me!
Opi laughed as Bella turned around to glare at me. "Oh, Bella. I'm so glad you have that shield. It'll make trying to get you that much harder. We should do some work on it. Now, Edward, how did that feel?"
"No different than normal. I could feel the power of the lay lines, of the earth, but the spell felt the same. No stronger than normal."
"Good, good. Whether it be the fact that you are mated to Bella or because you're more in tune with your vampire, you're using earth magic as well. You two are as strong as you can be for your age and skill level. The more you learn, the more you connect with other spells and magics, the stronger you'll become. Use it well," Opi said with a pointed look in our direction before turning to face everyone. "With great magic, comes great responsibility. And I believe the time for the correct way to teach others to use magic will be coming around again soon."
We practiced for a little while longer until James and Sirius started to look for us with Newt.
Edward? I looked up at Opi when he called my name. Teach the others. Draco, Fleur, and Gabrielle. It will aid them in the upcoming conflict. And I'll see you in a few days. No doubt Bella will be going to look for the conversion of lay lines at Swan Manor.
I snorted. "No doubt."
~*~UHS~*~
Opi had been correct. The moment we stepped out of the fireplace at Swan Manor, Bella had been out in the yard feeling the lay lines and the earth, trying to locate the biggest source of power. She wanted to harness it. Not only in powering us and the manor, but she thought it could become a source of power to be used in her inventions. If she couldn't get other witches and wizards to harness the earth magic, maybe she could update her inventions to do so.
This way she could bring the wizarding world more into the twenty-first century. I shook my head. She could start taking her iPod to Hogwarts with her. If she could find a way to harness the energy to charge the battery, she could use the lay lines at Hogwarts to keep it charged. She would be able to make a lot of money selling those to the children at Hogwarts, if she could get a computer to work along the same lines.
I had a feeling I would be buying a few more of each for her to experiment on.
Opi came over a few days later and helped her locate the exact position where the lay lines intersected. What I didn't understand was that when the lay lines intersected the way they did, they created the giant geode that had been in the Potter's Garden. All they had done was unearth it and harness the magic. Opi and Bella did the same thing. They were able to use their magic to create a hole around the geode, and then one used the Wingardium Leviosa spell to levitate it while the other filled the hole back in.
While the geode at Potter Mansion was an array of colors, the one at Swan Manor was more earth toned. It was browns and greens. Darker around the outer edge and lighter green on the inside. Opi had the passing thought that it matched Bella and me to a "T". With her brown eyes and my green ones, it was like it had been created with us in mind.
The effect, though, was immediate. Things around the manor began to work better or different. The spells used lasted longer and others were enhanced. It was also like the house was powered by solar panels used in the muggle world because when the sun went down, or disappeared in a rain cloud, the lights would illuminate. It made things a lot easier. Especially on poor Kreacher, who also seemed to become younger the longer the manor was powered by earth magic.
While things appeared to be working out at Potter Mansion and Swan Manor, it seemed that Dumbledore had started his campaign against the Ministry. He had been reporting the return of Voldemort, trying to warn the public, and the Ministry was fighting back against him.
In fact, the first thing Minister Fudge did was round up a group of ministry officials—that wouldn't go against him—and have them vote Dumbledore off the Chairmanship of the International Confederation of Wizards.
It seemed that while Dumbledore was going to fight by announcing the return of Voldemort, the Ministry was going to fight dirty by discrediting his name.
But the Ministry didn't stop there. Oh, no. Through The Daily Prophet, they announced that Harry and I had both tied as Triwizard Tournament Champions, thereby removing any advantage we had against Voldemort because he would now know that I had survived and survived the Avada Kedavra curse, at that. But they didn't leave it at announcing our winning; they also started trying to discredit Harry and me.
Harry became "The Boy who Lies" while I became "The Scary One". Original right? Their thoughts behind this made it seem like I was trying to scare them into believing Voldemort had returned so they wouldn't fight back if I tried to take control. What a crock of shit.
They were using any and every excuse at their disposal to make it seem that "all was well".
It was a good thing we had The Truth on our side. They fought back tooth and nail. Every scathing article that The Daily Prophet wrote for the Ministry, The Truth wrote facts, figures, and reports about incidents that happened to show the public that Voldemort was indeed back.
The Truth reported on how Minister Fudge had forced the eviction of Dumbledore. How he didn't even wait twenty-four hours after Dumbledore's announcement of Voldemort's return to have him voted off the Confederation.
