Smaragdus arcanum Lunam
Cloud Sorano
5
"They're not back yet?" Emmett asked as he landed on the deck after jumping across the yard. Jasper slowed down to walk into the house with grace, not to be like his brute of a brother.
Alice had been leaning against the railing that framed the deck shook her head. "No. They won't be back until tomorrow." She stood up and leaned into Jasper's embrace as he came to stand behind her, hugging her from behind. "They have a lot to talk about."
Rosalie greeted Emmett with a kiss and turned to Alice, her brows furrowed, "Why Edward alone? What's wrong with the rest of us?"
Alice gave a tinkering laugh and replied, "They're mates."
Jasper's eyes widened as he looked down at his wife. "Mates, like as in you and me, Rosalie and Emmett?" Rosalie had a surprised look on her face.
Alice's head wildly bobbed as she grinned. "You should've noticed! The entire time the way Edward was looking at Harry as if he was his entire world. It's so sweet, really."
Emmett nodded slowly, "I did. It seemed Edward is happy, truly happy."
Rosalie relaxed as she leaned against Emmett's side. "Well, that's good. I was getting a bit worried there that he would choose Bella."
Alice's cheerful demeanor dropped. She turned her head to the woods. "Yeah. I thought he would be happy with her. He was smitten with her but doubtful."
"That's not how you feel when finding your mate," Jasper said. "It's everything or nothing. Not in between."
Rosalie nodded as Emmett sat down on one of the wooden deck chairs and pulled her to sit on his lap. She turned her eyes to the woods too and said, "He will have to end things with Bella soon. It won't be easy. Edward broke the treaty."
Jasper's head snapped to Rosalie. "Changing Harry? No. It had to be done. We'll take care of the Quileute when the times come." Alice's eyes hazed over, and she stiffened. Jasper turned to his wife and waited for her to come out of her vision. When she did, he asked, "What is it?"
"Bella will be hurt, but she will be fine. Edward will be very happy with Harry, but it will be a rough road ahead for them." Alice replied.
"What has brought you all out here?" Carlisle asked as he stepped out the patio door to join his children. Esme followed close behind.
Rosalie brushed her long blond lock. "We're discussing Harry and how good he is for Edward. And we agree he needs to end things with Bella." She had made her opinions on Bella from the start, worried for her family if they were to have a human around them. But with Harry, she sang a different tune.
Alice gave a sad sigh, "I'll miss Bella. She was fun." She shrugged, "But I have to agree; I'm glad Harry showed up when he did."
"Harry seems to be a perfect match for Edward." Esme commented, "I am happy for him, truly." She grasped Carlisle's arm and smiling up at him. She had worried over Edward like a mother for a long time, and it had hurt her to see him lonely and unhappy.
"Harry's going to be around for a long time, and it will be much more interesting." Alice quipped, then her expression changed, becoming severe. "He was right; he needs to finish what he has to do in Britain, and it will not be easy. Harry is the forefront for his side of the war over there."
Rosalie didn't like it. "He's here now, away from all of that. Why can't he stay?"
Alice shook her head, breaking free from Jasper's arms to head inside. She paused at the door, "Harry is the only hope for his people."
Harry had waved his hand over their pants, spelling away the mess they had made in their make-out session. Edward appreciated the magic, liking how convenient it was. He held Harry's hand, their fingers intertwined as they moved through the dense foliage. They had decided to walk at a slower pace back to the house, wanting to spend a little more time alone together.
"When you were just dying," Edward said, "I saw your whole life flashed by, seeing a glimpse of about everything."
Harry nodded. He wasn't too upset that Edward saw his life. There were a lot of things nobody knew about him. Things that Hermione and Ron did not know even they knew more than anyone. But he found that he did not care if Edward learned his dark secrets. Harry guessed it was the whole vampire mate thing that made him feel as Edward has been there his entire life.
He also found he trusted Edward implicitly and was surprised to find he loved Edward irrecoverably. It was strange, but he liked the feeling that there was someone there just perfect for him. It was a good feeling, and he relished it. There were no bullshits of trying to make the relationship work or the heartaches that come with it. Being a vampire was interesting. "Yes. I am sure you saw a lot of horrible stuff."
Edward frowned as they moved over a fallen log. "Not just that, but good things too. I was confused when I saw strange things, but now I know because you are a wizard, and you lived among the other witches and wizards. There are things I do not understand."
"Then, ask me. I have nothing to hide from you." Harry said.
"Not everything now, Harry." Edward smiled. "Let's just go over it bit by bit. You may ask me anything too."
Harry laughed. "Sound good to me. I guess I have one now." Edward gave him a questioning look, and Harry shook his head, chuckling under his breath. "It's ridiculous. How old are you?"
Edward looked amused and tugged Harry toward him playfully. "I turned when I was seventeen. And that was in 1918."
Harry's eyes widened. "So, we're the same age."
"That was going to be my next question," Edward said. "Well, let's see…" He looked up to the moon. They walked for a few minutes in silence. Then Edward asked, "Why did it have to be you?"
Harry blinked. "Huh? Oh." He shrugged, "To be honest, I am not sure why. There's a prophecy, stating that I have to be the one to end him."
