Hey guys, I hope you had a great Christmas and Thanksgiving despite the pandemic and the restrictions placed upon us! This is a hard time we're going through and I hope you will all be safe, and remember to always clean/sanitise your hand and wear masks whenever you go out.
Anyway, with the story, I've decided that Kaylee's patronus will just be a black panther. And, I've also made a mistake and was made aware that black panther is not another name for a mountain lion. So, forget everything I've mentioned about it previously, and forgive me for making that mistake.
If you read something unfamiliar to you in this chapter, please note that I just made it up. You guys will know what I'm talking about.
Happy reading! Also, Happy New Year!
Keep safe!
- Shelle
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight and Harry Potter. All characters of both stories, along with their storyline, belong to their respective owners, Stephenie Meyer and J.K. Rowling. However, all unfamiliar characters and storylines do belong to me.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Cullen Residence
Year 2000
After Carlisle ensured that his charge will be fine at the hands of her best friend, only suffering a broken ankle and exhaustion, he left Hermione to heal her and joined his family and the Denali's in the living room with the rest of their guests. Of course, he did not leave unless he knew that their method was completely safe. Hermione had given him a demonstration of how they heal with her cutting herself on her wrist—much to his dismay—and closing that wound instantly with her wand. Even though she said the spell she will use for broken bones is different, he got the memo that their healing is advanced and she did not need his assistance.
Truth be told, he would have remained in the room with her if only she had not handed him a healing book to read. One look at it, and he was hooked. It had the descriptions on how each spell works, both the mechanism of the spell and the reaction of the body. Plus, the theory and research to create such spell.
So while Hermione was in the room with Kaylee, Carlisle had joined his family and their guests in the living room. They were watching the news—the twins, Ron and Bill looked fascinated by it—except for Eleazar, who had a book to read on the History of Magic. Only Esme was in the kitchen whipping up snacks for the humans, and Harry had to return to England to retrieve an item called a 'pensieve'.
~O~
Harry stared at the vampires across the room, particularly Edward Cullen who was the subject of his best friend's affections. He could not believe how much he resembled Cedric, from every feature of his face to his physique, besides his pale complexion and the golden eyes. It was uncanny, he thought maybe that Cedric had a twin brother which was separated from him upon birth. He fashioned the thought that perhaps Cedric was adopted into the Diggory family, but then he was reminded that Edward was a vampire who was almost a hundred years old. Carlisle and Edward had refuted when Fred had asked.
Harry and the others watched as the matriarch of the Cullens, Esme, walked towards them, holding a tray of snacks and drinks, being followed by the smaller vampire, Alice. They could not help but like Esme. She was like Molly but calmer and more patient. And like Molly, Esme made sure they would feel welcome in her household.
"Thank you," they murmured.
"So, can we get to the questioning?" Emmett asked. "Because I have a lot!"
Rosalie shot him an impatient look before rolling her eyes, a tiny smile playing on her lips. Some things never change, she thought.
"Right," Hermione said. "Where to begin? What would you like to know?"
"What are you?" more than one voice asked.
"What else can you do with your stick?" Emmett.
"To simply put, we're wizards and witches," Hermione explained for the group. "And that stick is called a wand, it's how we channel our magic that comes from within us. Well, there's also non-verbal magic but that is very difficult and it will need a great amount of practice."
The vampires looked at one another, murmuring in disbelief.
"Why is it so hard for you to believe?" Ginny wondered. "Why can't we exist but you vampires can?"
"Besides I showed you one spell already." Hermione added.
"The fire." Emmett pointed out, grinning. "It freaked out Garrett, that's for sure."
The twins exchanged gleeful smirks. "If he's already like that by one simple spell, imagine how he'll react to others."
"Now, gentleman, I don't deny the truth but that was because I wasn't expecting that. And can I remind you that it was close to me." Garrett defended.
Kate, his mate, chuckled beside him then she looked at Hermione and said, "Thank you. He can be a bit too much sometimes, and he needs to be taken down a peg or two when that happens."
Hermione smiled. "My pleasure." she replied before sighing as she stared at every vampire one by one. "But anyway, we're as real as you are a vampire. The reason why you haven't heard of us is because we're sworn by secrecy from our government not to disclose what we are to muggles, and should we breach this there will be dire consequences that could lead to us forfeiting our magic. Another reason is that your vampire royalty has made no indication to inform you of our existence."
Gasps were heard at the last part of Hermione's explanation, and they sat their gaping, reeling at the revelation. "The Volturi?"
"If you mean, the coven that is full of uptight and merciless vampires in Italy then yes, The Volturi."
"But why would they hide it from us?" Carlisle asked in curiosity. "And how are The Volturi linked to you?"
Ginny huffed in annoyance, not at the two covens but at the government they are under. "I can't believe how completely clueless you all are with this."
