Harry and Merope and the Mystery of Forks
Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own any of these characters, only the plots and situations that you do not recognize.
Chapter 13
Harry took a split second to assess the situation and before anyone had so much as a chance to blink, he had the three rogue vampires dangling upside down in the air, unable to escape. When the blonde started screaming obscenities, Harry placed a silencing charm on all three of them.
Bella was screaming in pain and Carlisle and Edward both immediately raced to her side. Edward cradled Bella's head in his lap, in an attempt to try to calm her, while Carlisle assessed her injuries. "I fear I cannot save her from turning," Carlisle said gravely.
"This is all my fault." Edward sobbed tearlessly. "I was too much of a coward to inform her about what we are, so that she could be aware of and understand the dangers of being alone in the woods. I knew about these vampires being in the area and I didn't protect my mate from them."
Harry looked at Edward in sympathy and said, "No one blames you, Edward. You were technically obeying the rules set forth by your Rulers, much as I was in disagreement with them." Seeing that his words had no effect on Edward, Harry added, "I can help her, I just need you to hold her steady and make her bite more accessible." Edward looked up at Harry with carefully veiled hope and did as Harry had directed.
After seeing that Edward had complied, Harry quickly turned into this phoenix form, to the shock of the Cullens, as he never shared this ability with them, and then he immediately began crying into the wounds on Bella's neck. To everyone's astonishment, the wound began to heal, leaving behind the barest hint of a scar.
Returning to his human form, Harry placed a sleeping spell on Bella before he spoke to everyone. "I'm sure you all have questions and I promise to answer them, but first we need to take care of the rubbish," Harry said as he stalked over to the trio.
Edward chose to remain with Bella, while the remaining Cullens and the wolves followed behind Harry.
"I warned you to leave the area," Harry hissed menacingly, glaring at the trio with narrowed eyes. "It seems you didn't take my warning seriously and that's not my problem. You should have left when I gave you the chance, because you won't have another chance now."
James glared back and attempted to speak, but nothing came out of his mouth due to the silencing charms.
Harry debated removing the charms, but decided against it. There wasn't anything these three could say that could excuse them. They had chosen to disregard his warnings and he wasn't about to become Dumbledore and give multiple chances for them to continue to do the same thing.
"What are we going to do with them, Harry?" Merope asked curiously.
"These three are beyond redemption. I gave them a chance and they squandered it." Then he turned to the Cullens and wolves and asked, "Who wants to do the honors?"
Before Carlisle was even able to consider objecting, due to his massive amount of compassion, Emmett, Sam, Paul, Jared, and Jasper all said at the same time, "Me." Or, well, Sam, Paul, and Jared all woofed, while Emmett and Jasper said, "Me."
So Harry quickly petrified the three and lowered them to the ground, where the three wolves and two Cullens made quick work of dispatching them, then Harry set fire to the remains.
Once done, Harry turned his attention to everyone and said, "Well, I'm sure you all have questions and I'll try my best to answer them, but we should speak at a location that will be more comfortable for Bella while she's healing and resting. I've put her under a sleeping spell, but I expect she will still wake up on her own in about an hour or so."
Carlisle, who was always eager for new information, said, "I would be pleased if we all reconvened at our home. There is plenty of room and it's isolated enough that I'm sure we would not be disturbed."
By this point, the wolves had all phased back into their human counterparts. They were each highly impressed with the Cullens, as they hadn't really expected the vegetarian vampires to actually kill their own kind, they genuinely didn't expect that any of them would really sit back or actively participate when one of their kind was being killed. It was the nudge they had needed to truly trust that there were actually good vampires out there and that they could truly live in harmony together with them. Edward would probably have been amused by their thoughts, if he hadn't been too focused and worried for Bella to pay any attention to them.
Sam nodded and stated for the pack, "We'll meet you there." Turning to Harry he said ruefully, "I don't think I'll be a fan of magical travel any time soon."
Chuckling, Harry said in response, "It does take some getting used to, but it's much better than traveling by floo."
Emmett, ever the curious one, asked, "What the hell is traveling by floo?
