The Tale of Isabella Black

by Idk68923

I was kidnapped at four, rescued by an unlikely hero and hidden in the US. I was then adopted by the Swans, found out I was a witch, discovered my true ancestry, fell in love with a vampire and competed in the TWT. I am Isabella Black. This is my story.

19. Chapter 19

Previously:

Dumbledore sighed heavily. "Very well, Miss Black. This is a Horcrux."

Nicole, Daddy and I gasped in horror, while Harry asked the question both Edward and Kate were also desperately wondering, "What's a Horcrux?"

Chapter 19:

Dumbledore slumped into a chair looking much older and more weary than I've ever seen him. "A Horcrux is a container that holds a piece of someone's soul. You see, it is possible to rip your soul into pieces and transfer part of it to an object outside of your body. That way if your body is destroyed, the rest of your soul will still have an anchor to the mortal world."

"So that's why Voldemort didn't die when his curse rebounded off me? He had made this Horcrux?" Harry asked.

"I believe so, Harry. Only it seems he's created more than one. You destroyed one in your second year already."

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise. Harry looked confused for only a few seconds before his eyes lit up in realization. "The diary," he stated.

Dumbledore nodded his head tiredly. "Yes, Harry. The diary was a Horcrux." Edward and Kate looked to me enquiringly, and I mouthed Later. "I suspected that he may have made more than one, but I had no proof until now. There is no telling how many Horcrux's he's made." The professor rubbed his forehead wearily at the end of his statement. I've never seen him look so dejected before.

I thought about the problem for a few minutes trying to think of something to contribute. I mean, there has to be a finite number of times that you can rip your soul to pieces, yeah? Every time you create a Horcrux you rip your soul in half. So after the first one was made he only had 1/2 of his soul remaining in his body. Then, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64…Can a person function with just a 64th of their soul? There are certain numbers in Arithmancy that create power. Splitting your soul 6 times would only leave you with a 64th of your soul and 6 isn't really a special magical number. 3 would be better. Then he'd be left with an 8th of his soul. 7 is the most powerful magical number, but that would only leave him with a 128th of his soul. That is madness! Would he really be willing to do that to himself in order to achieve the most powerful magical number?

I was brought out of my musings when I felt Edward's anger and sadness. I looked over to him curiously to see the emotions warring across his face. "What is it, Edward?"

"How could someone willingly rip apart their soul? Before I met you, I was tormented thinking that I'd lost my soul in the transformation. That the venom left me a soulless monster. You showed me that my soul was safe…as Harley said, that the venom just gave it a different body to inhabit, a different shell. When you finally made me see the truth, it was like you gave me the most precious gift. You gave me my soul back, and then allowed me to entwine mine with yours. It makes me angry…and sad that someone would be willing to so carelessly rip apart their own soul just for immortality. I just don't understand it. How do you even go about ripping apart your soul? I can't imagine the process is at all pleasant."

Crap. Why did he have to ask me this question? He's going to think that he shredded his soul during his "rebellious phase". I met his eyes and held his hand between mine. "You have to murder someone."

He tried to remove his hand from my grasp but I used all my newborn strength to make sure he didn't get away from me. His face was completely stricken. "Bella…" he whispered. There was so much torment in his voice. It made my heart ache for him. I had to stop his line of thinking, and quickly.

"Don't, Edward. It's not the same."

"It is the same, Bella. I've murdered people."

To my great surprise, Professor Dumbledore had my back. "She's right, Edward. It isn't the same. It is natural for vampires to hunt humans. If you feed off one, you are not committing murder any more than a human who enjoys a nice steak. The fact that you are now abstaining leads me to believe that your soul is perfectly intact, my boy. In fact, your clear remorse for the humans that you hunted in the past confirms it for me. For how you heal a broken soul is through genuine remorse."

"Listen to him, Edward, please. And you never hurt anyone who was innocent. You only hunted murderers and rapists. Think of all the innocent people who got to live a long and normal life because you removed their future murderer or rapist from the Earth." I looked into his eyes pleadingly.

He still looked skeptical, so I decided I had to dig deep. With every ounce of concentration and willpower I have I focused on lowering my shields. It was a very arduous task. They are very strong from years of practice as a human combined with vampire strength of mind. I finally pulled the last of the shield back to reveal my mind to Edward.

He looked over at me, shocked. I pulled his head down so that his forehead rested upon mine and looked directly into his eyes. I showed him his soul through my eyes. I made him see how truly amazing it is.

I showed him the first time I saw him and how beautiful I thought he was. I showed him the conversation that I had with Jessica about his family, along with my inner commentary. I showed him how much I admired the amount of control he showed while sitting next to his singer for the first time while he was already thirsty. I showed him our experience with the van, and how I had fun messing with him a bit. He grinned impishly at my inner musings.