Hermione patted Ginny's shoulder. "I share your thoughts, Gin." she told her before turning to look at each coven leader. "For you to understand, we'll have to start from the very beginning."
The vampires listened with rapt attention as Hermione began.
"In the 1810, the British Minister of Magic, what you would call a leader of our wizarding community, Artemesia Lufkin, was notified that the wizarding community in Italy was corrupted, and so she travelled to Italy to investigate alongside other ministers, including the President of MACUSA, abbreviated for Magical Congress of the United States of America. What they found when they landed in Volterra was total chaos. Magical beasts were loose, werewolves attacking bystanders and passing on their genetics during a full moon. It didn't matter to them if their victims were also children," Hermione paused when Rosalie hissed. "Vampires, including The Volturi, were running amok and feeding off from defenseless muggles. Trolls and giants—yes, there are such things, Emmett—were also roaming, smashing properties left and right. The worse thing was that the wizards and witches who were present didn't do anything when they had the power to stop them. They let it happen, some even joining in and torturing others. It was a complete mayhem, and the Italian Ministry of Magic was not remedying the situation, but, rather, encouraging them to do more."
By the end, Esme and Carmen were covering their mouth in shock and horror, and the rest wearing grim looks. Only Rosalie was angry.
"It was so bad to the point that Artemesia Lufkin almost died attempting to save a child. It was fair to say that the ministers and the president had enough, and they had to call for many aurors for backup. So, while the leaders went to confront the Italian minister, the aurors would try to settle and clean up the chaos occurring in Volterra."
"What happened when they went in?" Tanya asked.
"Well, they found the government was corrupt and they couldn't pardon their crimes. So, they seized all who work under the Italian Ministry of Magic, and the ministers and the president agreed to abolish their government until they see fit to reinstate it."
"If they were abolished then which Ministry of Magic do the Italian wizarding community follow?" Jasper wondered.
"It's a joint government comprised of the ministries who had been there. Britain. France. America. Germany. Japan. Even now, they still meet once a month to discuss the situation in Italy, the community, the magical education, and any crimes." Bill answered.
"Now, let's speak about vampires." Hermione continued. "In our world, we have two kinds. We have your kind, who we call The Living Stone, and another kind, The Living Dead. Both kinds have a couple similarities but are vast in differences."
"Your kind can easily blend in with the crowd," Fred elaborated, "While you have no aversion to garlic, The Living Dead does. You all look beautiful but they look gaunt and their features sunken. They have fangs while you don't. The bites of The Living Dead are incurable whereas your kind can still take venom out. Your kind can have gifts and abilities but they don't. Though you might shimmer from the glare of the sun, they cannot go out as it makes them weak and vulnerable. Your kind can live immortal lives but The Living Dead can only live longer than muggles, and they can be killed. Because they have beating hearts, they are still alive in a way and can breed, while your kind cannot as your reproductive system froze the moment you died a muggle."
"You are the total opposites of each other. The only similarities between your kind and The Living Dead are your pale complexion, the need for blood—your weakness without it—and your speed, strength and acute senses." George finished.
Hermione was watching the vampires closely while the twins were explaining the differences and similarities. She caught Rosalie looking gutted when Fred informed them that The Living Dead can breed. She understood why instantly, and she felt nothing but sympathy for her. It would have been hard to stomach knowing that another kind of vampire can have children. If she were in her place, she knew without a doubt she would feel the same.
To her children are a blessing; to not experience motherhood—all the ups and downs, the joys and even the loss of sleep—it was unthinkable.
"As to how The Volturi are linked to us... well, they were amidst the chaos." Hermione said. "The aurors rounded up every vampire to face trial. Five of them were from The Volturi. Jane, Alec, Felix, Demetri, and Heidi. They found them to be ruthless and they were to be destroyed but then their kings arrived. Aro, Caius and Marcus pleaded for their freedom but the ministers and the MACUSA president did not waver in their decision. However, in the end and for their freedom, The Volturi agreed to be registered in their records and were given a code of conduct to swear by. That was how they became the official ruling coven. So, while they rule your kind of vampires, ultimately, they follow the commands of the ministries and are required to send regular reports to the joint government of Italy."
"We know of you because this history is written in books," Harry finished. "And another section added in the magical creatures' collection."
All was quiet afterwards; vampires staring at them with shock, their minds running a mile a minute. It was a good thing that Edward was no longer a human who experiences headaches or migraines, as the thoughts from his family bombarded him all in one go. Like him, they were shocked. That these people with magic exists, that there is another kind of vampire who can eat, have children and who can die. There was sadness—Carlisle feeling distraught he was kept from this information by The Volturi. Curiosity. Esme and Eleazar wanted to understand more of these wizards and witches and their world for different reasons—Esme, because of Kaylee, and Eleazar, to learn more of the supernatural world. And then there was anger. Unlike Carlisle, Rosalie, Jasper, Tanya, Kate and Emmett felt angry for the Volturi's secrecy.