In fact, by the time James came to us and told us the mansion was ready for the first meeting and to round up The Order of The Phoenix, the Daily Prophet was reporting that Dumbledore had been demoted from the position of Chief Warlock on the Wizengamot. Fudge was holding nothing back.
The day the Order was set to meet, Esme, Molly, Kreacher, Winky, and Dobby went to help at Potter Mansion. We were meeting in the formal dining room for dinner, so a giant meal was being prepared.
Remus was even bringing our new friend, the one who had been helping slip The Truth into The Daily Prophet at their own printing presses. He had recently just completed the mission he had been given, so he was going to report on his success at this very first meeting.
That was a good start. Or so I had thought.
Early in the afternoon, a straggly owl flew through the owl window and into the library where I was reading some potion books. Bella was in her laboratory working on her tenth experiment with the iPod battery, and I wanted to be close by.
I had also been thinking about the conversation I'd had with Bella that very morning. With everything that had happened after our first visit to Potter Mansion, I'd never gotten around to telling Bella about why James hadn't hidden Lily and Harry under the invisibility cloak. Bella had asked me that morning, and I had told her that while the threat had been relayed to each of the families with young boys born at the end of July, Dumbledore had downplayed the seriousness of it. He had made it sound like the threat wasn't a viable one, and they would be safe, so James hadn't done what his instincts had been screaming at him to do.
It would be his downfall, and Lily's too. It was something that James lived with every day, and the biggest reason he would probably never move on from the love he and Lily had shared, ever.
Bella had understood. She knew that if anything ever happened to me—no matter how unlikely—she would live for our children, but she would never move on. And she vowed that she would never become a siren. She would never become her mother. I promised her that I would try to live on for our family or until our children became adults, but I couldn't promise her more than that. Granted, it was easier to kill a vampire than a Veela.
Then Bella had made me laugh. She said that even if she died, she would become a ghost and haunt me for eternity. We'd still never be alone. She got a good smooching for that one.
That was the memory the owl interrupted when he landed on the table next to me. And he was a straggly looking owl. He had seen better days or been looked after better. I reached out for the parchment he was carrying. The owl didn't take off like I expected him too; in fact, the poor thing just sort of sat there, like it was trying to build the energy to fly back to where he came from. I handed him some treats I kept in my pocket before unrolling the parchment.
Edward,
I'm really sorry to lay this at your feet, but I had nobody else that I could confide in.
My life has fallen apart. And I don't know what to do.
I have lost my job, my home, and I'm beginning to lose myself. I fear for what will happen to Chico, my owl, my one true friend, should something happen to me.
You were so kind to help me before, do you have any suggestions on what I should do now? I would do anything, please?
Hopefully, your friend,
Izeldor
On the bottom of the parchment, Izeldor had written that he was using the last of his money to stay at The Leaky Cauldron and to send his owl there.
I couldn't do that. Instead, I did something much better. "Bella?"
Yes, Edward.
"Can you come up here for a minute, please?" It didn't take Bella but a few seconds to appear in front of me, throwing the poor brown owl a confused look. "This is Chico, Izeldor's owl. He seems to have fallen on hard times and is asking for help. He wanted me to send poor Chico back with suggestions, but I'm going to go get him instead. Can you tend to Chico while I'm gone?"
"Oh, poor Izeldor. Of course, I can. Go, help him. Maybe we can help him, or the Order …" Bella's thoughts continued as she picked up Chico and walked toward the kitchen after bestowing me with a kiss, but her thoughts had caught my attention. I'd have to find out what Izeldor could do because Potter Mansion needed someone there full time.
I quickly made my way to The Leaky Cauldron and found my friend lost in a booth at the back of the room, all by himself. He was looking quite poorly, but I had a feeling that wouldn't last long once the women in my family got their hands on him.
"Izeldor, why didn't you contact me sooner?" I asked as I sat down at his booth.
He looked up, surprised. He hadn't expected me to come in person. "What are you doing here, Edward?"
"Did you expect me to just send an owl?"
I could see the struggle. He hadn't dared hope that I would drop what I had been doing to come to his aid, nobody else ever had, at least, not since his parents had died. He had expected an owl, no more than that. "I don't know," he whispered. "I wasn't sure. You had already done so much for me since you saved my life. I didn't want to hope for more."
"Just to clarify, you are my friend. I thought that the day I walked away from the hospital, and I had hoped you felt the same. I'm glad you contacted me. What room are you staying in?"