Merope giggled and said, "It's where you throw floo powder into a lit fireplace, call out your destination, and step into the fire. Assuming you have pronounced your destination correctly, you arrive at said location, for instance a shop or someone's home, and step out of the fireplace. It doesn't matter how many years Harry has had to practice, he still lands flat on his face when he leaves the fire." Merope continued to giggle in amusement after sharing that tidbit.
Harry rolled his eyes at Merope's amusement at his own expense. It's not as if he really needs the ability to travel by floo, considering all of the other ways he can travel without detection.
"Wait, wait, wait. You can travel by fire and you don't get burned?" Jared asked in amazement.
"Oh, yes." Merope answered with an amused twinkle in her eye.
"As amusing as all this is," Harry said, "let's take this conversation to the Cullen Residence before Bella wakes up, please."
After everyone arrived at the Cullens', with their own methods of travel, Edward had laid Bella on the sofa, with her head resting in his lap, while Harry and Merope conjured up extra seating to accommodate the wolves. Even though the vampires really had no need to sit, it put the wolves more at ease when they were in a more relaxed setting, rather than having the vampires all standing around like statues.
Once everyone was comfortably seated and Esme had provided snacks for those that ate regular food and blood pops for the vampire family, much to the wolves' surprise, everyone turned to Harry as a whole, but it was Carlisle that said, "I believe you mentioned you would answer some questions."
At Harry's nodd in the affirmative, Carlisle asked, "What was that?" He didn't elaborate on what he meant, as Harry was well aware of what was being asked.
"Well, remember I told you when we met that I was bit by a basilisk when I was twelve?" Harry asked. At Carlisle's nod, Harry continued, "And remember that I said I was healed with phoenix tears?" Again, Carlisle answered with a nod, "Well, I became a phoenix animagus, so my tears have healing properties when I am in my phoenix form."
"But why didn't you tell us you could become one when you told us the story originally?" Jasper asked in curiosity with a slight frown.
"Well, I didn't have that ability to actually do so at that time." Harry answered simply. Seeing that everyone was still immensely curious about it, Harry added, "I traveled briefly to another dimension and stayed for a few months, though it was only for a flicker of a moment here, because I arrived back very shortly after the moment I left. That was where I bought the blood pops and the recipes and ingredients that were needed to make the vampire friendly meals.
"I decided, during my stay there, that I had put off becoming an animagus for far too long, so I decided to learn how to do it while I was solving some of that world's problems at the same time. Plus, I already had the feeling of what my form would become, and I had the feeling that it would be of use sooner rather than later. I've learned over the years to not ignore the feelings I get and that I should always go with my instincts. Based on what occurred today, I would say that my instincts were correct."
Alice looked as if she wanted to ask about that, but Carlisle chose to let it rest and commented, "Well, let's circle back to that in a bit." He turned his gaze to Bella and asked, "Will those tears have eliminated the venom in her system?"
Harry got a thoughtful look on his face and said, "I can only make guesses and assumptions at this point, because while phoenix tears are well known in our world for their healing qualities and ability to counteract all manners of poisons, I honestly don't know what sort of effect they will have on vampire venom."
Edward focused on Harry at this point and asked quietly, "But you must have some idea, so what do you guess or assume will happen, Harry?"
Harry exchanged a look with Merope as he gathered his thoughts and then said, "I think the tears would have, at the least, neutralized the venom, but not eliminated it. More like changing its properties, rewriting its DNA, if you will." Harry waited a moment for that statement to sink in before he added, "It's difficult to explain the reasoning behind my theory, but I think it's likely that she will remain human and not have a craving for blood, although she may want to eat her meat a little rarer. Also, I believe she would probably gain some vampiric properties, like, strength, speed, and durability, possibly enhanced hearing."
Edward let out a relieved sigh and asked, "So she'll be less fragile, but still mortal?"
Harry shrugged and responded, "Like I said, it's just a theory, so we can really only wait and see. I can't say for sure about the status of her mortality at this point, even if I am technically the Master of Death, it's still too uncertain for me to know right now."
After a moment or so of silence Harry said, "I hope you've decided to explain the existence of your world to Bella now? I imagine she will be a tad freaked out when she wakes up."
Grimacing, Edward said, "Yes, I supposed it cannot be avoided any longer. I just hope she doesn't despise me after I've explained."