Edward pulled Harry to stop and turned him around, so they were facing each other. "Tell me."
Harry hesitated for a moment and then recited it perfectly as he had once heard before. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..." He released his hand from Edward and hugged himself, turning halfway away, staring out into the darkened wood.
"I was born on July 31. My parents were Aurors, something like law enforcement. They defied him three times before. But when Voldemort heard part of the prophecy, he set out to kill me, but it failed because of my mother." He turned his head to Edward. "My Mum was a powerful witch. It was her love that protected me, and I was able to survive the killing curse."
Edward paled, as he had listened to Harry, he also saw memories playing in Harry's mind. Harry continued, "The curse rebounded and killed himself, leaving part of his soul in me. Because he had already created Horcruxes, his soul was bound to earth, and he fled without a body."
The bronze-haired vampire stepped up and curled his arm around Harry. "That part… either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… How does this part play its role in this whole thing?"
"I wonder about that too," Harry turned and rested his head onto Edward's shoulder, wrapping his arms around the taller man's waist. "It seems, only he can kill me, or I kill him. Nothing else. Only one of us can live, not both."
Edward remained silent, thinking. He held Harry to himself for a while. It wasn't until the moon moved some distance in the sky before he spoke again, "You died. That changed things."
Harry looked up to Edward and chuckled. "Technically… I'm still alive because of you. If you really think about it, to die means your soul is moving on. So, this vampirism is more like a virus, changing our body to survive near death. I didn't die completely. Has anyone become a vampire after they die?"
Edward blinked and looked down at the glowing emerald orbs. "I never really thought about it in that way. So, not really. You have to be still alive to change."
"Yeah, so there's that." Harry released Edward and grasped his hand again. They started to walk again. "So, he marked me as his equal," He gestured to the lightning bolt on his forehead. "And it is I that must end him. His Horcrux was in me," he paused and looked to Edward. "I didn't realize until now. That presence I felt in my head, it's gone."
Edward nodded. "When you were changing, a black mist came out of your scar, it screamed and then vanished."
"That makes sense; I was a Horcrux, an unintentional one. That was his soul fragment. I guess it could not survive the changing." Harry murmured, and they kept on walking. He felt relieved and happy he no longer had a connection to Voldemort.
"And this power he knows not?" Edward asked.
Harry remained silent as he thought, knowing Edward was also listening in his mind. He smirked in amusement as he saw from the corner of his eyes that Edward had a bemused expression on his face. Finally, he said, "I believe it to be love."
"Love?"
"Something Albus Dumbledore, a great man I knew, said. Voldemort was conceived by using a love potion, and that's the thing, the reason love potions are illegal because a child conceived from a love potion is born without the ability to love. It's unfortunate. He was raised in an orphanage and never received affection or love from anyone. It led him to become the Dark Lord. He was power-hungry, still is. Immortality was something he wanted."
"He could've just gotten himself bitten by a vampire. It's quite simple."
Harry stopped and laughed out loud. "Oh, you are right, it could've been that simple." He shook his head and gave a wry smile at Edward. "No. He cared about pureblood and made himself to be a pureblood wizard." He then lowered his voice into a mock whisper, "But he isn't. He is half-blood, like me." Edward looked confused, and Harry rolled his eyes, realizing he forgot that Edward was a muggle. "In the wizarding world, we have pureblood, half-blood, and muggle-born. Those who are pureblood are wizards that came from a long line of wizard families. Then there's muggle-born, those born to muggles. Pureblood looks down to the others, thinking they are better."
Comprehension lit Edward's face. "And half-blood is from both. I get it. That's ridiculous! Why would blood matter?"
Harry shrugged. "Purebloods believe themselves to be powerful and stronger than half-blood or muggle-born. But I have seen it otherwise. Hermione, my best friend, she's muggle-born, and she is the brightest witch of our generation. Her ability to do magic is impressive."
"And you're half-blood and powerful from what I saw in your memories."
Harry shrugged. "I guess." He then shrugged, "As for vampires, they're considered magical creatures, like werewolves, so they do not have equal footing with the witches and wizards in our world. He would not dare to become a vampire; it would be lowering himself beneath muggle-borns." Edward frowned at this.
"So, this Voldemort person doesn't have love. You do, also something I've seen in your memories too. You have many people who love and care for you."
Harry looked over to Edward and smiled. "Yes. And I love them all too." His smile vanished. But now I'm a vampire, how would they react? He thought.
Edward grasped Harry's hand tighter and said, "If they love you that much, they would not care. You also have me."
They stopped just yards from where the woods would break to open space of the Cullen's property. Harry turned to Edward, and the taller man pulled him closer.
"I know it has only been a day since we met. But I can say this, I love you and will stand by your side wherever you go."
Harry looked as if he was going to cry, but there were no tears. He gave a wavering smile and cupped Edward's face. "I know you do. And I feel the same."
Edward leaned down and kissed Harry. They kissed for good ten minutes before breaking away and moving to sit on a log. "it's your turn to ask. I've asked a lot of questions already."
Harry gave a small laugh and rested his head on Edward's shoulder. "Who is Bella?" He then felt Edward stiffen. His eyebrows rose in curiously, and he wondered if he needed to use Legilimency.