I then went through our time together starting with the night that he "saved" me from those muggle thugs. Every memory I had of our time together was saturated in my love and adoration for my soul mate. A soul that was just as pure and whole as my own.

When I got through the last of the memories I wanted to show him, my shields slammed shut and I slumped into Edward, exhausted. Not physically, mind you, but mentally. My brain was pooped. Edward's strong arms supported me as he crushed my body to his. The emotions rolling off him were so intense that I began to feel overwhelmed. The entire exchange had only lasted about thirty seconds, and afterward the rest of the occupants of the kitchen respectfully gave Edward a few moments to calm back down.

Finally Kate could no longer contain her questions. "What about if we kill a vampire? It would be the equivalent of a human killing another human. Does that damage your soul?"

Edward perked up at this. Jasper has killed many vampires, and the rest of his family sans Alice killed Laurent and James. Dumbledore adopted a pensive expression while he mulled over Kate's question.

"Let me ask you a question, Kate. If Harry killed Voldemort while they were dueling a few months ago, would you say that Harry's soul was damaged?"

She answered immediately. "Of course not! The monster was threatening Harry's life. He had every right to defend himself."

"Exactly. If you are being threatened, you have the right to defend yourself and your family. Miss Black's friends informed me about the two vampires that threatened her life. The Cullens killed the two males in order to protect Bella, so I don't believe this type of killing would damage a soul. Now, if you were to kill another vampire unjustly, I do believe that it would have an impact on your soul."

Edward and Kate looked down, upset. I know they are thinking of Jasper and Eleazar. "Edward, Jasper has true remorse for his past. When you continually damage your soul unchecked, it takes away that ability. You become less of what makes you, well you. Is that correct, Professor?"

"I do believe so, Miss Black. Jasper is a unique case. He is an empath which causes him to feel things much more strongly than most. Also, a vampire's nature is different from that of a human. It is more primal. I believe it showed an immense strength of character and conviction for Jasper to break away from the lifestyle of a vampire soldier to live a peaceful life without harming humans. That coupled with the remorse for his actions leads me to believe that Jasper's soul is indeed whole and undamaged."

I smiled gratefully at the Professor. I rarely agree with him on anything, and I will continue to challenge him when I believe he's in the wrong, but I decided right then to try and be more patient and respectful of the old goat…er, wise Professor. Hey, Rome wasn't built in a day, people!

Edward looked confused. "How did you know that Jasper was a part of a vampire army? I know the Skirts couldn't have told you that. Bella didn't know until after she was changed."

Dumbledore's eyes twinlked madly. I watched him warily before turning back to Edward. "Dumbledore is a master Legilimens. He can read the surface thoughts of unprotected minds just as easily as you can. Were you thinking of Jasper's time in the South just now?"

Edward's eyebrows rose comically. "He can read my mind?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes I can, Edward. You and your lovely mate are not the only beings in this house who can read a person's thoughts as if they were stating them aloud. I can also see that you are both concerned with Eleazar as well."

Kate and Edward nodded warily. I decided to put an end to this discussion. All my vampires have beautiful souls, and I don't want any of them to be doubted. "Eleazar was a member of the Volturi guard. To say that he should be condemned would be like saying a police officer or auror who has to kill on the job is guilty of murder. When he felt that the three brothers shifted their focus from maintaining the discretion of their species to a more Machiavellian power-driven type of institution, he left. Eleazar is a fair minded and kind man. I don't think you need to be worrying about his soul, either. We should really put this issue to rest. I am an excellent judge of character, after all. I wouldn't have allowed any vampire with a tainted soul into my family." I smiled cheekily causing the humans to chuckle and the vampires to visibly relax.

Dumbledore smiled kindly at Edward and Kate. "I have to agree with Miss Black. Now, about the Horcrux. I will begin researching ways to destroy it."

"Bella can destroy it," Daddy informed. "She can control Fiendfyre like it's her bloody familiar. I've never seen anything like it."

Dumbledore looked to me sharply. "Is this true, Miss Black. Fiendfyre is considered Dark Magic."

I was immediately irked by his tone and body language. He looked at me like I might sprout devil horns and start making out with Voldemort at any moment. Honestly. His assistance in placating my emo boyfriend was instantly forgotten in my annoyance, and I responded testily. "I'd like to see you have a raving murderous vampire out for your blood and see if you don't study the spell religiously. How did you think I got rid of her in the graveyard?"

"You controlled Fiendfyre while your body was burning with venom?" He asked me incredulously. "I never inquired about the vampire, because I figured that Voldemort dispatched her when he realized she was attacking Isabella Black. We all know that he had an obsession with you before he was vanquished."

"Yeah, yeah, don't remind me. And yes, I used Fiendfyre on her while I was burning. I also used it on my crazy old Granny this morning. She's toast."

His eyebrows lifted in shock. "You got her portrait down? How?"