"Um … one of the ones upstairs, as cheap as I could afford. Why?"
I smirked. "Because you are going to go pack everything you have, then I'm taking you to my home. I have a feeling you won't be without employment for long."
Izeldor seemed to sag with relief. He sagged so much I thought he was going to melt right out of his seat. He looked at me with tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Edward. I didn't know what I was going to do. Where's Chico?"
I stood and indicated that he should too. "I'm sure, right this moment, he's getting a bath, a blow dry, and a good feed. He will be one pampered owl by the time we get home."
"Thank goodness. He deserves it for sticking through everything with me." Izeldor sighed leading the way through The Leaky Cauldron toward his room.
"What happened, Izeldor? How did things get so bad?" I knew that he had a job before he came to apparition class. I just couldn't figure out what had changed.
Izeldor started to pack up the few things he had managed to unpack. "I was in a junior position with the ministry. Those types of positions are given to promising up and coming witches and wizards. And the ministry provides these junior associates with accommodations away from home if they live too far or wish to move out of home."
"Sounds like a good deal for young ones wanting to break into the working market," I commented as Izeldor checked around the room one more time.
Once he was sure he had everything, we made our way out of the room. "It is. But the catch is that if you no longer meet the requirements, they can throw you out without preamble. It was in the fine print, you know …"
"The one you never read." I nodded in agreement.
"Right. Anyway, up until recently, my job didn't have too many requirements, but the one that it had needed was apparition." Izeldor stepped up to the desk. "I'd like to check out, thank you."
I waited patiently as Izeldor checked out of The Leaky Cauldron. Once that was done, he continued with his story.
"So, because of this stipulation, I went to get my apparition license. When I failed that and had to spend significant time recovering in hospital because I couldn't apparate, they believed I was no longer fit for the job."
I snorted in disbelief. "So, they fired you and threw you out, with no notice?"
"Pretty much." Izeldor nodded. "And from there, everything went downhill. I lost everything."
"Geez. How is that fair? They couldn't have found another position for you within the ministry, even within your department. Why did they have to let you go?"
Izeldor shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. They fired me instead, and now I have nothing. No job, no home, and no family because they have all passed away. But worst of all … no prospects."
We stepped up to the fireplaces located in Diagon Alley. "Follow me," I said as I reached for a handful of floo powder. "Swan Manor." I stepped out of the fireplace into the family room to find Bella and Chico waiting on us. "Hello, beautiful." I placed a kiss on her smiling mouth.
"Hello, handsome. Did you rescue your friend?"
"I did." The fireplace flared green as I leaned in for another kiss.
"When you say Swan Manor did you mean Charlie Swan? Famous auror and potioneer, Charlie Swan? Oh, hello, Bella."
Bella snickered. "Hello, Izeldor. I hear you will be staying with us for a while. We're glad to have you."
"Thank you. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. But, Edward, did you really mean Swan Manor as in Charlie Swan?"
I smirked down at my girl before turning to face my friend. "I suppose I never really did introduce my girl properly the other week. Izeldor please meet my girlfriend, Isabella 'Bella' Swan. Charlie Swan's daughter."
Izeldor didn't even make a noise. He just fainted dead away. If I had to guess, he looked up to Charlie, which meant that his talents would be in the realm of potions. For now, though, I'd let him rest. I'd ask him in the morning.
~*~UHS~*~
When it came time for the meeting, I left a note for Izeldor on the bedside table, letting him know that we had all left for a meeting, but our house elf Kreacher would be there, should he need anything. Kreacher had come back from Potter Mansion at Bella's request. Poor Izeldor was so worn out and tired that I didn't expect he'd wake up 'til the next morning.
Chico had made himself at home on the perch Emmett had quickly put together so that he could be near Izeldor. And I had been right. Bella had thoroughly pampered the young owl while we had been gone. He had been fed, washed, and blow dried. He had also been introduced to Saffy and Athan. Saffy had, quite literally, taken him under her wing and helped him to groom his feathers back into his preferred state. Athan had watched from a higher perch. He hadn't been sure of the interloper to his home.
"Welcome, Bella and Edward, to Potter Mansion!" James said as we stepped out of the fireplace. "I know you've been here before, but we have finally finished cleaning the place, and it looks much better."
I snickered at James. It seemed he was a little bit nervous to have everyone here, even though it had been his idea. "Everything will be fine, James. I'll bet most are excited to see inside this beautiful house."
