Smaragdus arcanum Lunam
Cloud Sorano
20
Ministry of Magic, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, London, England
Harry looked up to Auror Proudfoot, standing on the other side of the table, pursuing papers on a clipboard. He and Edward were escorted to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement on the second floor of the Ministry of Magic. Kingsley Shacklebolt, the acting Minister, had left them in Auror Robards hands and apologized that he had to go, being a minister and being busy. From there, the Aurors had separated him and Edward into two different holding rooms, and they have been sitting there for several hours.
During the time waiting in the rooms, Edward and Harry had discovered they could communicate telepathically. Edward was beside himself, and Harry had assured him they would be all right. It helped Edward continue to be indifferent, waiting in the strange unknown place.
Auror Proudfoot was a tall woman with black hair plaited and wrapped around her head. She wasn't what one would call pretty, but plain-looking and with a permeant scowl on her face. Harry could see that she wasn't one to be messed with. She turned to Harry and sat down at the table across from him. She reached in her robe and pulled out a small vial, and placed it down on the table.
His eyes darted to the bottle and back to the woman. "Veritaserum."
"They told me you're a smart one." Auror Proudfoot said with a nod.
"That's actually Hermione, but I know my stuff. Let's have at it." Harry sighed and leaned back against his chair, keeping his hands spread and relaxed on the tabletop. Ever since he was placed in the room, he started to feel weary and figured the toll of the day was bearing down on him.
Auror Proudfoot pushed the vial toward Harry. "Drink the entire bottle. It's water with the correct dose of Veritaserum. It will last fifteen minutes and I will be asking you questions. If the questioning goes past fifteen minutes, I will supply you another bottle."
"Interesting." Harry murmured as he picked up the bottle and popped the cork off the top. He tipped the clear liquid back in his mouth and grimaced; the water had tasted like ash. He placed it down and waited for the effect to take place.
"All right, what is your name and birthdate?" Auror Proudfoot asked, watching Harry closely.
"Harry James Potter, July 31, 1980."
She nodded and jotted down the note on her clipboard with a mangled-up feather that looked like it has been through hell and back. "Where were you on May 2, 1998?"
Harry blinked once and replied drolly, "Hogwarts. I was fighting the Death Eaters and I defeated Voldemort."
Auror Proudfoot scribbled on her clipboard then asked, "Who was with you at Hogwarts?"
Harry frowned, "You sure you want me to name everyone at Hogwarts?"
She looked taken aback and sighed, "You're right, that was a broad question. At Hogwarts, during the battle, who backed you up?"
"Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Edward Cullen."
"Edward Cullen, he is not listed in the British Magical Citizen, who is he?"
"Edward Cullen is a wizard from America whom I met a few weeks ago." Harry found himself surprised to supply the answer honestly. He realized that the questions were fallible if one knew how to answer the questions and omit some certain information.
"A wizard, interesting. We'll get back to that in a bit." Auror Proudfoot said and asked, "When, and where did you meet Edward Cullen?"
"I met Edward Cullen on April 26, in a mountain somewhere near Forks, Washington, America."
Confusion flittered across Auror Proudfoot's face for a moment, and then she scribbled something on the clipboard furiously; the poor mangled feather looked about to snap in her grip. She then asked, "Why were you in America?"
Harry's relaxed hands became tenses as his fingers started to grip the tabletop lightly. He knew he was putting a small dent in the surface, withdrew his hands quickly, and placed them on his laps, clenching them. "I was sent there by a spell."
Auror Proudfoot frowned and scowled, "All right, you are going have to elaborate on that. What happened that led to the spell that sent you to America?"
Harry stared at the woman for a moment and replied, "Hermione, Ron, and I were visiting Xenophilus Lovegood that morning, to ask him about the Deathly Hallow symbol. He summoned the Death Eaters to his house to exchange us for Luna Lovegood, who had been held prisoner at the Malfoy Manor. We managed to escape and apparate into a forest, where, I do not know. It was Hermione who brought us there. But Snatchers were already there and caught sight of us and started to chase us. We ran. I was hit by a slicing hex and stopped. Hermione was close to me, Ron had fallen behind but was catching up. I turned," Harry looked down to his chest and gestured to where the hex has sliced him, "I was sliced here to here," gesturing from his neck and down to his hip on the opposite side, "and bleeding out heavily. I was dying. Hermione was frantic and cast a spell to send me somewhere to get help. It was an old spell. I ended up in America, at Edward Cullen's feet. He caught me as I fell. Death was also there, prepared to take me. Edward offered to help me and I took the chance, because I wasn't done here." He said and looked up to the woman, who was entrapped by his tale.