Daddy barked out a laugh. "You can thank Edward for that. Mother went too far in her rant against Bella and Edward tackled her portrait. Took out the whole wall! I wish I would have thought to do that. The old hag would have been gone ages ago," he grumbled.

Dumbledore chuckled at that. "Well done, my boy. We have tried every magical means to remove that portrait. No one even thought of removing it in a more muggle manner." His eyes twinkled in that insane way they always do when he's especially amused. "Now Bella, why don't you show me your mastery of the Fiendfyre spell and rid the world of one more piece of Voldemort?"

"It would be my honor, Professor. By the way, I was thinking that he would have created either 3 or 7 Horcruxes. Three is a powerful magical number, and it wouldn't leave his remaining soul so unstable. Seven is the most powerful magical number, but it seems entirely too insane to split your soul that many times, even for Voldemort. I mean, that would mean that he only had a 128th of his soul left! That's barely anything!"

Dumbledore went into deep concentration at my musings. He was silent for many moments before he voiced his response. "That is very sound logic, Miss Black. Only I don't think it's too insane to think that Tom would split his soul 7 times. He'd want the most powerful magical number; he wouldn't settle for anything less. We can't be certain, of course, but I think we are looking at 7 Horcruxes."

Everyone looked sick at that revelation, and I could feel the disgust of everyone in the room. I tried to shake myself of those feelings as we all started to make our way to the back garden. When we made our way outside, I requested for everyone to stand back by the house while I put the locket in the fire pit.

"Kreacher!"

"Yes, Mistress?"

"We are going to be destroying the locket. Please stand back with the others."

The little elf was elated at the news and quickly joined the others by the house. Turning back to the locket I took a deep breath while reinforcing my Occlumency walls. Raising my hands, I concentrated on conjuring up my fiery friend.

The locket reacted as soon as the fiery dragon erupted from my hands. It started showing me images of all my worst nightmares. Edward leaving, Edward dying, Daddy receiving the Dementor's Kiss…Honestly, Voldie, is that the best you can do? You're just a glorified boggart! For Merlin's sake, I learned to deal with this type of attack in third year! I considered shouting "Riddikulus!" at the stupid soul piece, but decided instead to just get on with it.

My dragon was looking at me, awaiting its instructions. I winked at it, "Go get it, big boy!" The dragon's face erupted into a frightening smile and turned to attack the locket. It was over in a matter of seconds, and upon its destruction the soul emitted a piercingly loud scream of terror before it dissolved into nothing. I wasn't expecting it, and nearly lost control of my fiery friend in my surprise. Luckily vampires have quick recovery time. The dragon turned to me, practically begging me to let it destroy something else. "Sorry boy, that's all I've got for you today. There are a few more of those abominations, though, so I'll probably be calling on you again."

I received a fiery frown at that before banishing the beast into non-existence. I turned around to the astonished faces of my audience and chuckled. "Honestly, you guys saw me do that this morning."

Daddy was the first to break out of his dumbfounded trance. "It's still impressive, Princess."

I giggled and curtsied daintily. "Thank you, kind sir!"

That broke the others out of their stupor and they all laughed shakily. "It certainly was a sight, I have to agree. I've never seen someone able to control the spell as wholly as you just did, Miss Black." Sweet, I impressed Dumbledore!

"I practiced on regular fire quite a bit. Every time Charlie would kick Edward out of the house, in fact."

Edward grinned and pulled me into his embrace. "You never cease to amaze me, Bella."

I grinned brightly at him as we headed back into the kitchen. Dumbledore went straight for the fireplace, glancing at his watch. "I've got some business I need to take care of. Sirius, here are the notices Harry was sent yesterday. Grimmauld can't receive owls whose owners aren't keyed to the wards, so I'll be intercepting them for you. I'll get with you later this evening on security for his trip to the Ministry. We'll discuss the search for the remaining Horcruxes at a later date. I have much to think about in regards to them. Good day, everyone."

"Good day, Professor," everyone chorused.

As soon as he left the house Kreacher approached. "Thank you for destroying the locket and completing Master Regulus' last order, Mistress. Kreacher promises to be a good elf."

I smiled at the little guy. He wasn't so bad once he dropped the attitude. "Thank you, Kreacher."

After he left to do whatever it is he does, I turned to the rest of the group with a devious grin. Nicole immediately perked up when she saw my expression, bouncing in her seat. "What are you thinking, Bella?"

"Oh, I'm just thinking that I need our special camera, a pensieve and Rita Skeeter."

Nicole smiled scarily in response. "You're so brilliant, Bells. I'll get the camera, you grab the pensieve!"

We both raced off on our tasks leaving three bemused people behind. I made it back within seconds, while Nicole took a bit longer retrieving the camera. I took the time to explain the plan to the others who don't speak Skirt.

