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.

20. Chapter 20

A/N

I had to write Rita's article in this chapter. Now, journalist, I am not. Just throwing that out there. Another warning, I'm not a big fan of Molly Weasely. I think she is overbearing and bossy, and that she should mind her own business.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight. I used some quotes directly from the book and movie in this chapter, so I just wanted to remind everyone again that I own nothing. :)

Previously:

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.

Chapter Twenty:

After waking the boys I made my way to the kitchen to prepare their breakfast. I wanted to do something nice for them this morning. I decided to make them steak and eggs. Kreacher interrupted me as I was cooking.

"Kreacher will cook breakfast, Mistress. Mistress doesn't have to do it."

I smiled down at him. "It's okay, Kreacher. I never had a house elf growing up and did a lot of cooking. My adoptive parents are both disasters in the kitchen. I have actually grown to enjoy it, and I wanted to do something special for Harry today."

He still looked unsure, and I could feel his shame. I sighed and looked down at his dejected form. "Kreacher, I am not cooking because I don't think you would do a good job. I know you'd do a brilliant job at it. It's just that, sometimes, I like to show my appreciation for someone by putting in my own effort. Harry is going to have a stressful day, so I want to show him that I care by doing something nice for him. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, Mistress," he responded, although he did not seem to have accepted this at all.

I smiled down at him. "Besides, when you don't have to sleep you have to find things to keep you busy. I'm only making enough for Daddy and Harry. You'll be able to make breakfast for the others." He perked up on hearing that he'd be cooking for the other human inhabitants before bowing and apparating away.

After finishing with the cooking, I plated the food and set the table. The two hungry men entered the room as I was finishing up.

"This looks amazing, Bells. Thanks!" Harry complimented before stuffing his face. Daddy agreed and did the same. I smiled at their eagerness and sat down to join them.

"What safety precautions did Dumbledore speak to you about, Daddy?"

"Well, he wants us to travel by non-magical means. Expects us to take the tube, he does." Daddy snorted at this. "Yeah, that's not happening, but I'm letting him believe we are following his instructions. Makes him feel better, I think. He's also given Harry a password activated emergency portkey. Dumbledore has no idea we'll be visiting The Daily Profit offices before making our way to the Ministry, of course." He smirked at this. I think Daddy enjoys defying Dumbledore's directives. Sticking it to the man and all that.

Harry and I smiled at his mischievousness. I wonder how long it will take Dumbledore to realize that you don't give orders to a Marauder. First generation or second.

"So, we'll glamour ourselves before going to pick up Rita then walk over to The Leaky Cauldron. We can floo to the Ministry from there."

"Sounds good. I'm going to go get ready." I made my way up to shower and get myself prepared for my first public debut as Isabella Black.

After convincing Edward to let me go, Harry, Daddy and I glamoured our appearances and apparated to Diagon Alley. We immediately made our way over to The Daily Profit offices where Skeeter was waiting to greet us. The boys removed their glamour while I replaced mine with my human appearance. We decided to cover our faces with our cloaks' hoods for the short walk to The Leaky Cauldron. We didn't want people to realize we were walking around in glamour, because then every unknown face would be a suspected Harry Potter.

I took point with Rita. "Hello Miss Skeeter. We'll be flooing from The Leaky Cauldron in case anyone tries to retrace our entry point into the Ministry. We don't want anyone making the connection to you."

She seemed to agree with this. She handed us three copies of the paper before morphing into a beetle and settling in under my hair. I had placed a warming and cushioning charm over myself so that she wouldn't notice the inhuman changes in me. We flipped our hoods and began our walk over to The Leaky Cauldron.

The Alley was deserted, so we had no problems making our way to our destination. There were a few patrons eating breakfast in the Cauldron, but we were wholly ignored. Daddy went through the floo first, followed by Harry then me.

Upon entering the Ministry atrium we lowered our hoods. There weren't very many people present as of yet. We easily made our way to the security desk to retrieve our visitor's badges.

The security wizard didn't even look up upon our approach. "Name and purpose, please?"

Daddy filled his role as Lord Black, answering for our entire party. "Lord Black, Isabella Black and Harry Potter here for the trial of Harry Potter."

This caught the guard's attention and his head quickly darted up to see the three most talked about people in the wizarding world. "Of course, Lord Black. I will need to check in your wands."

We all handed the security wizard our wands and he proceeded to weigh them in. Handing them back to us he stated, "You will be in Courtroom 10. The trial begins at 8:00 AM."

All of our eyes widened in shock. "You must be mistaken. The missive that we received stated that the trial began at 8:30 AM. It is now 7:40 and we have received no notice on the change of time, or location for that matter. We were told Courtroom 2."

The security wizard began to look nervous. "I don't know what to tell you, Lord Black. About ten minutes ago I received a memo on the change of venue and time."

Daddy looked livid. I felt bad for the guard. He was telling the truth, and just doing his job. Daddy looked to me. I could see he was opening his shields, so I looked into his thoughts. Is he telling the truth, Princess?

I nodded my head infinitesimally, but he understood. He turned back to the guard, still angry, but not at the man in front of him. "Very well. We'll be on our way, then."

We boarded the first available lift, and luckily had it to ourselves. "I can't believe this! They purposefully changed the trial in hopes that Harry would miss it altogether! And they have him in Courtroom 10! That is for full criminal hearings, we're talking full Wizengamot! For a simple case of Underage Sorcery! Can you believe this rubbish?"

I was angry, sure, but I also saw an opportunity. "Daddy, the Prophet doesn't get delivered until 8. The trial starts at 8. That means Fudge won't have been able to read the paper before he starts this farce of a trial. He's going to look like a complete fool! I say we give him just enough rope to hang himself."

I grinned slyly and the others followed suit. Even Rita flew from my shoulder to do a little victory lap around the lift. "I take it you approve, Rita." She made another lap around our heads in agreement before burying herself under my hair once again.