"I know. They'll be arriving any minute. I best get outside and wait for them so I can show them the entry."
"He's hoping to do his family justice. This is the kind of gathering they would have loved, despite the circumstances," Sirius said from the doorway. "How are you both?"
"We're good, Sirius," Bella replied. "Taking in another straggler."
Sirius laughed. "Aren't the rest of us enough? Who have you collected now?"
We took a seat at the large table with the rest of our family, including Hermione and Neville, as well as Harry, and spoke to Sirius about Izeldor for the next few moments.
"I never understood why those young ones would sign a contract like that. It seems that it would be more hassle than it was worth." Sirius shook his head. "Why did he?"
I snorted. "It seemed that most of them don't read the fine print, which is where all of these little details are located."
"Huh," Sirius huffed. "That's awfully bloody sneaky of them."
I nodded as people started trickling in. The first to arrive were Remus and his friend Rhett, Professor McGonagall, and Percy. He joined the other Weasleys who were already in attendance, including Molly, Arthur, Bill, Charlie, and the twins. Somehow, Molly had convinced Ginny to stay at home with Ron. From what I could see in Arthur's thoughts, Ginny had thrown a tantrum of epic proportions. She hadn't ever thrown a tantrum like that before.
I shook my head. Molly had hoped that, at least for this first meeting, we would have left Bella, Hermione, Neville, and Harry at home. Our reasoning was that they needed to know who they could trust if things got bad and they got separated from us. It was important. Molly still had the need to smother her children and wrap them in bubble wrap. It was something that Esme was going to have to talk to her about. I would let Esme know later.
Then others I hadn't met before started trickling in. First was a beautiful young woman. She had dark twinkling eyes and a heart-shaped face. She was no taller than Bella, but she had the most striking violet shade of hair. That was until she was introduced to us, and it changed to a bright pink. Nymphadora Tonks was her name, although she told us just to call her Tonks because she hated her first name, and she was a metamorphmagus. She was able to change certain characteristics of her body.
Sirius and she had a very emotional reunion. We learned that they were cousins but had been separated for many years, even before Sirius had disappeared. Bella smirked when Tonks laid eyes on Remus. I snickered because her eyes dilated, and her breathing became a little heavier. The funniest part was Remus had no idea. He was talking to Professor McGonagall next to him. Professor McGonagall had noticed, and she was fighting her smile.
Remus certainly noticed when Tonks sat herself down on his lap for introductions. He flushed a bright red, which caused Emmett and Jasper to chuckle.
The sparks are flying in every direction on those two. He won't be able to hold out for long, no matter how scared he is, Jasper thought as he looked at me. He's going to need someone to talk to.
I nodded at his thoughts as a few more wizards came in. The first was a wheezy-voiced silver-haired wizard who went by the name of Elphias Doge; the second was a rather excitable one—that reminded me of a golden retriever—named Daedalus Diggle. He was most interested in meeting Bella and me. He had heard so much from Arthur at the ministry. And the last was a wizard who had straw-colored hair and a square jaw. He was introduced as Sturgis Pudmore.
Right behind them were a couple of very chatty witches. One looked like she wouldn't carry on like a schoolgirl because she was rather stately looking. She was introduced as Emmeline Vance, and the other was Hestia Jones. She looked how I imagined Alice would have looked like as a human. All pink-cheeked and dark hair.
I was surprised. I would have thought there would be more to help us against the rise of Voldemort. That was until I heard raised voices coming from outside the circle of protection. That was the good thing about these spells, I could hear outside the circle of protection, but those outside couldn't see, or hear, inside. I wasn't the only one that heard it. When I stood Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle did as well. We made our way out of Potter Mansion, via the black door to the forest, and around to where the voices were coming from. We all had silently agreed that we weren't going to allow whoever was upsetting James to know where we had entered the protection charm.
When we reached where they were standing, we discovered that James (who had donned his Shane disguise) was arguing with Professor Dumbledore. But it wasn't Dumbledore himself who was the problem; it was the person standing with him. Dumbledore had brought Professor Snape with him, and James didn't want him to know anything about where Potter Mansion was located. He didn't want him inside his family's ancestral home, especially knowing that he had been a death eater, even if Dumbledore believed he was reformed.
"Edward," James said with exasperation, "please explain to Albus that I do not have to admit this person into my family's ancestral home! That he should have asked permission before he even brought him near here."