"In our sixth year we figured out a way to alter a wizard's camera in order to take pictures of a memory in a pensieve. Harry can pull his memory of the encounter and we'll take some pictures of the Dementors attacking. Then we'll take the pictures along with the note that Dumbledore left about the hearing to Rita Skeeter so that she can inform Britain that their Minister for Magic is planning to try Harry Potter for casting a Patronus that saved both his soul and that of his cousin." I leaned back and grinned smugly at the impressed faces around me. Only Harry seemed a bit hesitant.

"First of all, I have no idea what a penseive is. Second, I don't really want my picture in the paper any more than it already is."

Nicole walked in as Harry expressed his concerns. She glanced at me before trying to pull him over to our way of thinking. "A pensieve is basically just a way to review a memory. You pull it from your mind and place it in the basin. Then you can watch it over. It helps not only to preserve memories for sentimentality, but also to go over important events in search for details you may have previously overlooked. As for your second issue, I understand that you don't particularly enjoy your fame, Harry, but you're going to be in the paper regardless. You're a celebrity. Nothing is going to change that. So, if you're going to be in the paper anyway, you might as well use it to your advantage when you can. This is one of those times. Not only will you clear your name, but I imagine that the wizarding public will demand to know who set the Dementors on you in the first place. They are denying that Voldemort is back, so if they can't blame it on him, they'll be facing the blame themselves. The Dementors wouldn't have come without an order from someone, after all."

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Nic. We could give the story to the Quibbler if you don't want it to go to Skeeter, Harry."

I glanced over to my Dad to see him staring at me with undisguised pride. "Honestly, Daddy. I'm second generation Marauder. Don't look so shocked. The one you should be concerned about is Harry. Where is his sense of mischievousness?"

Everyone laughed and I grinned at Harry in challenge. It didn't take long before he agreed. "Well, when you put it that way, I might as well use the bloody muckrakers to my benefit. I think we should go with Skeeter. More people will read it that way. I've never pulled a memory before, though."

"Oh, it's super easy," I explained. "All you have to do is think about the memory you want to pull while your wand is at your temple. When you have the memory clear in your mind, just imagine pushing it into the tip of your wand. When you feel a little tug at your temple, just pull the wand away and the memory will follow."

Harry nodded and proceeded to follow my instructions. He grinned as he watched the memory strand float on the tip of his wand. After basking in his achievement for a few moments he dipped the memory into the pensieve basin.

I looked at him inquiringly. "Do you mind if everyone comes in? I'm sure they'd like to see it as well. Nic is best at taking pensieve pictures, so if you're not comfortable with everyone seeing the entire memory she can just go in by herself."

He just shrugged his shoulders impassively. "I really don't care if you all see. I just don't like being painted as some boy wonder in the papers. I know you all won't look at me any differently when you see the memory."

I chuckled at his response. "Don't you worry, Harry. I can tell the difference between you and Robin."

Edward chuckled but everyone else just looked confused. "Batman and Robin? Robin is also known as the Boy Wonder? No? Nothing? Nevermind."

Edward smiled at me indulgently while patting my head. "It's okay, sweetheart. I got it."

I swatted his hand away and glared playfully. "Oh hush, you. All you have to do is dip a finger in the basin and your consciousness will be sucked into the memory."

Everyone followed my instruction and we were pulled into Harry's memory of the attack. We watched it once just to see how it happened through Harry's point of view and then went back in to take the best possible shots. Nicole went off to quickly develop the photos while the rest of us chatted excitedly about the article, all of us wishing we could be a fly on the wall of the Minister's office when he read it.

Nicole returned to the kitchen about fifteen minutes later with a satisfied glean in her eye. "They turned out fantastic! You can practically feel your nerves freeze over when you look at the pictures!"

We put our heads together for the next half hour deciding on the details and quotes we wanted to share with the public. We decided to keep any mention of Dudley out of the story for safety reasons. We didn't want to make the Dursley's a target if we could avoid it. Since muggles can't see Dementors, we decided to say the boy was a random muggle who was near Harry at the time of the attack. By the time Harry used magic to chase away the Dementors the boy was too out of it to notice the Patronus. It was clear this was true from the pictures.

We also discussed having Harry pull a pensieve of the graveyard incident so we could prove that Voldemort had returned. In the end we decided against it. First, the thought of concentrating on the incident in as much detail as required to pull the memory set Harry trembling violently. We didn't want to have to put him through that. Second, anyone who posted the pictures would more than likely end up six feet under before the weekend. We didn't want to be responsible for that. Third, Dumbledore could have easily pulled a memory to show Fudge his interrogation of Crouch, Jr., which would have detailed the events off the night and validated Harry's story. He didn't. We decided to follow his lead on this matter.