"Ah, no." Edward murmured, "Bella… we've been dating for the past few weeks. She came to Forks a few months ago, and we met." He paused, chewing his bottom lip before continuing, "She is my singer." He felt Harry's head shift and looked down to see a questioning look. "Singers are certain people whose blood is irresistible to the vampire. I could not read her mind, and it was the first time I've ever encountered someone like this."
Harry sat up, "Sound like a natural Occlumens to me. Few people in the wizarding world are like that. I knew someone who is one. She might have some magical blood in her to be a natural occlumens." He then looked to Edward, "Perhaps you too since you read minds like legilimens. Alice would be considered a seer in our world. There are traces of magic everywhere, and I would not be surprised if all muggles have a portion of it in their blood. Some are stronger than others."
Edward hummed as he listened. What Harry had said had merit. "Makes sense. Anyway, I found her fascinating and thought she might be my mate. I thought that because I could not read her mind, that she was blocking me from identifying if she was my mate. I did come to like her very much, but," he grasped Harry's hand and held it in his hands, "I had doubted myself in the past couple of weeks and yesterday, I went to my place where I could be by myself to think without any distractions and thoughts of others filtering in my mind. Then you showed up."
Harry looked up and asked, "What were you thinking about just before I showed up?"
Edward tilted his head, curious as to why Harry was asking that. "I was thinking about how much I wanted to know who my mate was. I have been waiting for nearly a century. Carlisle had Esme. Then Rosalie came along. Carlisle thought she was the one for me, but we could not get along for a long time. Then she found Emmett and bam. I was wondering if I would ever find my mate and had searched for a long time. It is a lonely life, all those years. I didn't want to be alone any longer." He lifted Harry's hand to his lip and inhaled the sweet scent before kissing the knuckles. "I was thinking about Bella, desperately wanting a mate and unsure if she was the one. Then that's when you popped in, spilling so much blood. I was shocked and rushed to you to help you. Then I saw your eyes. I knew then I've found my mate."
Harry smiled, reaching up to brush Edward's bronze hair away from his eyes. "I was hit by a curse while running from the bad wizards. My friend Hermione, I think she was frantic and thinking as fast she could cast a spell that I've never heard of before, sending me away."
"What was the spell?"
"Ubi Maxime opus sit," Harry recalled, "it's Latin for 'where it is needed the most'. I think she was trying to send me somewhere I need to be, like a hospital or something."
"But the wording suggests sending you to someone who needs you the most, not the other way around."
"Yes, Professor Dumbledore said that." Harry shrugged. "You were desperate enough to want to know who your mate is, pulling me toward you." He looked up to Edward's golden eyes. "You needed me very badly at that moment." He smiled and continued, "If it were not that case, I would've still been back in Britain because I am needed the most by everyone to save them from Voldemort." He then shuddered, "or at his feet, because he wanted to kill me desperately."
"Well, if that did happen, you would've died either way at his feet or by anyone else. You've lost so much blood then, and there was no way to save you except to turn you. I am glad you're here now." Edward leaned down and kissed Harry.
"What are you going to do about Bella, now I am here?"
"Break up with her. It will be hard. She is quite attached to me, and she knows that I am a vampire." Edward rubbed his face. "We do not allow any humans to know what we are. By the Volturi's law, she has to die."
Harry frowned. "Volturi? I am guessing that is some kind of vampire government?"
"You could say that. The Volturi are a large coven in Italy, they are akin to royalty and enforce the laws for the vampires worldwide."
"I see." Harry hummed. "Well, there's a way… I could modify her memory, to forget that you are a vampire."
Edward looked surprised, "You could? Is there a spell for everything there is?"
Harry nodded. "Pretty much. I've never done that. My friend Hermione has. I'll have to ask her how to do it before I can do it on Bella. I don't want to turn her stupid or something."
"What happens if it goes wrong?"
"She loses all of her memories." Harry murmured, picturing Professor Lockhart and Edward grimaced.
Two bright lights shot across the sky and slowed down to descent toward them, and Harry laughed, watching as the Jack Russell terrier chase an otter around them before they both stopped before them.
Hermione's voice came through the otter, "Harry! I am so happy you are safe! We're okay. We're staying with Bill and Fleur until we hear back from you."
"Blimey, Harry!" Ron's voice erupted from the terrier, "I thought you were going to die! When you can, contact us soon! We got some news." Then both Patronuses vanished.
Edward's eyebrows rose. "Your friends?"
Harry nodded. "The otter is Hermione's, and the terrier is Ron. I would've not been able to make it this far without them. I guess I need to find a better way to contact them, there's so much I can do with the Patronus. There has to be a wizarding community around here."
They stood from the logs and walked toward the house. "Well, you know they are safe, and you're going to be here for a while."
"Yeah. I guess we can 'breathe' as to say, for a little bit. You're going to have to show me around and teach me how to be a…" Harry gestured to Edward and the house they were getting closer to, "vegetarian vampire?" Edward laughed.
AN: I hope you're enjoying this so far. I know I am for writing this.
Bella shows up next.