"Why are we standing here listening to some riffraff who can't be found on any family tree? Your ancestral home?" Snape snorted. "Who is Shane Newtonian anyway? Where did he hale from? And your so-called ancestors were …"
"Careful, Snape," James growled, interrupting whatever insult he was about to say. "My family, including me, are descended from the Peverils, like all the Potters are. I stepped up when my cousin was orphaned at one year old and took him to safety. Until Harry comes of age, I am the guardian of his estate. And I won't condone known death eaters coming to the meeting place. Why would you do this, Albus?"
"It is better to ask forgiveness, than to ask for permission, Shane," Dumbledore stated before I could answer James's question.
"That might be true, Professor Dumbledore, but in this case, Shane is correct. Professor Snape"—the man in question sneered when I spoke his name—"has tormented his nephew for the last four years, threatened to poison him last year, and was a known death eater. And he only took that side when Lily rejected his advances. Why should he give in to your demands to allow this man entrance into Harry's ancestral home?"
"Because this man's family, that you are defending, tormented me all through my schooling. For all the years I was at Hogwarts, I was bullied by him and his so-called friends!" Snape exploded. "Lily was not the only reason I became a death eater."
I growled. "No, you did it out of spite, and when that didn't work, when that all fell apart, you took your bitterness out on the people you were supposed to be teaching to be better!"
Carlisle, Jasper, and Emmett stood behind me, letting me face off against the man who had terrorized the school for years. James slowly stepped back until he was standing just before the line that would reveal the house to those in on the secret. Dumbledore, though, was standing still. He was witnessing this entire confrontation and had absolutely nothing to say. His thoughts were locked up tight, and he didn't defend the children he was supposed to care about.
We were at a standstill until the last of our guests arrived. Newt, Moody, and Opi all arrived together, and they were laughing like schoolgirls.
"Hmm, what do we have here?" Moody groused when he noticed his audience. "A good old-fashioned stand-off?"
Newt laughed, looking over at Opi. "I believe, you, Naras, would call this an interesting dilemma," he said while he playfully bumped his shoulder against Opi's.
"I would," Opi said next. "But what dilemma have we walked in on, I wonder?"
I frowned as I took note of the fact that Newt called Opi a different name. He had called him Naras. Could it be a nickname? I would have to think about it later.
"It could be anything. But from the looks on these faces, it can't be good," Newt pondered.
"At least, Carlisle doesn't seem to be causing the conflict this time," Opi teased. Carlisle gave a small smile in return. Things were better with the family, so much so, that we could tease Carlisle about it, but he still felt guilty. I would have to talk to him about that.
Moody took another look around. "We heard this whole conversation before we made ourselves known. Aren't you over what happened at school, Severus? Could you possibly grow up any slower?"
"Now, now, Alistair …" Albus began only to be interrupted by Opi.
"Oh, no you don't, Albus." The authority in Opi's voice stopped any arguments cold. We all stood to listen as Opi spoke once more. "Snape, your life would be much more enjoyable if you let things like this go. Holding grudges isn't good for a person. Because your actions have made it impossible for the majority of those here to trust you, you will not be allowed access to the Order's headquarters. And, Albus, … you should have consulted these people, especially Shane, about bringing this man into their midst. Just because you trust him doesn't mean everyone does. If you want to lead, and for these people to follow, you have to show them trust. Otherwise, they'll never trust you in return."
Quiet descended on the group. That was until Snape sneered in my direction. I could hear in his thoughts that he was furious. "Why would the word of a fifth-year student carry such weight with all of you?"
Laughter burst out from Newt, Moody, and Opi, but it was Newt who answered, as garbled as it was, because he was laughing so hard. "Because … he's got more … life experience … Phew, oh, Merlin … in his little finger … than you'll ever have at all."
Snape's mouth fell open at the reaction he had garnered from his question.
I do believe that if he were any angrier, steam would be coming out of his ears, Emmett snickered quietly.
But it was the smirk on my face, at Emmett's thoughts, that caused Snape to lose the thin thread of control he had. He snarled in my direction before he stormed off away from Potter Mansion. Jasper and Emmett couldn't hold in their laughter anymore.
"He's going to take this out on you this coming year, Edward," Carlisle murmured from next to me. "You're going to have to be on your guard."
"Albus, you're the only one to trust that man, and I don't know how you can expect others to do so." Opi shook his head.