In the end we decided that it was too dangerous for Harry to venture out of the Fidelius, so he would have to stay back. Nicole and I got dibs on going since it was my idea and Nicole took the pictures. Edward also got to come by default. Apparently he couldn't bear to be away from me. I rolled my eyes at him, but was secretly pleased. I didn't particularly enjoy being away from him, either.

I cast glamour over all of us so that we would be unrecognizable. I also placed a charm over our voices that would change our American accents to British ones. It wouldn't take much deductive reasoning to figure out the identities of the Americans bringing information on Harry Potter. I had become pretty well known and didn't want to become the subject of a story myself, and people might recognize Nicole from the TWT.

I side-along apparated Edward to Diagon Alley and the three of us made our way to the Daily Profit offices. Once there we requested an audience with Rita Skeeter regarding secret information on Harry Potter. We were seen immediately.

When we entered her office I pulled out my wand to cast some privacy charms. My wand was practically useless at this point. Since my transformation it only restricted my use of magic, as my wandless magic was much more powerful. However, I didn't want to draw attention to my abilities, so I used the wand for appearances sake.

Turning my attention to Skeeter, I sat in the proffered chair. She raised an eyebrow at me inquiringly. "What can I do for you all today?"

I nodded to Nicole and she began the explanation. "Yesterday evening Harry Potter was attacked by a pair of Dementors." Rita gasped in surprise. "He was walking down the street in an alleyway also occupied by a muggle when the Dementors descended. As you can see from these photos the Dementors tried to administer the Kiss to both boys. Would you say from these photos that Harry had any other choice but to defend himself with the Patronus charm, Miss Skeeter?"

She looked over the photographs with a feral glint in her eye. "No, Miss. I don't see any other alternative. Had Mr. Potter not been capable of forming a Patronus both boys would have lost their souls."

I nodded and continued the explanation. "The Ministry is going to be trying Harry tomorrow for the use of underage sorcery. They were going to snap his wand, but Albus Dumbledore managed to stay their hand until after the trial." I extended a copy of the first missive Harry would have received from the Ministry had he returned to Privet Drive.

"Dear Mr. Potter, We have received intelligence that you performed the Patronus Charm at twenty-three minutes past six this evening in a Muggle-inhabited area and in the presence of a Muggle. The severity of this breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery has resulted in your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ministry representatives will be calling on your place of residence shortly to destroy your wand. As you have already received an official warning for a previous offence under section 13 of the International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy, we regret to inform you that your presence is required at a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic at 8:30 A.M. on July 12th. Hoping you are well, Yours sincerely, Malfalda Hopkirk"

"They were going to snap his wand over this? That's preposterous!" Wow, I'd never seen Skeeter look so indignant before. She's usually the one to spark this reaction in others.

"I know, Miss Skeeter. One has to wonder about the motive for such drastic repercussions. One also has to wonder about what brought the Dementors to the alleyway that Mr. Potter was occupying. The Ministry and your paper have been doing a thorough job of painting Mr. Potter as some attention seeking liar. Now, I would probably believe you if you told me that Voldemort sent the Dementors after Mr. Potter. However, if he is dead, and by no mean returned, that means someone within the Ministry sent them on their mission. I for one would like to know who that person is, and see them brought to justice. I think the best way to accomplish this task would be to publish the truth in the paper, making sure the public knows what their Ministry is up to. You know, transparency and all that."

Skeeter's face lit up in with a malicious grin. "I think I can help you there, Miss. Just leave these photos and documents with me. I'll make sure the people know what happened."

Nicole and I eyed her skeptically. We had some conditions before we entrusted her with this task. Nicole took over the conversation. "Excellent, Miss Skeeter. We do, however, have some conditions, and require you to sign a legal agreement of said conditions."

Her eyebrows rose comically. "Oh?"

Nicole continued. "Indeed. I know you like to infuse a lot of fiction into your stories, and there isn't going to be a lot of time to investigate this issue. The desire to make up details is going to be increased. Mr. Potter has enough of a problem with people thinking he's making up stories. We need you to stick to the known facts. If you make speculations, you must clearly indicate that they belong to you and not Mr. Potter. We have provided quotes directly from Mr. Potter explaining the events of the attack, as well as the circumstancing surrounding his original charge of unerage sorcery. You are to print them as is. No embellishing. If you can agree to these terms then we will leave this documentation with you. If you can't, we'll go to the Quibbler. It's your decision."

Her face soured momentarily, but she masked her displeasure quickly. "Very well, Miss. I agree to your terms."

"Excellent." I stated. "I have another proposition for you."

She eagerly nodded for me to continue. Edward and Nic looked at me nervously. They were unsure about this part, but I refuse to hide away for the rest of my life out of fear for the snake faced git. "I am going to reveal my identity to you; however, you will not publish the source for the information we've provided. My name will be in no way mentioned in your article. If you out me, I'll out you."

She looked at me curiously at that. "What do you mean you'll out me, Miss?"