Just as she got settled our lift came to an abrupt halt. We made our way down the hall and settled into a private alcove just passed the courtroom. I cast a notice-me-not charm around our group and we quickly pulled the papers out of our robes to read the article before the trial.

Who Will Save Your Soul?

By Rita Skeeter

Imagine yourself out for a leisurely stroll on a warm summer evening. There is a comforting breeze drifting through the air, and the sounds of summer can be heard all around. Crickets chirping and children laughing. Your spirits are lifted by the warm air, sounds and smells of the relaxing summer evening.

Now imagine that same comforting breeze changing. It's no longer simply offering a cool escape from the heat of summer. Now it's filling you with fear, freezing you from the inside out. You can no longer hear the children laughing or the crickets chirping, and all the light seems to have gone out of the world. All you can hear are your worst memories, plaguing your conscience. There's no joy, no warmth, all you're left with is cold, dark dread.

You pull your wand, trying to light your way. Trying to bring back the feeling of peace that was so cruelly ripped from your mind, but not even a Lumos offer an escape from the darkness. Suddenly you are gripped by a monster that most will never have the misfortune to face. It's a Dementor, and it's here for your soul. You dig deep, trying to connect with the happiness you were feeling moments before, but coming up empty. You must do something. You must save your soul.

Finally, through some base instinct to survive your mind connects with a happy memory. You put all your will into your magic and speak the only words that can save you in that moment. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

A brilliant white stag erupts from your wand and sends the demon away, but there's another in the vicinity. Some poor defenseless muggle had the misfortune of enjoying his own walk on this night. So you send your stag to the other Dementor, chasing him away before he can claim another soul.

Now, imagine you weren't the target of the Dementors, but your underage child. By some miracle your child was capable of producing a fully corporeal Patronus and was able to save both his and the stranger's soul.

Finally, I'd like you to imagine receiving a notice from your Ministry that your child would have his wand snapped for performing Underage Sorcery and violating the Secrecy act.

I imagine that you'd be outraged. Well, that is exactly what happened to Harry James Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, Wednesday evening.

After defeating the Dementors who attacked him in a muggle suburb, Harry Potter received the following notice from the Ministry:

"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 in Courtroom 2. Hoping you are well, Yours sincerely, Malfalda Hopkirk"

Harry Potter was expelled from Hogwarts and was to have his wand snapped without so much as a trial. Mr. Potter had the following comments on the situation, "I was really scared when I realized what was happening. I knew that I wasn't allowed to do magic outside of school, but I didn't know what else to do. I was alone, and the Dementor had already lowered his hood and was closing in on my face. It was either use magic or lose my soul. It wasn't a choice, really."

It is the opinion of this reporter that you'd have a hard time finding someone outside the Ministry who would disagree. Luckily, Headmaster Dumbledore, and Chief Warlock to the Wizengamot, was able to have all charges and punishments addressed at the hearing, staving off his expulsion and wand snapping until that time.

Mr. Potter also had this to say about his first accusation of Underage Sorcery, "It was right before my second year. Everyone knows what happened at Hogwarts that year [The opening of the Chamber of Secrets]. Well, there was a house elf that knew of the dangers heading to the school, so he tried to convince me not to return. He even went so far as to use the Hover Charm in my house to get me kicked out of school. I would have happily informed the Ministry about what occurred, but they never questioned me on it. They just gave me a warning."

It is of the opinion of this author that expulsion from the wizarding world is quite an extreme punishment for the simple issue of Underage Sorcery. Especially when the two charms in question are the Patronus and Hover Charms.

My readers are well aware of Mr. Potter's claims after the TriWizard Tournament. The Ministry has maintained that Potter is just seeking attention, a claim that this paper has supported. In light of recent events, one has to wonder. Why were Dementors sent after young Harry? Who sent them, if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is indeed dead? Why the harsh punishment? Are they trying to shut Mr. Potter out of the wizarding world in order to simply shut him up? This reporter would like the answers to these questions. All I know for sure is that if I ever found myself attacked by Dementors, I'd want Mr. Potter around to save my soul.

I let out a low whistle when I finished and waited for Harry and Daddy to finish as well. They both looked up simultaneously and smirked. "Good work, Skeeter." Daddy complimented.

Harry nodded in agreement. "I agree. Having the pictures to accompany the article really makes a powerful statement."

We all nodded in agreement, and I'm sure Rita would have preened in pleasure if she were in her human form. We had about five minutes before the trial was set to start, so I cancelled the notice-me-not and we made our way into Courtroom 10.

It was fairly obvious when we walked through the door that Fudge was displeased by our presence. He greeted my father frostily. "Lord Black."

"Minister Fudge," Daddy responded equally cold.

I looked around the room and didn't see anyone with newspapers. Excellent.

"Mr. Potter will be sitting there." He pointed to a chair in the middle of the room that had chains for strapping in the accused.

"That can't possibly be necessary. If you are so worried that Harry will respond with magic, I'll take his wand during the proceeding." Daddy was pissed. I was too, but had to bite my tongue. British wizarding society dictates that I have to defer to my Head of House, which is Lord Black. He is the one who speaks for our family in these types of situations.

"Hem Hem. Lord Black, it is standard procedure for the accused to sit in that chair." This came from a toad-like woman in pink. Lots and lots of pink.

"Is that so?" He asked.

"Yes, it is." She responded in a sickly sweet voice.

"Tell me, is it also standard procedure for a fourteen year old boy to be charged before the full Wizengamot in the simple matter of Underage Sorcery?" Daddy responded in a sickly sweet voice that mimicked the toad's quite efficiently.