She blinked and looked at her watch, "Okay, we have few minutes left for couple more questions before the Veritaserum wears off. What did he do to help you from dying?"
Harry's jaw clenched, and his hands clenched tightly under the table. "He offered to turn me."
"Into what?"
"A vampire."
Edward glanced around the room; it was stark, white, and with no window. There was a door on one wall and a table in the center with two chairs. The light above the table was bright, and he could not see where the source was. It had been close to four hours since he was separated from Harry and placed in the room. He found he could not hear anyone's thoughts at all since he was in the room. He supposed there was some kind of spell that prevented him from hearing any thoughts.
However, he was able to communicate with Harry telepathically. He figured it was due to their bond that he was able to. Though, Harry had sounded distant in his mind and growing weaker and weaker. It wasn't until not too long ago that Harry went silent, his last thought to him that there was someone in the room with him questioning him. He figured he would be questioned soon.
He rested his head on his arms at the table, idly doodling invisible images on the surface. It was about ten minutes that the door opened, and a tall, stocky man with brown hair and brown eyes entered with a clipboard in hand and a short feather in another hand. He sat up and watched the man in a deep red robe sit down as opposed to him.
"I am Auror Williamson, I will be questioning you. It's part of the procedure that you need to take this," He pulled out a small vial with clear liquid. He saw Edward's curious questioning expression. "It's a Veritaserum in water, a truth potion. I was told you are a muggle?"
Edward blinked and replied, "Was. I recently came into power and is now considered a wizard."
"Yet, you do not have a wand."
"I do not need one." Edward replied.
"Alright, drink this and we'll start. The potion will last fifteen minutes, that usually the amount of time we need to ask questions. But if necessary, I have another one for another fifteen minutes. Shall we start?" Auror Williamson asked as he gestured to the bottle.
Edward nodded. Harry had informed him that there was a possibility that they will be given this potion; he had said it was like a lie detector. Still, he would only be compelled to tell the truth. He wasn't sure how it would work on vampires since everything they drink or eat, other than blood, turn to ash in their mouth. He took the small vial and popped the cork off, and drank the liquid. He grimaced, the water tasted ashy, but he could feel the tingle of the potion on his tongue.
Auror Williamson placed the clipboard on the table and held the feather in hand, ready to write. "What is your name and birthdate?"
Edward replied, "Edward Masen Cullen, June 20th, 1901."
Auror Williamson's feather had been scribbling on the clipboard and froze when he heard the year. He looked up to Edward and asked, "1901?"
"Yes."
"I see." Auror Williamson replied slowly as he wrote down the year. "Where are you from?"
Edward tilted his head. "America. I was born in Chicago, Illinois, but I've lived all over the place, New York, California, Montana, Alaska. Even several other countries including Italy, Brazil, Canada, and Africa." He shrugged, "I recently came from Forks, Washington."
Auror Williamson nodded and scribbled down and asked, "When did you come to United Kingdom?"
"April 28th."
"Did you come alone?"
"No."
"Who did you come here with?"
"Harry Potter."
Auror Williamson blinked and nodded; he flipped to the next page on the clipboard and pursued the paper for few seconds before asking, "Okay, you came here with Harry Potter, how?"
"He apparated us here from America."
"He apparated you both here across the pond?"
Edward pursed his lips and shrugged, "Yeah. We were in New York and then the next thing we were in Tinsworth."
"That's impossible." Auror Williamson said as he dropped the clipboard and feather on the table and crossed his arms, leaning back. "It's too far in distance for anyone to apparate across."
"Well, I'm under the Veritaserum, aren't I?" Edward asked, "All I say are truths."
"Yes…" Auror Williamson replied slowly. He shook his head and picked up the clipboard. "Right, let's not waste too much time. How did you meet Harry Potter? Please tell me in details as of when, where, and how."