I smirked at her. "Oh don't play coy with me Miss Skeeter. You and I both know that you are an unregistered animagus." Her eyes widened in shock, causing the three of us to snicker.

"How? How do you know that?" She stammered.

"Its' a funny story, actually. Tell me, is it safe to reveal myself to you? Do you promise to keep my identity a secret?"

The blonde nodded her head dumbly, and I replaced my glamour with glamour that merely reverted my vampiric qualities back into my human visage. Rita just smirked at me. "Well hello, Miss Black."

I smirked back at her. "Miss Skeeter. Now, as to how we figured out your secret. We were discussing some of your rather defamatory articles a few months ago, fuming about how you could have possibly overheard certain private conversations." She smirked smugly at this. "Harley made an offhand remark about how we should check for bugs." Skeeter cocked her head curiously, unfamiliar with the muggle phrasing. "A bug is a recording device that muggles plant in order to spy on private conversations." I explained. "Anyway, the statement caused Hermione to make a connection. She'd seen a beetle a few times throughout the tournament when it wasn't the season for them. She's a very bright witch, and put the pieces together easily."

Skeeter looked begrudgingly impressed by Hermione's deductive reasoning skills. "Now, I believe the penalty for neglecting to register your animagus status is 2 years in Azkaban, worse if you use your ability as a means to spy." Skeeter gulped audibly at my highly hypocritical pronouncement, and I could feel Nic and Edward's amusement radiating in waves. "So, as long as you keep any discussion we have private, I won't feel compelled to out your little secret." It was my turn to smile smugly.

She nodded her head curtly. "Very well, Miss Black. Now, you said you had another proposition for me?"

"Indeed. My father and I will be accompanying Harry to his trial tomorrow. The owls usually arrive around 8:00 AM with the morning paper. We'll be heading to the Ministry around 7:30 AM to ensure that we have plenty of time to intercept any issues that may arise upon our arrival. I propose that you meet us here tomorrow morning at 7:15 so that we can pick up our paper early and then you can accompany us to the trial in your animagus form. You can hide yourself under my hair. My associates and I have figured out how to take a picture within a pensieve memory, so after the trial you can inform me of any visual backup you require. You can see from the photos provided of the Dementor incident that the quality is uncompromised."

I never thought I'd see the day where Rita Skeeter sat speechlessly gawking. I honestly wish it was a sight that I'd never had to see. The expression looked wrong on her features. She finally pulled herself together and began to nod fiercely. "I agree to your proposition. I would also like you to show me this method of taking photographs within a pensieve." Her tone brokered no argument. Like it was already decided, just because she said so.

I snorted. "Not a chance, Skeeter. If, in the future, you have memories from which you'd like to pull photos you can contact one of the Salem witches present at the TWT. We are all capable of the task. Insofar as you've obtained the memory without spying as a beetle, or the story is necessary for the benefit of the Light, we will process the photos for you. For a price."

Nicole and Edward snickered at the Rita's sour face. No way in hell was I going to be the person that enabled Rita Skeeter to take pictures within a memory. It was very difficult to create the camera. I figure that if others hadn't figured it out by now, we weren't in any danger of losing our monopoly on the ability any time soon. We couldn't have possibly been the first to see the benefits.

With our business concluded I replaced my original glamour and Nicole, Edward and I took our leave. We immediately apparated back to Number Twelve and were greeted by three anxious faces. "How'd it go?" Daddy asked. He was very against me revealing my identity to Skeeter and joining them at the trial. We had decided to try and make Voldemort believe that I was still human. He saw that I was bitten, sure, but there are ways to remove the venom from a person's blood stream. I happened to be too far gone by the time they were able to tend to me, but Voldemort could very well believe they'd been able to reverse the process.

"It was fine, Daddy. We'll meet Rita tomorrow at 7:15."

He nodded grimly and pulled me into a hug. "I wish you'd reconsider joining us tomorrow, Princess. Harry and I would be fine without parading you around. Voldemort might still be set on collecting you."

"Honestly, Daddy. I'm going to be fine. Harry is my brother. I am going to be there for him when he needs me. He'd do the same for me."

Harry nodded in agreement. "I would Bella, but it's not necessary that you come. I appreciate that you're willing to, but I don't want you to be in danger because of me."

"I'm not in danger because of you, Harry. I really don't see how I'm in danger at all. I'm rather durable, you know. If I was in danger, it would be because of Voldemort, not you." I am so sick of Harry blaming himself for everything. None of it is his fault, but he never sees that.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean, Bella."

I rolled my eyes back at him. "That you are a hopeless emo kid who insists on brooding about how other people's actions, over which you have zero control, are inexplicably your fault?"

He narrowed his eyes, annoyed, causing me to burst out laughing. The others joined in and after a few moments Harry begrudgingly joined in. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, chuckles."