The Toad scowled and was about to respond, but I cut her off. I addressed my father, and not the officials, so as not to break protocols. "Father, I'm just grateful that we live in a country that provides due process. I've heard that in some places, they lock people up without a proper trial. Can you imagine the injustice? Perhaps they are just trying to make sure that Harry's case is well and truly heard. You know. For the sake of justice."

I fixed my features into a sickeningly innocent expression, blinking at Daddy earnestly. It was very difficult to keep my features schooled as the amusement pouring out of Harry and Daddy was nearly overwhelming. Daddy managed to keep his expression neutral with just a slight twitch at the corners of his mouth. Harry didn't have the same skills. He started coughing violently in an attempt to cover his laughter. I very poor attempt, might I add.

The disturbing reality that my father received no trial for the charge of murder, yet Harry is sitting before the entirety of the Wizengamot for such a simple charge was lost on no one, and the tension of the room increased dramatically. Having seen the members of the Wizengamot well and truly dressed down, Harry happily sat in the horrible chair. Luckily the chains didn't move to tie him down.

When he saw that Harry would not be strapped to the chair, Daddy begrudgingly gave up his argument and took a seat. I followed suit, leaning in to whisper in his ear, "This will just make him look even worse, Daddy. Can you imagine the public response to having a fourteen year old boy sit in a chair developed for the likes of our dear cousin Bellatrix?"

Daddy smiled and winked at me. "Too right you are, Princess. And might I say that was an excellent performance?" He snickered at that and leaned in to kiss my cheek.

We turned our attention back to the room as Fudge read the charges and began firing questions at Harry.

"Do you deny producing the Patronus?"

"No, but – "

"And you were aware that you were forbidden to use magic outside of school while under the age of seventeen?"

"Yes, of course, but – "

"Witches and wizards of the Wizengamot – "

"I was only doing it because of the Dementors!"

"Dementors, in Little Whinging?" This was from Amelia Bones, Director of the DMLE.

"That's very clever. Muggles can't see Dementors, can they, boy? Highly convenient."

"I'm not lying! There were two of them, and if I hadn't – "

The Minister held up his hand to silence Harry. "Now, I'm sorry to interrupt what I'm sure would have been a very well-rehearsed story, but since you can produce no witnesses of the event – "

Daddy interrupted the Minister this time. "Actually, Minister, we do have a witness. Isabella was going to retrieve Harry when the attack happened. She saw the Dementors."

The attention of the Wizengamot was now on me. Madame Bones asked the first question. "Please describe the attack. What did they look like?"

"Well, one was very large, and the other rather skinny." I internally snickered at the annoyed look on Fudge's face.

"Not the boys, the Dementors." He clarified testily.

"Ah. Well, they looked like Dementors, Minsiter. I think we all know what they look like. Creepy, flying around in their black cloaks while sucking the happiness and warmth out of everything around them. I arrived just in time to see Harry's Patronus chasing them away."

"Dementors don't just wonder into a muggle suburb and happen across a wizard, the odds are astonomical." Fudge commented.

"I don't believe anyone would believe that the Dementors were there by coincidence, Minister."

"Hem Hem. I'm sure I must have misunderstood you, Lord Black. Dementors are, after all, under the control of the Ministry of Magic. So silly of me, but it sounded for a moment as though you were insinuating that the Ministry had ordered the attack on this boy." Again from the Toad Lady. I smirked triumphantly. She just dug the Ministry into a hole with that statement.

"That would be disturbing, indeed, Madame Undersecretary. Which is why I'm sure the Ministry will be mounting a full scale enquiry into why the Dementors were so far from Azkaban, and why they mounted an attack without authorization. Of course, there is someone who might be behind the attack."

Fudge's face started shaking with rage. "He is not back!"

Daddy sighed resignedly. "In the matter of Harry Potter, the law clearly states that magic may be used before muggles in life threatening situations."

"Hem Hem. I remain unconvinced that there were Dementors in Little Whinging. Is there any further proof you can provide?"

Daddy didn't seem to appreciate the comment, and I can feel the rage rolling off him. "Are you calling my daughter a liar, Madame Undersecretary?" His voice was deathly calm, causing Harry to shiver a bit. The Toad seemed unaffected.

"I mean no offence, Lord Black, but it is well known that Miss Black is very protective of Mr. Potter." She gave him a simpering smile.

"It's okay, Father. I actually do have further evidence to provide with my testimony, Madame Undersecretary." I pulled my useless wand and the morning paper from my robes and levitated it. Then I enlarged it so that everyone could see the photographic evidence.

"As you can see by the photos that were printed in the morning's Daily Prophet, Harry is speaking the truth, as he always does. Shame you moved the trial up, Minister. Perhaps if it had remained at its original time you would have had a chance to read the paper and we could have avoided this whole ordeal." I schooled my features into a look of mock regret.

The looks of shock and outrage on the faces of Fudge and The Toad were priceless. I'd actually pay Skeeter to make sure those make it into tomorrow's paper.

As the Minister was shocked into speechlessness, Madame Bones took over the proceedings. "All in favor of dismissing the charges, raise your hand." Almost the every member raised their hands, sans Malfoy, Toad, Fudge and a few others.

"All against?" Even though there were a few who didn't vote to dismiss, no one voted against it.

Madame Bones looked to Harry. "You're free to go Mr. Potter."

"So I'm not expelled, either?" He asked hopefully.

"No, Mr. Potter. The charges have been thrown out completely."

Harry smiled and gave me a hug before doing the same with Daddy. We exited to the courtroom and made our way back up to the lobby, passed the security check point. As discussed, I informed the others that I needed the ladies room before heading home.

I walked through the door and made sure it was empty before magically sealing the room. Rita flew off my shoulder and changed back into her human form. She was wearing a frighteningly pleased expression. She pulled two vials from her robes and began filling them with memories. "I want you to bring me photographs of these memories."

I nodded my head in acknowledgement. After removing my charms on the room we each left the loo and went our separate ways.

