CHAPTER 05:
The Cullens, the magicals sans the older wizard and the goblin, along with Bella were sitting in the big white house's sitting room on the pristine sofas, waiting for the 'other team' that had promised their aid to the Cullens in the upcoming newborn vampire war.
Harry looked around the assembly and gave a slight smile to his best friends. He didn't know what had conspired between Hermione and the Cullens but she had come flying into their room and then flung herself at him making him see nothing more than her bushy brown hair and hugged him so tight that he had had to gasp for breath later. She was sad. He had figured that out but he was sure her sadness had nothing to with the Cullens or even their human friend. Something had stirred something deep in Hermione and she had been unable to control her emotions, which given their current situation, were anyways frayed to begin with. So, he'd been the best friend she'd need and held her close and as luck would have it Ron had walked in. Not that were doing anything untoward, they weren't, but a broken expression had crossed his other best friend's face, tough he had quietly slipped in and sat himself on Hermione's other side, rubbing her back while Harry had patted her shoulder. Within a few minutes Luna had waltzed in, Hermione had effectively rubbed her tears dry and they had strategized their plans for the newborn vampire war and the Gringotts break-in.
Dobby had secured the required hair and Hermione had revisited Alice's memory several times to recreate Bellatrix Lestrange's dress. Needless to say, her only spectator and aid, Alice, had been completely bowled over by her prowess.
Mr. Olivander had used his feeble strength and immense wandlore knowledge to fashion them a bent wand just like Bellatrix's. He had spelled enough charms on it to fool the goblins and they had tried it on the only goblin available – Griphook.
Griphook, however, had not liked being taken in by the 'young nuances' as he'd called them and scathingly nodded that the wand would do its work. Though, true to his heritage, he did not forgive the trio for their small act, ergo his absence for the meeting. Griphook was out sulking! And Harry did not give a flying pigmy puff about it!
After this meeting, the trio were to go to Gringotts and do the needful. Griphook had grudgingly informed them that the goblins travelled through untraceable floo networks between the global branches and their closest floo was just a short distance away – in the Grigotts branch of the magical side of Seattle.
One of the vampires were to drive them till the café that led to the magical side and under the cover of the night, the trio would get into the bank and floo to London, where the branch would already be open and working by then. From there, Harry was sure, hell would break lose anyway!
So now, they all waited for the other magical creatures to come; and then as if by his summons, Rosalie announced that the dogs were there. First the vampires, with Carlisle and Edward in the lead, the girl Bella sticking close to Edward's side, stepped out, followed by the witches and the wizards. Harry gave a fond smile when he saw his two best friends almost covering him with their own bodies. What would I ever do without them?
One by one, humongous men stepped out of the trees, with only one women in their midst. All the boys looked to be in their early twenties and were exceptionally well built. While Harry and his friends stood marveling at the group in front of them, Bella gasped, "Jacob!" and pushed past Edward into their arms of the tallest boy in the group.
There's definitely a fucked up love triangle here Harry thought smirking at the scene playing in front of him. Jacob, the boy thus identified by Bella, moved forward with a quick swear word and held Bella just before her head would have crashed on the ground. He then engulfed her in his rather large arms and dwarfed her completely in his embrace, kissing the top of her head affectionately. Then, he slyly turned his head towards Edward, Harry noted frowning, and flashed him a smug smile. Edward glared in retaliation and both his sisters harrumphed in annoyance.
"If we are quite done with the greetings, I would like to introduce you all to our guests who have also agreed to help us with the coming war," Jasper started, his eyes trained on the second tallest man of the group but he was definitely better built than the infamous Jacob, Harry thought. Some feat that is!
"Sam," Jasper said, "and his pack, meet Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood." Jasper then turned to them and Harry quickly fixed his eyes on him. "Guys, meet the pack. This is Sam, their alpha. Followed by Jarod, Paul, Quil, Embry, Jacob, Seth and Leah."
"Pack?" Hermione asked, ever the curious.
"We're werewolves," Sam supplied in a smug tone.
"What? Really?" Hermione asked, the look of absolute concentration on her face. "Does the American Ministry provide free wolfsbane?"
"What?" Paul asked. "What are you talking about, beautiful?"
A small blush crept on Hermione's cheeks at his praise and his blatantly hungry looks and Harry found himself and Ron snarling at them. Surprisingly though, he also heard a snarl from his right and turned to look for its source. Edward? Huh, maybe he just disagrees with them all on principle? Harry shrugged and threw a murderous look at Paul.
"I meant," Hermione cut in, glaring at Harry and Ron and then at Edward before turning back to Paul, "you guys look quite well-built. If you indeed are werewolves, you must have an easy access to wolfsbane to maintain such health. So, does your ministry supply it for free?"
At all their collective confusion, Luna cut in. "Hermione, I don't think they are werewolves like our friend back home. You can change into wolves, can't you? At you own will?"
While nodding in affirmative at the question, Jacob suddenly looked up at the lilting, sweet voice of the stranger. Till then, he had just pushed the conversation around him to the back of his mind and was revering in having Bella in his arms, in front of the leeches, no less. But a soft word from that voice and his eyes had immediately gravitated to their source.
What he saw there, took his breath away, literally. She was a goddess, he was sure, with her flowing silver-gold hair, translucent porcelain skin, big and beautiful silver eyes. Of their own accord, his arms fell off of Bella and snip went his boyish crush on the girl. And now he knew it was just a crush because what he felt for the girl on the far end of the group in front of him was so much more than what he had ever felt Bella.