Our banter turned more lighthearted as we put the worries of the trial away until tomorrow. Kreacher again proved his desire to be a good elf by preparing a delicious dinner for Nicole, Harry and Sirius. He even set out three goblets of blood for the vampires, which was rather surprising. "Kreacher, where did you get this blood?"

"It is dragon's blood, Mistress. There are many crates of various types of blood stored in stasis in the first basement. Master Orion and Mistress Walburga used the blood for various rituals and potions. Kreacher thought Mistress and her vampires may enjoy a meal with the others."

I smiled beatifically at his thoughtfulness. "That was very sweet, Kreacher. Thank you!"

He bowed stoically, but I could feel his pleasure at the praise. "If it would please Mistress, Kreacher can serve Mistress and Mistress' vampires the various types of blood available for purchase and keep a stock on hand of the preferable species."

Kate and Edward beamed. While I know they will want to hunt from time to time for pleasure, knowing that we will be able to enjoy sustenance with our human companions is a very nice thought. It reminded me of my earlier idea of finding a way to enjoy human food again. "That sounds wonderful, Kreacher. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, and for being such a good elf."

The creature couldn't hold back his grin this time and bowed quickly before apparating away. "It's really amazing how you've turned his attitude around, Princess. I was considering adding his head to the wall before you came back."

I scowled at my father playfully. "Well, I'm glad that you didn't do that. Maybe if you'd treated him a bit better he wouldn't have been so hateful towards you."

"I don't think that's it. You helping him destroy the locket is what turned around his attitude. I'm glad for it, though. He's a pretty good cook." He smirked roguishly at me, and I just rolled my eyes in return.

Edward and Kate were eying their goblets apprehensively. I just shrugged and brought it to my lips. It smelled appetizing enough. They watched my face keenly as I took my first sip. My eyes fluttered a bit in pleasure. "That's the best thing I've ever tasted!"

Upon seeing my reaction Kate and Edward eagerly tried their own goblet. They both had similar reactions to their first taste. Edward sighed in pleasure. "Definitely better than mountain lion."

We all nodded our heads in agreement. "Rosalie is going to be so thrilled that she never has to go hunting again," Edward added.

After everyone finished Edward challenged Daddy to a game of wizard's chess. Daddy agreed and the two of them headed off to the drawing room, leaving the rest of us to chat in the kitchen. When they reached the drawing room, I heard Edward ask Daddy to place a silencing spell on the room. I wonder what that's all about. I decided not to listen in to Edward's conversation through my mind reading ability, leaving the men to bond.

Turning my attention back to the others, I brought up my idea about the taste potion. "Guys, I was thinking about whether or not it was possible to create a potion that would allow a vampire to regain their human taste buds. I know it wouldn't be permanent, nor should it lest we detest drinking the blood we actually need. It would be ideal for a single dose to last about two or three hours. I miss chocolate already and I haven't even been a vampire for a whole month." I may have pouted a bit at the end.

Harry knew he was out of his depth for this conversation. "I'm just going to go watch Edward destroy Sirius at chess."

We all chuckled. Daddy was a fairly competent Occlumens, so Edward won't be able to cheat by reading his mind, but a human could never stand a chance against a vampire's intellect. It's just not possible.

After Harry left Nicole, Kate and I started delving into the idea. Kate was intrigued but skeptical. "I don't know, Bella. It would be nice in that we could integrate easier into society if we could eat with humans, but there is no way that we'd ever be able to digest it."

I nodded my head in acknowledgement. "Yeah, I thought about that, too. We'd definitely have to regurgitate later." I ignored Nicole's sour face at that proclamation. "However, since we don't have any stomach acid to mix with the food while it sits in our stomachs, as long as we expelled the meal before the potion wore off, it would taste just as good coming out as it did going in."

Nicole audibly voiced her disgust at that statement. "That's so gross, Bella!"

"Whatever, Nicole. Imagine a life without spaghetti. You'd be willing to throw it back up, too."

She reluctantly agreed, but Kate had further concerns. "The potion would also have to affect our sense of smell. Human food smells completely unappealing."

Nicole responded this time, eager to help my plight to enjoy spaghetti once more. "There are other potions already invented which can alter your sense of taste. They're mostly used on children to get them to eat their vegetables. Because the two senses are connected so strongly, the potions also affect the way a food smells to the drinker."

"Exactly. I figured we could study the components and processes of the various taste altering potions already in existence and then try and figure out what alterations need to be made in order to create the effect we want on a vampire. I think that my venom will be a key ingredient in any potion we invent for vampires. As long as the potion isn't designed to be permanent, the venom won't make it so, but it will give our bodies the ability to accept the temporary effect we're hoping to achieve."

Nicole nodded her head thoughtfully. "While we're looking at altering potions, why don't we look at the Wolfsbane potion as well? See if we can't figure out how to cure the disease all together. We've gotten to know Remus pretty well, and I'd love to be able to free him from his disease."