We couldn't floo directly to Number Twelve, as only certain fireplaces are authorized to access the house. The Weasleys allowed us to use The Burrow as a thoroughfare. We were immediately surrounded by red-heads as soon as we stepped through.

Everyone was eager to hear about what happened, so we invited them back to Grimmauld for lunch. We didn't want to have to tell the entire tale twice, and The Burrow wasn't exactly big enough for 15 more people. They agreed and followed us back to Number Twelve.

"I'm going apparate to Hermione's and see if she wants to join us." Everyone nodded and I quickly landed in Hermione's back yard. She opened the back door upon my knock and seemed very surprised to see me. She paused for a minute to take in my human looking features before launching herself at me, hugging me as fiercely as she could.

"What are you doing here, Bella? What's going on with Harry? I read about what happened in the paper this morning! Oh it's so awful! Can you believe those horrible Dementors went after him again? And you, you look…well, like you! What's happening?" She managed to expel all of these words in one breath with her voice rising higher and higher.

I laughed at her exuberance. "Wow, that is a lot of questions. We just got finished with the trial and the Weasleys are joining us at Number Twelve to go over everything that happened. I wanted to see if you'd like to join us."

She beamed at me. "Thanks for thinking of me, Bella! I'd love to come. My parents just got home for their lunch break, so let me go tell them." She turned to run back inside.

"Hey, Hermione, hold up. I actually wanted to talk to you about your parents." She looked at me confusedly. "Last night the vampires and I were discussing the safety of my adoptive parents and the wolf pack. I'm worried that with me being a potential target to Voldemort, he'll go after them. The Cullens said we could put their Forks house under the Fidelius. We're going to be making password activated portkeys for Charlie, Renee, Phil, the pack and their families that will take them directly to the Cullen house if they are targeted. Lord knows the wolves won't use them if the Death Eaters are attacking others, and I can't stop them, but if they get captured, they'll be able to escape. Anyway, I wanted to make one for each of your parents as well. You being besties with Harry Potter could make them a target. I figured we could turn their wedding rings into the portkeys. What do you think?"

The relief and joy that crossed her features gave me my answer, and I was soon engulfed in another hug by the bushy haired witch. "Let's go speak to them about it and then we'll head over to Number Twelve."

Hermione nodded in agreement and led me into her house. She introduced me to her parents and explained about the portkeys. They agreed to the precaution and we said our goodbyes before I apparated Hermione back home where we saw that Remus had also stopped by.

When we arived, Kreacher was zooming around the kitchen, ecstatic to have so many people to feed. By the looks of things he was preparing a veritable feast. Hermione and the Weasleys were very surprised by his change of attitude.

We filled everyone in on the goings on of the last few days, excluding the Horcrux ordeal. Everyone was shocked about the Dementor attack, and upset that the Ministry tried to prosecute Harry for protecting himself and his cousin. Fred and George were suitably impressed with how we handled the whole situation. They were looking forward to seeing the pictures of Fudge and The Toad when the memories were developed.

The vampires were eager to show off the basement after lunch. While they took everyone down to start up a quick game, The Skirts and I went upstairs to photograph and develop the pictures from Rita's memories.

The first memory she provided was of a menacing Fudge questioning Harry. He looked so small in that horrible chair surrounded by the entire Wizengamont. The picture didn't have sound, of course, but you could see that every time Harry tried to speak he was cut off by Fudge. It really painted the Minister in a bad light.

The second memory was of me revealing the morning paper. We made sure to get good shots of Fudge's and The Toad's reactions. They both went from shock to outrage. Taking a second look at The Toad's reaction especially peaked my curiosity. She ended up looking a bit like someone ran over her puppy. I wonder what that's about. I wish she wasn't a practicing Occlumens. I probably could've broken through her shields, but she'd be able to feel it. It's quite illegal to perform Legilimency without proper approvals.

I sent the photos with Caelen along with a note informing her that she'd have to send any memories or messages through Dumbledore, as unauthorized owls aren't able to access my location.

With that business taken care of, the girls and I joined the others in the basement. We were greeted by a lot of laughter and cheers. The vampires and some human spectators were in the stands, which really amounted to high platforms with comfortable sofas on top.

They were watching Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, Harry, Daddy, Remus and Arthur. Because there were only 8 of them, they were playing without Beaters and only two Chasers. When Nik and Harley arrived they decided to pit the five singles versus the Weasley brood.

Sammie and I made our way up the stands to sit with the spectators. Kate didn't take her eyes off Daddy for one second. She wasn't even blinking. Her entire body was poised and ready for action, as if prepared to jump to the ground and catch my Dad the moment he inevitably fell off his broom.

I snorted loudly drawing everyone's attention. Well, everyone but Kate. Edward smiled as I joined him on his lap. "What's so amusing?"

I smiled and looked over at Kate. "He's not going to fall, Kate. You don't have to be prepared every moment to rescue him from his death. The man's a natural flyer. In fact, he'll probably be offended if he sees that you're so worried for him. Besides, even if he did fall, the cushioning charm on the ground would be a much softer landing than your arms." I snickered into Edward's chest and everyone else chuckled as well.

Kate even broke her stare and looked over at me sheepishly. "I know you're right Bella, it's just so hard to watch him flying around like that. I can't help but worry."

I just chuckled some more. Vampires always think humans are completely helpless. They're not as fragile as they look, though. Growing up in the magical world has shown me that. After seeing some of the injuries that occur on a daily basis I know that the human body can endure a lot. At least a magical one.

"So did you guys try out the pitch, yet?"