With just one look, she became his everything – his air, his gravity, his life. Damn! I should have paid more attention to the introductions! What was her name?
Jacob didn't know he had spoken the question out loud until the girl in question turned towards him and flashed him a dazzling smile. "I'm Luna Lovegood," she smiled and offered him her hand to shake. In a daze, Jacob walked up to her and shook her offered hand; and he could swear he felt electricity shoot through him at that ordinary touch. But even as he thought that, he knew nothing about this girl was ordinary, not for him. She would forever hold his interest, come what may and he would forever strive to be her everything, whatever she needed.
He heard a soft shuffling beside his girl, his wolf senses making even the softest sound a loud clank and suddenly he found himself at the end of a pointed stick stuck right at his throat.
"I suggest you take a step back, shape-shifter," Hermione warned Jacob.
"Oh, Hermione, don't worry, he won't harm me. Right, Jacob?" Jacob only stupidly nodded. Way to make an impression, idiot! he thought in his mind and heard a chuckle which he just knew came from a very amused Edward but he didn't have it in him to care. "Hermione, meet my soul-mate, Jacob. Jacob, this is one of my best friends, Hermione Granger."
With that little introduction, a pandemonium broke out! Only Luna could manage this! Harry watched the debacle in silence where Hermione reeled from her shock, Bella screamed and sobbed, the pack looked on comically at the new pair and the vampires swore colourfully, much to the vexation of their mother-figure. Finally he'd had enough.
Pointing his own wand at his throat, he muttered a sonorous maximus and roared out loud, "SILENCE!" All the magical creatures gathered, shut off their ears with their hands at the loud sound.
"Well, now that I have your attention, I suggest we start with the meeting as Ron, Mione and I have some place important to be. Jacob, Luna will be staying back here so you can further your acquaintance then. Can we continue now?"
Everyone nodded. "So," Harry started but was cut by Hermione.
"Uhm.. Sam," Sam turned to look at the petite girl who had called for him. "You are not a pack of werewolves. Werewolves can't change their shape at will. It is only during the full moon that their shape changes, they lose all coherent thought and all their ties with the human within are severed for those long hours of the night. You guys, on the other hand, are natural shape-shifters. Lycanthropy is non-genetic and is caused by a bite of the werewolf on a full moon's night. You, on the other hand, are born with the genes that activate depending on their trigger. In some societies, it's age, in others it's a specific situation. Though you must remember you are not werewolves, okay?"
"And how do you know all that?" Sam incredulously asked.
"She's Hermione Granger. She knows everything," Ron shook his head and smiled mischievously at his best friend, especially when she returned it with a scowl.
Not knowing how to respond to that piece of information, Sam only nodded his thanks and then asked for the meeting to start.
All the plans of the vampires and the shape-shifters were nulled by the wizarding folk. "We'd rather not hurt you in the battle, so we suggest you make the second line of this battle. The reinforcements, if you may. Tell us the place and the four of us will take care of it. If, however, the army turns to be more than twenty odd newborns," Harry pulled out is wand again and used it to draw a battle plan out on the mud there.
"Are we all on the same page?" he asked after he was done.
"So, you want us to stay away unless called. Is that it?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Essentially, yes." Harry agreed.
Sam looked at the Cullen patriarch for affirmation. Carlisle too nodded. "Alright then, we're in." Sam acknowledged and then left with his pack, only Jacob staying back.
"How about I quickly check on Mr. Olivander and then you take me out for dinner?" Luna asked Jacob and he nodded his head vigorously.
"I'll keep an eye on Mr. Olivander. You kids have fun," Carlisle offered and earned the immediate gratitude of a very smitten wolf. Smiling dazedly, Luna followed Jacob out to the woods, hand in hand.
"And that's just the tip of the crazy iceberg that is Loony's life," Ron snickered and was immediately hit upon his head by both his best friends.
"He looks… alright. And she has always.. liked magical creatures. It might work," Harry offered and was in turn hit by Hermione.
"If he keeps her happy, I'm happy for her. If not, I'll personally make sure he won't ever sire heirs," Hermione said and then turned, smiling pleasantly at her shocked audience. "Maybe it's time we leave?"
Shaking away their mirth at Hermione's threat, as both her best friends knew she could do that and more should she so wish, they gathered themselves and moved towards Jasper, expecting him to be the one the drop them at Seattle.
"Edward will be accompanying you guys," Jasper said sadly. "He beat us at rock, paper, scissors, the bloody mind reader," he muttered softly but Esme heard him nevertheless, as expected really, what with her being a vampire and all that jazz, and chastised him accordingly.
Walking to the silver Volvo, Hermione and Harry got in the back seat with Griphook between them and Ron took up the passenger seat. All the way to Seattle, Ron told Edward all about his family's flying car and complimented his 'dashboard' for the various buttons and the music system.
Hermione gave Edward a soft smile when he looked in the rear mirror in complete shock at Ron's solemn words about his car's music system. "Wizards," she mouthed and chuckled and Edward found himself sharing in her mirth.
In all of this, Alice was the only one who quietly walked to her sobbing friend and hugged her, steering her towards her car and sending her back home.
Bella did not like the new turn of events at all!