"He's going to be a problem, Naras. One who will have to be kept an eye on should he go back to being a death eater," Newt murmured.
If he still isn't one … Jasper thought. There's a darkness that lies within, a thirst that hasn't been quenched. Newt's right; he'll be trouble.
"We'll have to keep an eye on him. You, me, Emmett, and Bella. We'll have to gather as much information as possible from him," I whispered while we waited for Opi and Dumbledore to finish conversing. Dumbledore was furious that Snape wasn't allowed entry into the Order, but he would concede, for now. Maybe Snape wouldn't be the only one we would have to keep an eye on. "For now, let's go back to the meeting."
While James—who was planning to take a potion to become himself again once we were inside—showed Dumbledore and Moody through the spells protecting the Mansion, Opi and Newt followed us through to the dining room where everyone had gathered.
Everything okay? Bella asked as I retook my seat.
"Mmhmm," I hummed placing a soft kiss on her lips. "Just a minor disagreement about who should be a member of the Order.
Bella narrowed her eyes. That was no minor disagreement, Edward.
"No," I whispered. "No, it wasn't. But it's something we'll keep an eye on."
Bella nodded but turned back to the front when Dumbledore took the place at the head of the table. I had expected it to be Opi, so this turn of events was surprising. I looked over to the man I respected above everyone but Bella. He was already looking at me; he gave me a wink, then seemed to place his full attention back on Dumbledore.
I turned back when Dumbledore began to speak. "Thank you all for coming. I appreciate the belief you have in me that Voldemort has returned."
There were several soft snorts from around the table, except for one. Harry, though, didn't keep his quiet or soft.
"What do you mean, believe you? Were you the one who faced off against him? The one who 'thought' you had to watch one of your friends die?" Harry even did the quotes around thought.
Bella and I winced. We knew he was still upset about the deception we had played—even though Alice had had a vision about it, probably more so because of it—but he was forgiving a little bit each day. He no longer frowned in our direction anyway.
"So, don't go saying they believe you, Professor. They believe Edward and me. We were the ones there, not you."
Dumbledore nodded in the face of Harry's anger. "You're right, Harry. I apologize. To you, as well, Edward. Regardless, I appreciate that you have all agreed to join me in our fight against the Dark Lord. While I had hoped for more, I believe this is a good circle to keep in the know."
Jasper looked at me. Snape will be told, Edward. Professor Dumbledore isn't happy that he's not here.
I looked up at the ceiling and down to the table to indicate to Jasper that I'd heard him. I knew Dumbledore was unhappy. I could see it clearly on his face.
"I'm sure, by now, Voldemort has already found a base of operations and is recruiting his former death eaters, current death eaters, and any creatures that are drawn to the darkness. But Voldemort is not the only threat we face. Minister Fudge and his control over The Daily Prophet will be an issue. Getting the correct information out there is absolutely critical, and I believe whoever is placing The Truth flyers in the paper may be found out." Dumbledore looked around the table.
Remus smiled. "That's already been handled, Albus. It was a thought I'd had and spoke to our benefactor about."
"Your benefactor? I thought that was Edward?" Dumbledore asked.
I snickered. "It is. The Truth was Bella's and my concept, but I leave all the running, articles, and day-to-day stuff to Remus. His idea for handling The Daily Prophet was a good one. I just gave him the go ahead."
Dumbledore looked at both of us over his half-moon spectacles. "Should that have been discussed with me first?"
Remus shrugged. "We thought of it before you and thought it would be better being handled as quickly as possible."
"What did you do?"
Remus indicated the man sitting next to him, around Tonks, who was still sitting on Remus's lap. The man smiled. "My name is Rhett Vuĉy," he began in the eastern European accent I had come to know as Bosnian. "Until recently, I worked in the packaging department of The Daily Prophet. I was the one who placed The Truth inside. After the Rita Skeeter debacle and her disappearing act, the Ministry came to The Prophet offices and made all the journalists sign contracts to say that there was a nugget of truth to their stories. If there wasn't, then they wouldn't be published. But that was all there had to be, just a small piece, a line, that showed it to be true. Otherwise, they could write what they wanted. The biggest clause, though, was that they had to write about the articles provided to them by the Ministry. It didn't become clear what they wanted until Minister Fudge started his campaign against Edward, Harry, and Albus. It was then that I knew something had to be done. So, I went to Remus with an idea.