"Excellent idea, Nic. I can't believe I never even considered that." I felt guilty that I hadn't even considered looking into a way to cure lycanthropy. I cared more about figuring out a way to eat chocolate than I did about Uncle Remy.

Nicole knew me well enough to predict my inner musings. She smirked playfully at me. "Don't be so down on yourself, Bella. You've gone through quite a lot in the last few weeks. Besides, I think Remus would consider the ability to consume chocolate an exceedingly important issue."

I smiled gratefully back at her. Remy does love his chocolate. "You're probably right."

Nicole nodded in agreement and we began discussing the properties of the potion with Kate. She asked a lot of good questions that got Nicole and I thinking about the problem from angles we might not have otherwise considered. We were still discussing the issue when the shopping group came trouping in.

The vampires looked transcendent. They'd obviously had a pleasurable shopping experience and were exceedingly happy about their purchases. Sammie and Harley looked harassed, with annoyed expressions on their faces.

Harley huffed and sat down next to Nicole, slumping into her side. "I'm NEVER going shopping with a vampire again! They're relentless! Every time we suggested that we had enough purchases for ONE DAY they'd just scoff and drag us off somewhere else. Honestly, they probably got everything they needed to renovate the entire bloody house. Do they think the stores are going to disappear or something?"

Sammie sat down next to me during Harley's rant and proceeded to hide herself behind me. She was nodding her head in agreement. "Please, Bella. Don't let them take me again! Especially the little pixie! Protect me from that fiend!"

Everyone else chuckled at their antics, but I was sympathetic. Especially where Alice is concerned. The girl doesn't do anything by halves. "I'm so sorry, guys. But better you than me." They both glared at me playfully. "Did they at least let you stop to eat?"

I was answered by the loud groan of Harley's stomach, voicing her complaints. She laughed and shook her head. "They offered, but we just wanted to be done. We didn't want to have to stop and then go back to shopping. We didn't realize they were going to keep us out this late, though."

When she finished speaking, Kreacher apparated into the room with sandwiches for Sammie and Harley and goblets of dragon's blood for the returning vampires. I beamed at him. "Thank you Kreacher!"

The vampires who'd yet to try the dragon's blood eyed the goblets just as skeptically as Edward and Kate had. Kate encouraged them to try it. "The taste is unlike anything I've ever tried. You'll love it, I promise!"

The others, buoyed by Kate's enthusiastic praise, raised their goblets and took a sip in unison. Their reactions were much the same as ours. There was a lot moaning and fluttering of the eyes as they enjoyed their first taste of the blood from a magical creature.

"Kreacher said there are many types of blood in stores here. He'll be providing the various types for sampling, and when we've tried them all he'll be keeping stock of the varieties we prefer." Kate informed.

The vampires hummed in appreciation, excited to have new dietary delights introduced after so many decades or centuries of existence. The rest of the evening was spent filling the shoppers in on all the events that had taken place while they were away. Edward, Daddy and Harry rejoined the group during the discussions and everyone was shocked to learn about the Horcruxes and the trial.

It was just before midnight when the humans trudged up the stairs for the night. We had an early morning, so I gave Harry a half dose of the dreamless sleep potion. Between tomorrow's article and the trial, I could feel his anxiety overwhelming him. He could hide it from the others, but not me and Jasper. The potion would allow him to fall asleep peacefully, and the dosage ensured he'd wake up alert in the morning. The last thing we needed was residual effects of a sleeping potion slowing him down tomorrow.

The vampires were eager to start on the basement/quidditch pitch. They were all excited to play their first game. I thought the other rooms would be more practical to start first, but they wouldn't hear of it. "Bells, there is going to be a lot of stress in this house with the return of Voldemort. Everyone will need a place to unwind. Plus, don't you think Harry would enjoy a nice pick-up game tomorrow after the trial?"

Emmett tried to bat his eyelashes innocently, but the look doesn't really suit him. He did have a point, though, so I relented. In the next six hours thirteen vampires turned an old musty dungeon into an open airy oasis. The landscaping still needed to be planned out, but everything else was perfect.

I left the vampires to admire their work and try out the pitch while I went to wake Harry and Daddy. We had quite a day ahead of us.

A/N:

First I need to thank my lovely reviewers!

mimic121, Sakura Ichigo Morihiko, jafr86, XxHelixRiderxX, vivx-chan, Madeline Cullen, deathgeonus, AflawInCourage, Angel JJK, lunarwing and DreamerHorse

You guys rock my socks! Thank you for your encouraging words and for understanding!

Alright, I will be keeping the coulpes canon in this fic. No one voted for mixing it up, so we'll stick with the originals.

Now, there will be one more chapter on the summer and then it's back to Hogwarts! Let me know what you think! Reviews make me do a happy dance! :)