Edward nodded, "It was April 26th, I was in my favorite spot in the mountain north of Forks, Washington, complementing some personal issues I was going through. Then I heard a loud pop and turned around to see Harry Potter appear out of thin air. He was about 30 feet away from me and he was bleeding very heavily, at death's door." He frowned as he remembered how Harry had looked, "I rushed to him to catch him before he could fall to the ground. I held him and he was dying in my arms. That's how I met him."
Auror Williamson's eyebrows were in his hairline. "Do you know why he was bleeding to death?"
"At the time, I didn't. But I later learned that he was hit by a slicing hex on a run from Snatchers and his friend, Hermione Granger, sent him away to get help."
"He was dying, so how is he still alive now?"
Edward swallowed and felt that he could not resist telling the truth. He stared at Auror Williamson, trying to resist, but the potion was working its effect. "I offered to turn him to keep him," he paused and found he could not hold it back, "'alive.'"
Auror Williamson narrowed his eyes, "How did you help him to keep him 'alive'?"
"I bit him. Several times."
"Why?"
"I am a vampire, my venom can stop him from dying, by turning him into a vampire." Edward was cursing in his mind from heaven to hell. He could not hold that information back anymore.
"And Harry consented to this?"
"Yes."
"He was bleeding to death, and you had an opportunity to feast on him, drain him dry. So why turn him?"
"He's my mate."
Auror Williamson's eyes widened. "Mate." He scribbled more notes on his clipboard. "I see. Well," he glanced at his wristwatch and continued, "We have a couple of minutes left. "Have you bitten anyone else since Harry?"
Edward felt relief. "No."
"One last question, you said you came into power, going from muggle to wizard, how?"
Edward rubbed his head; he was beginning to develop a headache and wondered why. He has not had a headache in a long time; one of the perks of being a vampire was not having any ailments. "I recently learned I was a near squib before I turned, so my magic was dormant until I met Harry and he woke my magic inside me and it grew. Being around magical community and," he paused, looking up to the Auror and lowered his tone, "sharing his essence," He cleared his throat. He resumed, "fed to my magical core. I'm now considered a wizard with standard power. Not a squib or strong like Harry."
"Okay, thank you." Auror Williamson said as he wrote down on his clipboard and stood up and turned to the door.
Edward gasped softly, clutching his head as the pain started to intensify; his mind swam, and he blinked. "What did you do to me?" He asked, groaning in pain.
Auror Williamson turned back and shook his head. "The Veritaserum has no effect once it is out of the system."
Edward tried to stand up but stumbled and sat down, "I feel dizzy, weak… what's happening?" He closed his eyes, his fingers gripping the edge of the table.
Auror Williamson replied, "We've been told you and Harry are vampires, so we had to employ anti-vampire charms around the room for our protection. It only saps you of your strength, rendering you weak like us. There should be no other effects."
"But I feel like I am being drained." Edward looked up, fear lacing his voice, "more than my strength, my power and my life too. And it's hurting inside out."
Auror Williamson said nothing but frowned and left, locking the door.
Edward gritted his teeth, fighting nausea that overtook him suddenly, and tried to search for Harry in his mind, "Harry?"
"Edward?" Harry sounded so distant and faint.
"I don't feel so good… They did something."
"Hold on in there. I am also not feeling good. You're so faint."
"Harry…" Edward groaned out loud as he felt his body seize in pain, and Harry was gone from his mind.
"Harry Potter is our Savior! And this is what he get? Arrested?" Arthur yelled as he stormed into Kingsley Shacklebolt's office at the Ministry of Magic. The red-head man looked irate.
Acting Minister Shacklebolt stood up from his desk and waved his wand, closing the door behind Arthur and waved his other hand to gesture for the man to sit down. "Arthur, I honestly don't know what to say." He watched as Arthur, red in the face, sit down stiffly before him. He waved his wand to bring a tea set to the desk between them and poured tea for both of them. "We got intel that Harry Potter is a vampire and that young man seen with him is one too. You know the law. You know as well as anyone, that we must follow the law and bring them in for questioning and face the Wizengamot trail to decide their fate."
Arthur ignored the cup offered to him and snapped, "And the law say about the consequence of wizard turning into vampire?"
Kingsley's lips thinned as he placed his teacup down with a clack on the table. He sat back and heaved a heavy sigh. He rubbed his forehead before asking, "What can I do? My hands are tied. Law is law."