They all nodded. Emmett filled me in on the details. "Honestly, Bells, the game doesn't really suit vampires the way humans play. Searching for the snitch is a waste. It only takes us a few seconds to find it. Also, we do more damage to the Bludgers than they do to us. Where we can really have some fun is with the Chaser and Keeper positions. We decided that vampires will play four to a team, leaving out the Seeker and Beater positions. We will just have a time limit to end the game as opposed to it ending when the Snitch is caught. It's wicked fun to watch the humans play, though. We have got to go see a professional game soon!"

I nodded happily and looked over to the pool area. We still had to ask Neville's Gran if he could be allowed to spend time here this summer with the excuse of helping Harley to landscape the area. Harley didn't really need the assistance, but I wanted to give Neville a chance to be around kids his age over the holiday. I got the impression that he didn't really have too many solid friends. It is a shame since he was one of the only people who were willing to stand by Harry after the Goblet produced his name. He's quite brave and loyal; he just needs a bit of self-confidence. I figured spending some time here this summer might give him a bit of a boost in that regard.

Harley had already bought some trees to make a small forest in the corner, as well as installing a decent sized pasture. Buckbeak was trotting around the pasture merrily, happy to be out of the cramped room upstairs. Aden and Galen were flying around above him, stretching their wings. I could also see Callie and Nani running around through the trees. They were all very happy, and I was glad they had a place they could roam around freely.

I snuggled into Edward and turned my attention back to the game, sighing contentedly.

Everyone stayed for dinner, enjoying another delicious meal provided by the ever happier Kreacher. Afterward Hermione went home, as her family was taking a vacation to France. They were going to be gone two weeks, and then she'd spend the rest of the summer at Grimmauld. I'd told her that we were going to be doing some research on the Wolfsbane and creating a Taste Potion for vampires, and she was anxious to join our efforts.

Daddy also offered to board the Weasley family. He was nervous that they'd be a prime target for Voldemort as their support to The Light, and Harry in particular, was widely known. Also, Peter had lived with their family for 12 years and would be able to provide a great deal of intel on the family. No one wanted to take any chances, and since the Fidelius was over Grimmauld, it really was the safest place.

It also made for a loud and boisterous house, which thrilled the vampires. They'd lived their lives in the shadows for so many years, but now they were able to come into the light. The renovations were also coming along at a frightening pace. Once the basement was complete, the other rooms were a breeze. Between magic and vampire speed, we were getting done at least two rooms per night, and the whole house would be complete by Harry's birthday. All the vampires were determined to turn this old house into a warm, inviting home. It was their way of thanking the humans, Daddy especially, for being so accepting of them.

The day after the trial was interesting. Skeeter's article created a bit of an uproar at the Ministry. It was absolutely brilliant. The article was basically just a script of the event, from the moment we arrived, finding out about the change of venue/time, to the moment they cleared Harry of all charges. She literally printed everything said publicly, word for word. That includes the exchange between The Toad, who I found out was called Delores Umbridge, Daddy and me. She included her own snarky comments as well, but all in all I had to say the woman earned my forgiveness for all the crap she pulled during the tournament. I still didn't feel comfortable telling her how to take pictures inside a memory, though.

Arthur said Fudge was receiving an outpouring of Howlers. Apparently, even though people still believed Harry was lying about Voldemort, the public wasn't quite ready to throw him to the Dementors. The Ministry was overwhelmed with demands to investigate the incident. In the end, the Ministry claimed to be giving it their best effort, but it was all bollocks. Arthur said Amelia Bones was being given the run around by the Minsiter's office, and that the Dementors themselves wouldn't speak about it. Without receiving an ounce of cooperation from anyone in any other deparmtment, the DMLE's case was over before it started.

Also on the day after the trial, Carlilse, Edward and I took the floo over to the Forks house. I placed the Fidelius over the house, with Edward as the secret keeper. Carlisle had to give consent as the owner of the house for the charm to work. Once his part was complete he took the floo back to Grimmauld. Edward and I took the floo over to Renee's house in Florida to set up their portkeys and tell them the secret of the location. I turned their wedding rings into the portkeys and set the password as "Portus." It would have to be said by the person who was wearing the portkey in order to activate, and would only take that person. None of the people I was providing a portkey would have reason to say the spell in every day conversation. I thought it would be hilarious for a Death Eater to think they've captured a muggle only for the person to mutter the portkey spell and then disappear.

Edward and I stayed with Renee and Phil for a few hours catching up on everything that had happened. It was a lot. We then made our way back to Forks to visit Charlie and the wolves. We stayed with them much longer, catching up and enjoying each other's company. They were very upset at the attacks against Harry, by both the Dementors and The Ministry. While they didn't know him all that well, they were still fond of him. He's rather difficult not to like…Well, if you aren't an evil git intent on taking over the world.

We left Forks with a promise to meet at the Cullen house once a week to spend time together. We realized while we were talking that there wasn't really a reason for us to cut ourselves off from them when we had access to magical travel. Harry could even come since both houses, and by extension both fireplaces, were under the Fidelius. The Ministry wouldn't be able to track it.

When we finally made it back home it was almost the next morning in London. Transcontinental travel…it will get you every time. We had given out all the portkeys, except to the Grangers who would receive theirs when they returned from France.

After a few days, everyone got settled into the house. We spent a fair portion of our days researching, as well as having Occlumency lessons. Occlumency is the art of organizing your mind in such a way that a Legilimens is unable to access your thoughts and memories. As such, it doesn't require magic. I wanted to teach Edward, because I thought it would be a way for him to block out the voices, using his gift in the same way I do. The vampires were also eager to learn the art. They were sick of being open books to Edward. Even though he would be getting a grasp on controlling his ability, they wanted the option to block him in the event that he was feeling nosey.

The only humans in the house without at least a basic knowledge of the skill were the Hogwarts students. They all wanted to learn as well. Edward was part of it, but they also know that both Dumbledore and Snape are skilled Legilimens. It's hard to get away with mischief when your teachers can read your mind. Not to mention that Voldemort's skills are legendary.