"Remus then spoke to Edward, and we came up with a plan. One that I put into place almost straight away. I slowly started to sabotage the printers at The Daily Prophet. We wanted it out from under the Ministry's nose. If their printers weren't working then they would have to look for another place to print, and the only other place available …"
"Is the Masen Consortium of Printing," Newt finished. "That's clever. It gives us more access to The Daily Prophet to put our flyer in. But doesn't that mean the Ministry will figure out where the flyers are being inserted?"
At this, Remus smiled. "The ministry can look; they can search through all of Masen's Consortium, but they will never find the printing presses that print The Truth."
"You've disguised them, hidden them with a Fidelious charm?" Dumbledore said with awe, to which Rhett and Remus nodded.
"Wow … you boys are so clever," Tonks cooed, which caused Bella to roll her eyes. In fact, several of the girls did, but Remus seemed to eat it up with a spoon. Jasper chuckled silently from next to me. It seemed that Remus wouldn't be fighting his attraction to Tonks real hard.
Dumbledore nodded and seemed to relax a little. "What about where Voldemort will hold his base of operations."
All of us shook our heads. We had no idea. Well, that wasn't entirely true. I had some idea. But with Dumbledore's loyalty to Snape, I wasn't about to let him know my thoughts on the topic.
"Then that's something we need to find out and see if we can infiltrate his base somehow. For now, we need to continue recruiting wizards, witches, and all manner of magical creatures to our cause. I fear we will need them." With that, Dumbledore nodded at all of us. Before he could speak again, Alice gasped, catching everyone's attention.
I looked over to see that she had the glazed-over look when she entered into a vision. Dumbledore scrambled, so I read his thoughts. He was grappling for a crystal ball that he kept in his pocket. I wasn't sure for what though.
"Alice, what do you see?" Jasper asked as I slipped into her vision. I could hear that Bella was explaining to those who didn't know what we were and what Alice could do. "Edward?" Jasper looked to me when Alice didn't answer.
"Wait, Edward, please don't!" Dumbledore was still trying to find his ball.
Do it, Edward. Tell us all what you see, quickly, I heard Opi argue, and he was the voice I listened to.
"Alice is seeing a series of images. Different places. But that's not all she sees. There's a separate image almost superimposed onto the places. The first is a large chamber … oh! The Chamber of Secrets, then the ruins of an old house in the woods. A cave seen from some rocks far out in the ocean. A vault in Gringotts bank. A bust of a lady inside a room full of things. What looks like the Forbidden Forest, and the courtyard at Hogwarts," I explained as the places flicked through at a rapid pace.
"What are the images placed inside these places, Edward?" Carlisle asked. He was one who knew how this worked.
"No, Carlisle!" Albus said frantically.
"Yes, Albus," Carlisle growled. "This is how these visions work. We need to ask questions to get the answers."
"In the chamber is Riddle's diary. In the run-down house is an image of the only piece of furniture that still stands, a bedside table. A large shell-shaped bowl is in the opening of the cave. The number 218 on a cup on the vault door. A tiara is on the bust. A body lying in the center of the Forbidden Forest and a group of indecipherable people all in the courtyard," I finished.
"IT WAS A PROPHECY! It should have been recorded," Albus shouted making several people jump, including myself. "It should have been placed into the hall of prophecies!"
Opi stood. "We don't have time for that, Albus, and the hall of prophecies is an outdated practice. What is the point of having all those prophecies in one place—controlled by the government, no less—where only the person who they are about can touch them! It makes no sense. It didn't when it was started, and it doesn't now. Besides, we need to know these details, even if we don't understand them."
Opi and Dumbledore squared off for a moment before Dumbledore took a step back.
"I think I shall leave you to find out where Voldemort is creating his home base. For now, I have something else I need to take care of. Good day." With that, Dumbledore turned and stalked out the door, leaving many surprised at his attitude.
Opi let out a deep breath. "I apologize for Albus. He has strong opinions and beliefs. But he's right; we need to find out where Voldemort will hold his base of operations. He won't sit idle for long. I believe he's already recruiting people, and creatures, to his side."
"That I can answer," a voice sounded out from behind us. I smiled because this voice wasn't one that anyone was expecting. Draco stepped into the room, causing a few gasps and several smiles. "Voldemort will be setting up his base of operations at our house. What I want to know is how can I help get you the answers you need?"
"Draco …" Sirius breathed, standing up to embrace his family. "How are you? How's your mother?"