It was at this point that Edward remembered how he could not hear the magical peoples' minds, like Kaylee. It was going to be the first question he asks when given the chance.
Meanwhile, Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Bill and the twins were staring back at them, waiting. Hermione was thinking of the books that they can read to understand their world, to prepare them of the laws dictated to them should they cross another witch or wizard that were not considerate to their kind.
Suddenly the vampires sat straighter, listening to something in the distance. Edward shot up like he had been bit by a dog, and he disappeared to Kaylee's room which Harry and Hermione noticed. They followed him, concern gnawing at them.
When they came by her bed, they saw her whimpering and crying in her sleep. Edward stood next to her not knowing what to do. He stared at Hermione in question.
"Let me," she said.
~O~
A woman cooed at the precious baby she held within the circle of her arms, her long golden locks obscuring the child from view as she bent down to give her a gentle kiss on the forehead. The mother smiled affectionately as she met her daughter's blue-grey eyes that was a perfect mix of her husband's and her eyes. They twinkled with delight as she gazed back at her mother. Baby Kaylee's pert mouth opened and she babbled as a form of communication, smiling joyfully all the while.
Ariella laughed, and hugged her closer.
But then the scene changed, flashing from the bright and joyful atmosphere to something dark and painful.
Kaylee was back in Hogwarts Castle, standing right in front of her mother who stared at her with trembling lips. In the background, the two sides of the war—Good vs. Evil—was firing spells against one another. Over and over and over again it went. Kaylee was sick of seeing it. Sick of the spells making their way to their target, the bodies falling to the ground, the cries of pain from a cutting curse or the cruciatus curse, and the screams of anguish when someone recognised a family member amongst the fallen. She was sick of it all. She hated it.
She hated the war.
And she hated the way her mother looked at her in this dream, with something akin to disgust.
"Mum?" she called to her.
She responded by tilting her head, opening her mouth but making no sound as if she was mute, as if she had no privilege to talk. Her mother tried again and Kaylee heard her whisper, not loud enough for her to catch what she was trying to say though. Kaylee stepped forward but her mother instantly backed up a step, her eyes displaying a fear that was never there before. It was as if a cruciatus curse had hit her, that was how much her mother staring at her with fear had pained her, as if she was afraid of her own daughter.
When her mother opened her mouth again, Kaylee had finally been able to understand her words but it was not what she was expecting to hear out of her.
"You did this," she accused quietly, yet so brokenly. "You did this to your father." her mother pointed behind her and Kaylee turned around seeing what she did not notice before. Her father and herself struggling to move, her father being under the cruciatus spell meant for herself.
Kaylee's eyes slowly brimmed with tears, a hand rising to cover her mouth to suppress the cry she wanted to let out. Her mother rushed to her father's side, kneeling beside his head and murmuring his name softly.
"Sirius," her mother raised her to look back at her, her blue eyes streaming with tears. "Why, Kaylee? Why? He loved you with everything he had. Why did you let him suffer?"
"Mum, I—I didn't..." she trailed off. Because what could she say? In a way, she did allow that to happen to her father. If she had not been distracted she would have not experienced the painful experience of the cruciatus curse, because then her father would not have saved her from it, and if he had not he would not be in his comatose condition right now. There was nothing Kaylee can say that would make everything okay. All that had happened to her father was her fault. Even her mother believed it was.
Her mother turned away from her and began to caress her father's face while Kaylee stood before them watching hopelessly. She remained in this place, witnessing her mother's cries of despair. Remained immobile as she watched all over again the moment of her father's downfall. And the moment when, for the first time in a long time, she was in the weakest condition.
Suddenly her mother, father, the Hogwarts Castle, and the war altogether disappeared, replaced by the darkness obscuring her vision. This void of nothingness did nothing to comfort her, though it was a reprieve to her that she no longer was watching her mother's pain as it affected her in ways that made her feel guilty in an entirely new level about her father.
A familiar feminine voice called out to her from nowhere, echoing all around her in every direction.
Kaylee's eyes fluttered open, the white ceiling being the first thing she saw when she woke. Her eyes felt tired, she felt groggy and numb, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep even if it meant going back to that nightmare where her mother hated her.
Hermione's face suddenly appeared, peering at her in concern.
"'Mione?" Kaylee asked. What was she doing here? Better yet, where was she? And why was her face feeling wet? She wiped it away in confusion. Last thing she remembered was...was the Cullens in the forest. Emmett and Jasper. Attacking her. Edward had appeared too, she remembered.