Harry was a special case. He was getting visions of Voldemort through some disturbing connection they shared. Sometimes he would have really strange dreams where it was like he was spying on the snake-faced bastard. This was alarming to the extreme, so The Skirts and I took extra care with teaching him the art.

Of course the vampires picked it up very quickly. They had it mastered within days, causing everyone else to scowl at them, including me. It came easier to me than to my girls, but it was still a lot of hard work. However, it was helpful having 12 more instructors, especially Edward, who could help from the viewpoint of a Legilimens.

The vampires were also blowing through the books in the Black Library, focusing heavily on Potions, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. They were also studying the forms of magic that required, well magic. Ron and Harry thought this was silly at first. They didn't understand that all spells and wards are created using a combination of Runes and Arithmancy. With a vampire's ability to retain information and apply principles to a problem, The Light would have an edge in the war. Number 12 was basically a theorist's wet dream. We'd be able to throw things at the Death Eaters that they'd never seen before.

We were also inducted into the Order of the Phoenix. All of the vampires joined, as well at The Skirts and Harry. This was a much contested decision. Molly Weasley was furious. The confrontation that resulted was pretty epic. Merlin, that woman is one pushy interfering witch.

It all started when The Skirts and vampires attended our first meeting. I'd spoken to Daddy ahead of time, and we agreed that Harry had every right to know what was going on in this fight. Whether we liked it or not, he was a part of it. Voldemort, with his unrelenting focus on Harry's demise, was making sure that he had no choice but to see this through. Daddy was Harry's guardian, so he was the one who got to choose whether Harry was allowed to participate. Molly has 5 children of her own that she can block from the meetings; she needs to worry about them. She has no more right to say that Harry can't participate than Daddy has to say that one of her brood can.

When we all sat down for the meeting Molly had glanced over in greeting and saw Harry sitting between me and Daddy. Her children and Hermione were also loitering about the kitchen. "Harry, dear, you need to run along with Ron and the others. Perhaps you can start up a game of Quidditch or take a nice swim?"

"Actually, Molly, Harry will be sitting in on the meetings. He needs to know what is going on in this war." Daddy informed.

Molly immediately rose from her seat and started ranting. "He is just a boy! He does not need to be here for this!"

"It's your decision whether your children can be involved in the meetings," said Daddy calmly, "Harry, on the other hand –"

"It's not down to you to decide what's good for Harry!' said Molly sharply. The expression on her normally kind face looked dangerous. "You haven't forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?"

"Which bit?" Daddy asked politely, but with the air of a man readying himself for a fight.

"He's not a member of the Order of the Phoenix!" said Molly. "He's only fourteen and –"

"Almost fifteen, and he's already faced Voldemort four times, Molly. How many times have you faced him?" I asked.

She blanched at Voldemort's name. Heart of a lion, this one. "No one's denying what he's done!" she said, voice rising, her fists trembling on the arms of her chair. "But he's still -"

"He's not a child!" said Daddy impatiently.

"He's not an adult either!" said Molly, the color rising in her cheeks. "He's not James, Sirius!"

"I'm perfectly clear who he is, thanks, Molly," said Daddy coldly.

I gasped, surprised that she would go there, and spoke at the same time as Daddy. "How dare you?"

She ignored my indignation and responded to Daddy. "I'm not sure you are!" said Molly. "Sometimes, the way you talk about him, it's as though you think you've got your best friend back!"

"What's wrong with that?" said Harry.

"What's wrong, Harry, is that you are not your father, however much you might look like him!" said Molly, her eyes still boring into Daddy. "You are still at school and adults responsible for you should not forget it!"

"Meaning I'm an irresponsible godfather?" demanded Daddy, his voice rising.

"Meaning you have been known to act rashly, Sirius, which is why Dumbledore keeps reminding you -"

"We'll leave my instructions from Dumbledore out of this, if you please! He has no authority over me!" said Daddy loudly.

"Arthur!" said Molly, rounding on her husband. "Arthur, back me up!"

Arthur did not speak at once. He took off his glasses and cleaned them slowly on his robes, not looking at his wife. Only when he had replaced them carefully on his nose did he reply.

"Dumbledore knows the position has changed, Molly. He accepts that Harry will have to be filled in, to a certain extent, because he is staying at Headquarters."

"Which is my father's home, in case you've forgotten." I huffed. This woman was about to send me overboard. Jasper was desperately trying to send waves of calm into the group, but with my emotions all over the place, he was having a difficult time of it.

Molly again ignored my input. "Yes, but there's a difference between that and inviting him to sit in on a meeting!"

"Personally," said Remy quietly, looking away from Daddy at last...as Molly turned quickly to him, hopeful that finally she was about to get an ally, "I think it better that Harry gets the facts -not all the facts, Molly, but the general picture - from us, rather than a garbled version from… others."

"Well," said Molly, breathing deeply and looking around the table for support that did not come, "well… I can see I'm going to be overruled. I'll just say this: Dumbledore must have had his reasons for not wanting Harry to know too much, and speaking as someone who has Harry's best interests at heart -"

"He's not your son," said Daddy quietly.

"He's as good as," said Molly fiercely. "Who else has he got?"

"He's got me!"

"Yes," said Molly, her lip curling, "the thing is, it's been rather difficult for you to look after him while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?"

Daddy started to rise from his chair, but I was already on her, nose to nose.

"How dare you? He was locked up in Azkaban thinking that his daughter had been murdered. You thought that for a few hours, didn't you, Molly? How did that feel? I know you also know how it feels to have your brother murdered. That also happened to my father, for James Potter was just as much a brother to him as Fabian and Gideon were to you. At least you didn't have the knowledge that the only reason your brothers were murdered was because your best friend betrayed them. You didn't have that hurt to add on to your pile, but maybe you can try to imagine it. What you can never imagine is experiencing all of those things back to back, and then being thrown to the Dementors without a single soul willing to listen to your side of the story. Being locked away in your own personal hell knowing that your godson is out there, alone, and you can't be there for him. No, no one else in the world can possibly imagine how horrific that would be.