Draco was going to answer, but before he could, Tonks stood and stumbled over to them. "You … you're Narcissa's boy?" she looked up at Sirius. "This is … my cousin?"
When Sirius nodded, Tonks flung herself at Draco, catching him off guard and nearly taking them to the floor. "I grew up listening to stories of my aunt Narcissa. My mother lost contact when she married a muggle. They shunned her."
"I know. Mum said she missed her sister every day. They were very close." Draco hugged her again. "I've missed so much because of who Mum was forced to marry. Through my friends," Draco pointed at us, "I've gained back some of my family. As well as making more."
We let them have a few minutes to get acquainted and for Draco to meet his cousin. Eventually, they took seats around the table, Tonks placing herself back on Remus's lap.
Opi took the head of the table. "Thank you for coming, Draco, and thank you for the information. We'll need you to keep your eyes and ears peeled until we can find a way to infiltrate Voldemort's organization with something that will give us information. But please, keep yourself safe. We don't need you getting hurt unnecessarily."
"No more than usual," Draco muttered rubbing his arm.
"Edward." I looked up at Opi when he said my name. "Can you and Alice draw those places, in order that you saw them, then research what you can about those objects and what you think they are?"
Alice nodded while I answered, "Sure, Opi. I mean Bella and I already know the Chamber of Secrets and Tom 'Voldemort' Riddle's diary from second year. But we'll definitely get started on the others."
Horcruxes, Bella thought with an internal gasp. Her head snapping up so she could look at me. These have to be the horcruxes that Voldemort created. But what could they be?
I shrugged. This wasn't a place to have this conversation. But we would. And soon.
"Thank you all. For now, let's bring this meeting to a close. We all have things to do …"
"Before you do that …" Moody interrupted Opi. "Can I request that I stay here? Help keep this place running. Away from home?"
Opi looked to James for an answer. James stared at Moody, thinking seriously about it.
"I won't mess up the place, James. I just want to be away from where people can find me. I've had a real problem staying at home since Junior attacked me last year. I know I'm paranoid, but here, I feel I could relax," Moody stated his case while James was gauging him.
James considered Moody's words for a few seconds longer before he nodded slowly. "I would appreciate you being here, Alistair. This house needs someone to live in it, and right now, I cannot."
"I'll make sure you don't regret this," Moody promised.
James snorted. "I don't doubt having a paranoid ex-auror living in my family home is a good idea."
James's comment broke the seriousness of the conversations. We all let out a relieved chuckle.
Molly sighed. "I still have a problem with the children being a part of the Order. I believe we should protect them, keep them from the darkness that's coming."
Several heads shook around the table, but it was Newt who spoke up in response. "I know you do, Molly. I would love to keep my Luna from knowing anything about what is happening. But they will be the ones to face what's coming. They are the targets of this campaign."
"Giving them the information to keep them alive is the only way to keep them safe, Molly. We had this discussion after the boggart," Esme spoke up, leaning her arms on the table to better face Molly. "Do you think I want my fully grown children facing off against some of the monsters Voldemort will surely recruit? Or my son, my daughter, getting involved in magical skirmishes even though they are, essentially, immortal? I'm afraid for them, but more importantly, I know they can handle themselves. Do you think your children are capable?"
Arthur, but most importantly Molly, glanced over each of their children who were present at the meeting. Charlie, Bill, Percy, Fred, and George, as well as looking at Hermione, Harry, Neville, Bella, and me, before looking at each other. Molly's eyes welled with tears but slowly both she and Arthur began to nod. "We do. We just want to … it doesn't matter. You're right that this is coming for them. But what about Ginny, Ron? Should we keep them free of terror?"
"Mum, they need to know. You can't keep them in the dark," Charlie spoke up from between Percy and Bill. "Besides, you're mad if you think Hermione and Bella will keep anything from Ginny. Newt knows that Luna will also be told."
Newt spoke before Bella could say anything. "Except I'll be the one letting her know. She'll also have the choice to join as a member or to just be informed."
"And if you think we aren't going to tell them, you're bonkers, Mum," Fred joined in, indicating to himself and George. "I want my entire family to be safe, and that means giving them the full story."
"Okay," Molly whispered as she nodded and looked down at the table. "Okay. Give them the truth and the option."
"Now that's sorted"—Opi clapped his hands—"let's start preparing for the return of Lord Voldemort. He's coming for us all."
~*~UHS~*~
So ... do you think Molly will stick to her word?
See you in a fortnight!