Merope shook her head and said, "She's your mate, Edward. Even if she's a bit frightened at first, I don't believe that she would run from you. She should instinctively know that she's safe with you."
Merope's statement seemed to have made Edward seem marginally better, if the way his stiff shoulders relaxing a bit was any indication. His thoughts were still chaotic, though. In the grand scheme of things, they hadn't been seeing each other all that long. They hadn't even shared their first kiss yet. He hadn't even officially introduced her to his parents, so how did he have a hope of her not freaking out and running away from him.
Sam and his pack had been relatively quiet during the discussion. While the newly updated treaty stated Edward's mate could be changed if she so chose to be, the wolves were definitely relieved that whatever Harry had done had prevented her from becoming a true vampire yet. The wolves may have come to terms with the fact that the Cullens were truly trustworthy, they realized it was a rarity with the species as a whole and they did not look forward to having a newborn vampire causing havoc in the small town, because they had yet to be taught the vegetarian lifestyle that the Cullens lived.
Upon hearing the wolves' thoughts, Edward said, "Sam, if the time comes when Bella chooses to fully change, I promise that we will take her to someplace remote, like Alaska or maybe Canada, where there is not a large population of humans." Looking down at Bella's face, where she rested with her head in his lap, he said ruefully, "Though, I dare say she will have the easiest transition of us all, none of us had access to the blood pops or vampire food that the Potters have so thoughtfully gifted us with."
"Yeah, I was curious about that when Harry mentioned it. Do you not feed on animals anymore?" Sam questioned curiously.
Esme smiled as she responded, "No, we don't have a need to anymore. Harry and Merope have gifted us with the means to live as normally as possible." Smiling at Harry and Merope affectionately. "In the magical world, they have this treat that is called a Blood Pop, that vampires of their world indulge in. It's a treat that is like a lollipop, only it's ingredient is blood. They also found a recipe book with instructions on how to make what appears to be normal, human food that converts to blood when consumed by vampires. Though one has to have magic to be able to make the food, I'm hopeful that one day they will find a way around that requirement, so that I can learn to make the recipes myself and finally have the ability to cook for my family."
To the surprise of everyone, Rosalie said softly, "It's been great being able to bring packed lunches to school. We can actually eat when we sit in the cafeteria and it helps us to actually blend in, rather than just getting lunch and playing with the food a bit before throwing it away."
Alice bounced up and down in excitement and added, "We can eat three meals a day, just as if we were human, and we never feel the need to hunt anymore." She then rubbed Jasper on the arm in affection and said, "My Jasper doesn't even feel the bloodlust that he used to have to fight all the time."
Jasper smiled at Alice and squeezed her hand on his arm in returned affection, then turned to Sam, who seemed to be curious. "I wasn't raised, for lack of a better word, as the rest of the Cullens were." Jasper said with a slight smile and just a touch of a Southern accent. "I may tell you my full story one day, since Harry and Merope have made it possible for us to remain here in one place for many more years. For now, I will tell you that I am an empath. I can feel the emotions of those around me. I can also manipulate the emotions of those around me to be whatever emotion that I want them to be, though, it's not something that I typically do, unless the situation calls for it.
"Having the ability to feel the emotions of my victims took its toll on me. I hated having to feel the terror my victims felt as I fed from them, but what could I do? I had to drink blood to survive and I knew of no other way to do so." Jasper was silent for a moment as he gazed down at Alice with obvious love and adoration in his eyes. "It was when I met Alice that I found out about the Cullens and that there was another way to survive. And even though the taste of animal blood is not nearly as satisfying as human blood was, I can never regret being shown that there was another way to live."
Sam cleared his throat, as he could feel it tightening with the emotions that just that small bit of Jasper's story had invoked, then said, "Well, I'm not sure what to say, other than I'm happy for you, that you were able to find a different way to survive. It actually gives me some hope that more vampires might make the same choice in the future."
"One can only hope," said Carlisle softly.
Before more could be said, there was a groan coming from where Bella lay, indicating that she was starting to wake up. Everyone waited in silent anticipation to see what her reaction would be.
Bella lay still for a moment, while everyone seemed to collectively hold their breath, finally she broke the silence by saying, "So vampires are real. That's weird."
A/N: Notes will be on my profile page.