Her best friend smiled. "Hi there, sleeping beauty. How are you feeling?"
"Not so good." she admitted. "Where are we?"
"At the Cullens," Hermione said. "You suddenly ran off at the hospital"—at this, Hermione noticed Edward turn to her sharply but ignored him. It was not hers to tell—"and had us worried. We still are, by the way. So, I followed you except you weren't at home." she raised her eyebrows. "Would you like to say something?"
"Why?" Kaylee asked. She tried to sit up so Hermione came forward and helped her. When she was made comfortable, Kaylee looked around and spotted Edward. Flashes of his brothers and someone else—maybe a mutual friend—replayed itself in her mind, and she flinched as she stared back at Edward.
Kaylee remembered, however, that Edward had come to save her and so she should not have been afraid. And yet, she wondered what they were doing there in the first place. Or even what they were talking or hinting about during their short conversation. Still it was Edward, if he wanted to hurt her with his brothers he would have done so already.
An overwhelming sense of guilt and pain gripped Edward as he saw his mate's fear. He did not blame her for one second. Vampires were monsters, that much was even more clear when Hermione told him and his family about what happened in Volterra in 1810. How their people could even entertain to give them a chance to survive this world rather than eradicate them was beyond him, and the fact that Hermione and Harry and the others could still treat them with kindness and be in their presence was admirable.
"You broke your ankle and fell unconscious after," Edward answered.
Oh. Right.
Kaylee looked down at her feet which did not feel like anything but numbness. She looked towards Hermione, a question in her eyes.
"I numbed it and it's all healed but the doctor's order is for you to stay off your feet for at least eight hours." Hermione replied.
"Doctor?"
"My adopted father." Edward clarified.
The man in question appeared in the room, smiling gently. Kaylee stared at him, noticing the same golden eyes the Cullens all seem to have. With the Cullen kids being adopted siblings, the fact that their father has the same colouring—even the skin—suggests differently. Perhaps—
It was when he came closer, Kaylee finally pieced everything together. How was she so incapable of recognising the signs earlier? The cold and paleness of their skin. The golden eyes. Their beauty and dazzling smiles. And finally, why the Cullens were in the forest to begin with...why they attacked her.
She could hear Hermione's explanation from when they were in third year, her voice echoing in her mind.
"You should know that there are two types of vampires, as mentioned in the book of Magical Creatures." Hermione said as she sat down with her, Harry and Ron in the library. They had been studying for Care of Magical Creatures at the time. "There are The Living Dead...and then there are The Living Stone. Beautiful. Immortal. They can drink the blood of humans which will turn their eyes red, or the blood of animals turning their eyes golden. They are also pale but unlike The Living Dead who are sensitive to the sun, the sun makes The Living Stones shimmer like diamonds. It is important to understand the difference..."
And the Cullens were hunting when she came across them in her animagus form.
Kaylee sucked in a deep breath, eyes wide as she cast her eyes on Edward and his father. "Vampires."
"I had hoped we would meet in a more favourable situation but it seems this will have to do," Edward's father said. "My name is Carlisle. And yes, we are vampires."
She could only blink at him.
"They know about us." Kaylee glanced at Hermione briefly. "Harry, Ginny, Ron, Bill, George and Fred are here too. We're explaining it to them now. Did you want to join us? We can make you comfortable, and you can jump in now and then if you want to add something?"
"It's nice to meet you, Doctor Cullen. And nice to see you again, Edward." Kaylee told Edward and his father before turning back to her best friend. "But is it okay if I can go back to sleep?" Kaylee murmured then remembered her dream. "And maybe give me a sleeping draught?"
Hermione looked at her sadly. "Of course."
Kaylee almost forgot why she had ran in the first place from the hospital. With the sudden revelation that Edward and his family belong in their world, she had almost forgotten that her father had forgotten her. Remembering it again made it hurt worse and she just wanted to sleep it away. She was not sure if she was able to face it just yet. Going back to sleep will give her the peace she needs for now, but she knew she needed to face it soon.
After the three of them fussed over her like she was a baby and she drank the potion, Hermione, Edward and Carlisle went back down to the living room to resume the explanations.
"What is the matter with her?"
It was the first thing the Cullen kids and Tanya and Kate asked, one that they had hoped they would not ask. However, with this question, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Bill and the twins knew Kaylee was in good hands when they were not able to be with her. For they know when Kaylee is not her normal self, which means they really did know her and cared about her enough to understand her characteristics.
Unfortunately, it was a question that they would have to ask Kaylee herself.
~O~
Somewhere in England
"We've located the target."
"Good. Prepare everything and let me know when that's done. Only then will we move."
The informer nodded and left the temporary leader of their group. Said person smiled wickedly beneath their cloak.
Soon they'll bring everything back together again, and no one will see this coming.