Arthur slammed his hand on the table, "The MoM has been in a chaos in the past couple years, and now you guys are just going back to the way it was? That's not what Harry fought for, for all of us. The entire system need to be changed. You will not get a fair trial out of the Wizengamot! They're bunch of purist old codgers that adhere to the old ways! They'll just toss Harry and Edward to the pit and spit on them without a second thought!"
Kingsley leaned forward and clasped his hands together. "I know that. That's what I am trying to do here, appointing seats to new generations of Wizengamot because nearly over half of them has been arrested for siding with Voldemort, as Death Eaters or supporters. The MoM is still in disorder and we've been processing the Death Eaters trial as much as we can to clean out the system. The war had left us with very little to work with. I am looking into getting a trial for Harry and Edward as soon as we can. The trails has been back to back and there are only as many Aurors we can employ. We have lost so many people."
Arthur frowned as he sat back in his seat and shook his head. "Expediting the trail, that can only mean their death would be sooner."
Kingsley stared at Arthur. He knew the other man since they were in school together. He could see where Arthur is coming from, considering Harry Potter as another son of his. "Tell me, between friends," he gestured to both of them, "What is Harry like now? And this Edward?"
Arthur gave a tired smile. "Harry is like as he is before, a good kid with a good head on his shoulder. Yes, the war has matured him, but he is not a heartless blood-drinking murderer that one would associate with vampire. Edward is a good kid too, shy and cautious, we got to know him a little bit and he's very smart, loves music and is well read. Hermione love to debate with him about various of topics. He challenges Ron in chess and they've become good friends, the four of them. Seeing him with Harry and how they are around each other, you can't think of one without another. They're attached at the hips."
Kingsley nodded as he listened, his chin on his intertwined hands. "Sound like a normal young adults."
Arthur nodded, "That's what they are. It didn't matter if they're vampire or not. Do we really see the werewolf part in Remus Lupin?"
"You have a point there. Remus Lupin was a good man, despite his condition."
"Then, it's the same for Harry and Edward. Why can't they be treated the same?"
Kingsley sighed, "That's the thing. If Harry was a muggle, then it would've not been a problem. But he's a wizard, and a vampire changed him. Vampire condition doesn't only enhance his physical strengths, but as well his magic. He is very powerful now and it is a dangerous ground."
Arthur leaned his head on his fist as he complimented. "The law, does it imply only on British ground?"
"What do you mean?" Kingsley asked.
"Harry wasn't changed here. He was changed over in America."
Kingsley shook his head. "The law was enacted in 1680s after the wiz-vampire war throughout Europe, applying to all vampire worldwide. If the MACUSA knew about Edward changing Harry over there, they would've gotten to them and prosecuted them. It so happened that they were seen drinking blood near Hogwarts and deemed vampire. And Harry is a wiz-vampire, which means, it is illegal for him to even exist."
"Fuck," Arthur softly whispered under his breath.
"My statement exactly." Kingsley said. He waved his wand to clear away the tea sets, and a knock sounded from his door. "Come in," he called.
Auror Robards peered in, "Minister Shacklebolt?"
"Come in. You remember Arthur Weasley?"
Auror Robards stepped into the room and nodded to Arthur in greeting. "Arthur." Then he turned to Kingsley, "We've questioned them and there's a problem."
"What is it?" Kingsley asked as he stood up.
"The vampire fainted. We're not sure what's going on. Auror Williamson reported that the vampire complained about being disoriented and weak after the interview."
Arthur stood up, "Which one?"
"Sir?" Robards asked, glancing at Kingsley.
"There are two vampires you are holding, and they have names." Arthur angrily said. "Refer them to their names, not to what they are!"
Kingsley held his hand up to diffuse the tension. "Robards, please do use their names."
"Uh, okay. Edward Cullen. He's the one who fainted. We checked in on Harry Potter, and he's not looking so hot either."
Kingsley glanced to Arthur, "Are they mates?"
"Yes." Arthur said.
"How long ago have they mated?"
Arthur shook his head, shrugging. "Not long, I believe. Harry only changed about couple months ago now."
"Shit," Kingsley said under his breath and turned to the Auror. "Get them together now! I am coming down too." He moved around the desk and followed Auror Robards to the DMLE. Arthur hurried along.