"So how dare you come into my father's home, take advantage of his hospitality and protection, and then maliciously use his unjust imprisonment, his torture, against him? Have you forgotten that while he was rotting away in a jail cell you were harboring the real murderer responsible for bringing Voldemort to the Potter's door? So don't you dare speak to my father like that ever again. Do you understand me?"

She just stared at me, wide eyed. I could feel three very distinct emotions pouring out of the woman in front of me. The most basic was fear. She had an enraged vampire in her grill, and that is always disconcerting. I was too far gone to even internally snicker at the absurdity of that thought. Most humans facing an enraged vampire would've needed fresh undies. The second emotion was shame. She felt ashamed for using such a cruel, heartless argument against my father. The third emotion battled strongly with the second. She was feeling self-righteous. The witch still thought she was right.

I was still in her face, seething at her inability to back down and admit she was wrong to use that argument, when I felt strong arms wrap around my waist. Edward was pulling me into his embrace and away from the woman in front of me. Jasper then placed himself between us and took my face into his hands, pushing every bit of calm he could muster into my body. Because I share his ability, he had to work for it. I was simply out of my mind with rage. I mean, seriously, how dare she say that to my father?

Eventually Jasper and Edward were able to calm me down enough to think rationally. I was still extremely angry, but was no longer looming over her so threateningly. The idea of physically harming her had never crossed my mind, but I was a few seconds away from hexing the shit out of her.

Edward pulled me back over to my seat, pulling me down into his lap. I was immediately flanked by Daddy and Harry, who each gave me a hug. I could feel Daddy's pride and love pouring out of him, and that brought me down from extremely angry to indignantly pissed. When the others saw that I'd been subdued to an acceptable level of ire, the tension in the room lessened somewhat. However, it was clear by Molly's posture that we still hadn't finished our argument on the matter of Harry attending meetings.

"Molly, you're not the only person at this table who cares about Harry," said Remy sharply. "And that comment was completely out of line."

Molly's lower lip was trembling.

"I think Harry ought to be allowed a say in this," Remy continued, "he's old enough to decide for himself."

"I want to know what's been going on," Harry said at once.

He did not look at Molly. I could tell that he had been touched by what she said about his being as good as a son, but he was also impatient with her mollycoddling. He was also very upset that she threw Daddy's stay in Azkaban in his face.

"And you have a right to, Harry. Keeping you in the dark is not only patronizing, it's dangerous. As much as we may want to keep you out of this, Voldemort won't allow it. He's after you. He's proven it time and again. I don't like it any more than you do, Molly, but it's the way it is."

"Very well," said Molly, her voice cracking. "Ginny - Ron - Hermione - Fred - George - I want you out of this kitchen, now."

There was instant uproar.

"We're of age!" Fred and George bellowed together.

"If Harry's allowed, why can't I?" shouted Ron.

"Mum, I want to hear!" wailed Ginny.

"NO!" shouted Molly, standing up, her eyes overbright. "I absolutely forbid -"

"Molly, you can't stop Fred and George," said Arthur wearily. "They are of age."

"They're still at school."

"But they're legally adults now," said Arthur, in the same tired voice.

Molly was now scarlet in the face.

"I - oh, all right then, Fred and George can stay, but Ron -"

"Harry'll tell me and Hermione everything you say anyway!" said Ron hotly. "Won't - won't you?" he added uncertainly, meeting Harry's eyes.

"Course I will," Harry said.

Ron and Hermione beamed.

"Fine!" shouted Molly. "Fine! Ginny - BED!"

Ginny did not go quietly. We could hear her raging and storming at her mother all the way up the stairs.

Dumbledore wasn't happy about the extra participants, either. When he arrived he'd also tried to get Harry and the other's to leave, citing that it was his organization. Daddy reminded him that it was his house. I told him that if he wouldn't allow Harry to sit in the meeting I'd just pull the memory afterward and allow him to view it in my pensieve. Dumbledore recognized a lost battle when he saw one, and relented.

The next day Molly had approached me and Daddy to apologize. She admitted that she was out of line, and that she had no right to use Daddy's imprisonment against him. She said that her emotions were just so overwrought trying to protect Harry and she wasn't really thinking about what she was saying. We told her that we understood, that we all wanted to protect Harry. Our argument was that sometimes the only way to protect someone is make sure they are able to protect themselves.

Having mended that relationship and laid the issue to rest, the rest of the summer was a lot less contentious.

We were able to develop the Taste Potion just before Harry's birthday. It was actually Hermione who had the break through. She and Carlisle were discussing the chemistry of the current Taste Potions and the properties that allow the human senses to temporarily shift. She then started asking a lot of questions about the physiology of a vampire body in comparison to a human one. He'd studied them both extensively, of course, and was able to answer all her questions.

He was answering her question about how blood is absorbed and used by a vampire's body when she suddenly she ran off while Carlisle was still in mid-sentence. She finally emerged two days later with a large bottle filled with a clear potion and a huge box of Honeyduke's finest. She asked me for a few drops of venom, adding them to the potion. After the potion turned a pale blue, Hermione beamed and declared the potion ready for consumption.

We'd just need a sip and it would change our perception of taste back to the way it was when we were human, which means I'd still loathe seafood. It's a travesty according to Charlie, but I really just can't stand it. It's like the comedian Jim Gaffigan says, "I'm not a strict vegetarian, I eat beef and pork. And chicken, but not fish cause that's disgusting! How do you know when fish goes bad, it smells like fish either way! 'Oh, this smells like a dumpster, let's eat it!' No one really likes fish, they just don't like to admit it. They're always like, 'I like fish just as long as it doesn't taste like fish.' I got news for ya, I don't think you like fish…Cause I'm almost positive fish is supposed to taste like fish." Heh, I love that guy.