They reached the DMLE; Ron and Hermione were waiting in the waiting room with the other Weasleys. They looked up to see Kingsley and Robards rush past them. Arthur stopped before his family, glancing over them worriedly.
"What's happening?" Ron asked.
"They've pulled us in for questioning and it didn't last very long. They've been holding Harry and Edward for close to six hours now." Hermione explained, holding onto Ron.
Arthur nodded to the two, "I don't know what's going on. Robards said that Edward fainted and Harry isn't looking good. Something about being separated."
"Oh no!" Hermione gasped. Everyone turned to her.
Ginny asked, "What's happening to them?"
Hermione shook her head, her wild curls swaying. "They're mated pair. When creatures mates, like the veelas, werewolves, even vampires, they only mate with their soul-mates and they can't be separated for the first few years, even a decade. Their souls are in process of bonding and their magic merges. To separate them basically is hurting them from inside out, from the soul. They're just newly mated and their magic are being merged and not quiet complete, so being apart hurts." Everyone gasped and murmured their concerns. Hermione turned to Arthur, "But it doesn't make sense, they can stand to be apart for few hours, over some yards away. Like that one time Edward was in the Shell cottage and Harry was on the beach, they weren't affected. They can't be far apart from each other here if they're in separate rooms."
Arthur looked to the door where Kingsley and Robards had disappeared into. "I am not sure."
Kingsley stepped in the holding room where Harry was being held and found the young wizard-vampire sitting in the corner of the room on the floor, his head resting on his knees, his arms wrapped around his legs. "Harry?"
Harry raised his head slowly and looked at Kingsley with a dazed look on his face. "Kingsley?"
Kingsley gasped, noticing how pale Harry had turned, and there were prominent blue blood veins around his face and exposed skin. The lines ranged from light blue to darker blue, nearly black, making his skin look more like marble stones. His eyes, once verdant green was nearly black, and the lines spreading out from his iris, threatening to overtake the white of his eyes.
Kingsley slowly approached Harry and knelt beside him, "What the hell?" He reached out and touched Harry's forehead, feeling the ice-cold marble, hard like stone. "What's happening?"
Harry shook his head slowly, and Kingsley grimaced, realizing he could hear the cracking coming from Harry's skin, almost like stones grinding. "I don't know. I don't feel so good. I feel weak and my head hurts. What is this place?"
Kingsley's eyes widened, and he shouted to the open door, "Robards! Get the spell off the rooms!" He turned back to Harry. "Can you stand up?" He helped Harry to stand, "We need to get you to your mate. He fainted."
Harry gripped Kingsley's hand and allowed the other man to help him up. He grabbed the wall to steady himself and slowly walked out with the former Auror to the next room. They entered, and Harry found Edward lying on the floor, passed out. He hurried as he could to Edward's side and knelt to pick him up and held him. "Edward?" He brushed the copper hair from his lover's face. He has no idea if Edward was alive or not because there were no heartbeats to rely on. He brushed Edward's face and sighed softly, feeling the warmth of the skin. Edward's skin was like his own, marbled with vein lines.
Harry looked up to Kingsley, "What happened to us?"
Kingsley frowned as he watched Harry cradle Edward in his arms delicately. He could see how much Harry cared for the other man. "It's a standard procedure to place a spell to suppress vampire strength on the room. But the thing is, we have not used the spell in hundreds of years, we've never needed to arrest vampire for a very long time and there was not much stated what the spell would do to the vampires, except that it weakens them."
Harry snorted in irritation. "Weaken us? Most likely sap us of our life-force, leaving us near dead. Since we can't die."
Robards popped his head in the doorway, "Sir, the spell has been cancelled. I've reported to the Department of Mysteries to find out what the spell actually do." He glanced to Harry and Edward. "Alright?"
Harry sighed as he sat down on his bottom, pulled Edward entirely into his lap, and cradled him. "It will take us a while to recover. We will need blood to replenish." He glanced down to Edward and saw his lover's eyes fluttering under the lids, relieved that he seems to be responding.
Kingsley nodded. "We will be back shortly." He turned and left, closing the door, and the lock clicked.
Edward's eyes fluttered open. "Harry?"
Harry took in Edward's eyes; the iris and sclera were completely black. "We'll be all right."
"I feel like shit." Edward murmured.
Harry gave a weak chuckle. "Same, love. Same."
Harry looked up to see Kingsley enter the room, and the guard closed the door behind him. The lock clicked in place, and Harry sighed, turning back to Edward, stroking his face softly.
"I got you blood." Kingsley said, placing two goblets down beside Harry on the floor.
Harry shifted Edward to lean against him and took one of the goblets. He took a sniff and snarled before placing down the cup. "Get rid of these. We will not drink them."
Kingsley stared bemusedly. "It's not tainted or poisoned, I made sure of that. It was donated."
Harry shook his head and turned back to sit with Edward. "We do not drink human blood."
Kingsley's eyes widened. "But," he paused and looked to the goblets, "you said you needed blood."
Harry snorted and held Edward's hand, his thumb rubbing the skin that was becoming dry and rough like stone. He knew his own skin was the same. The blue lines were becoming more and more prominent on their face and hands. Edward had warned Harry that vampires can become stone if they go too long without blood. The magic in the room had sped up the process by draining their essence.
"We drink animal blood." Harry softly said. "Magical animal blood, the better. But non-magical is fine as well."
Kingsley nodded, understanding. "Then, will that help the both of you to recover?"
Harry looked up at the acting Minister and shrugged. "I haven't been a vampire very long. I don't know. It might take a while for us to recover."
Edward opened his eyes to half-mast and replied in a raspy voice, "If you want us to recover faster, dragon blood is what we need. It's more potent and will replenish our magical cores too."
Kingsley sighed and grabbed both goblets. "I'll see about it." He went to the door and knocked with one of the goblets. He turned his head to the two vampires and asked, "what of unicorn blood? Its available on hand at the moment while dragon blood will take a bit of time."
Harry shook his head. "No. Never unicorn blood."
Kingsley's brows furrowed, wondering why. He turned and left as the door opened.
Edward closed his eyes once again and burrowed his head into Harry's neck. He asked, "why?"
Harry blinked and held Edward closer. "I came across a tome at home, it was about different creature bloods. Unicorn is considered a pure creature, we already know that if one drink it, it grants a person half-life, a cursed one." He looked down at Edward's black eyes. "I never understood how that worked when I first heard of it. Then I found another book about unicorns and," he shuddered, "their blood is volatile, it basically replace the drinker's blood, killing the person but at the same time, keeping them alive. They would have to continue drink the blood to stay alive."
Edward frowned and said, "Like turning them into vampire, but unicorn vampire?"
Harry nodded. "There was a small entry where it mention that if a vampire drink the blood, he would be trapped in a cycle of unending transformation, dying and turning, over and over. They can't drink any other blood to counter it. Basically, locking them in their own form of hell."
Edward shuddered. "Sound horrifying. Good to know so we would never drink from them. Though, dragon blood, on other hand, they're very good."
Harry smirked; the skin around his face cracked a bit. "Yes, it does make sense since dragons are opposite of unicorn."
Edward nodded weakly and sighed. "Why is this not effecting you as much as it does to me?"
Harry looked up to the ceiling. "I think it's because I am the Master of Death and more powerful. It does affect me as well. Any longer, I would've probably pass out like you did."
Edward coughed then grimaced as he drew his hand away from his mouth to see a splatter of viscous silvery fluid. He wiped his hand on his pants and leaned heavily on Harry.
Harry had seen the fluid and knew it was Edward's blood. He was starting to petrify on the inside. He would meet the same fate as his lover soon. He hoped Kingsley would come back with the dragon blood soon.
AN:
I know it's a quick update! Honestly, I was so inspired that I just had to sit down and wrote this chapter out in a day and a half! This chapter was never planned initially as it is; it basically wrote itself! It just came out, and I went with it.
The whole arrested part was actually an idea beginning to form when I was starting to write the story, but I wasn't sure how it would go. Until the previous chapter, I finally had some ideas (thanks to several reviewers!). Then now, it just bloomed out of nowhere! The whole concept of spell suppressing the vampire strength, the unicorn blood, and dragon blood were all a spur of moment ideas. That's why I love writing stories; it surprises me sometimes.
Thank you for the wonderful reviews; they really spurred me on to the next chapter!
Next: What will be their fate?