While I was lost in Gaffigan's routine, Hermione excitedly conjured thirteen small paper cups, similar to dixie cups, and put a sip of potion in each one. We passed the potion and the chocolate around to each vampire. I was really the only vampire young enough to distinctly remember the taste of human food. The others said they'd forgotten almost immediately upon waking up. All they were focused on was their need for blood. I didn't have that problem, especially with the potion, and was ready to sink my sharp, lethal teeth into some of Honeyduke's finest.

Everyone seemed to look to me to go first, so I toasted Hermione and then downed the potion. It didn't really taste like anything. After about thirty seconds the smell of the chocolate no longer repulsed me, but made my mouth fill with venom. I brought it to my nose and took a huge whiff. Ah…heaven.

I eagerly brought the chocolate to my lips and bit into the little chunk of ecstasy. I moaned…loudly. Once it hits your lips, it's so good! Yes, the flavor was the same as when I was human, but also intensified. Just like my sight and hearing and every other sense was sharpened by the transformation, so was my sense of taste. It's esquisite.

I opened my eyes and realized my body had gone slack and I was leaning heavily against Edward. I quickly sat up, feeling embarrassed. Everyone around me was staring at me in shock. I cleared my throat unnecessarily, turning to Hermione. "Hermione…If I was into chicks…It'd be you and me, sweet cheeks."

"Hey!" chorused The Skirts indignantly. They were playfully scowling at Hermione as she blushed furiously. This brought everyone out of their stupor as the others broke out into chuckles.

The vampires were all looking at me excitedly…Especially Edward. My moaning and carrying on had quite an effect on him, and the feelings rolling off him were having an effect on me. Plus the chocolate. Is it hot in here?

Daddy was eying me fondly, unaware of the exchange Edward and I were having. "Is it really that great, Princess? I don't ever remember you responding so strongly to chocolate before."

"The best way I can think to describe it would be to imagine that you'd never had chocolate or any sweets your entire life. Then one day you are given a piece of chocolate and it's unlike anything you've ever tasted before. That's what I felt like eating chocolate as a vampire, with the enhanced senses…like I've never had it before, because I've truly never had it like this before."

This was enough to nudge the others along. They all raised their cups, "To Hermione!" before downing the potion. They waited about the same length of time as me before their perception of smell shifted. It almost looked choreographed the way 12 hands reached for the chocolate and lifted it to their mouths in tandem. Like synchronized eating.

The room was soon filled with 12 moaning, boneless vampires. I giggled at my family, with the humans soon joining in. "Is that what I looked like?"

Remus smiled at me, chuckling. "Yes, Bella. That is exactly how you reacted."

I chuckled and looked to my father who was eying Kate in the same way that Edward was eying me earlier. Okay, moving on…

Once everyone had finished their chocolate they were eager to try other things. They didn't have a clue as to what kinds of foods they'd enjoy, and were looking forward to trying everything. Yeah, we were going to need a lot more potion.

Upon hearing that the vampires were so eager to eat human food again, Hermione pulled out her notes on the Potion. She quickly studied it, scribbling some notes here and there with her eyebrows scrunched together in intense concentration. She seemed to come to whatever conclusion she desired, because her face broke out into a brilliant smile and she looked back up to our expectant faces. "I only made the potion last for three hours, thinking that would give you enough time to have a meal and then…well, you know. Upchuck? Anyway, I was looking at the potion more as a way to blend in rather than as a means of enjoyment. I can alter the potion so that it will last twelve hours. That way you can take it in the morning and at night and go about your days eating whenever you want. In fact, it'd be easier to blend in that way, as you don't have to worry about carrying the potion everywhere with you in case someone offers you a chocolate frog or something. Anyway, on the nights you need to hunt or consume your…erm…natural diet…you can skip the potion and you know, do what you do."

Her cheeks were flushed in a mixture of embarrassment at discussing our consumption of blood, like it was rude or something, and excitement over making a new discovery. It made me laugh out loud. "Hermione, you're so brilliant. You can say it, though. We're not going to be offended. We will have to skip the potion about once every two weeks in order to have a nice filling of blood, and then we can go back to binging and purging without interruption."

She smiled sheepishly and everyone else burst into laughter. I reached over and brought her into a hug. "Thank you, Hermione. Truly. Between the absence of blood lust and the ability to sit down with friends for a nice meal without a second thought, we'll truly be able to feel human again, normal. Only better. Cause we're faster and stronger." I pulled back giving her a cheeky smile. She chuckled along with the others, smiling brilliantly while the other vampires voiced their own praises.

Nic had a pensive look on her face. Her eyes searched for me and I could practically see her brain working. "Bella, do you think you could banish the food from your stomach? You know, send it to non-existence? That way you wouldn't have to puke everything back up."

I smiled widely at her idea. "I could do it to myself, for sure. I'm not sure if the magic would reach the food in a vampire's stomach. I mean, it's the same principle as applying glamour to a vampire. In that the glamour isn't actually affecting the vampire's features, only covering them up with new features. With banishing the food, I wouldn't be doing anything to the vampires themselves, just the contents of their stomachs. It could work. We can all eat dinner tonight and I'll give it a shot."

That night Kreacher fixed us a huge dinner. He knew how much I loved "Americanized" Italian, so we had a feast made in Olive Garden heaven. There was baked ziti, lasagna, spaghetti, many varieties of ravioli, chicken parmesan, salad and garlic bread galore. It was a feast of epic proportions and everyone stuffed themselves stupid. I could feel the food sitting in my stomach, and it was very uncomfortable. I quickly waved my hand over my stomach and felt the weight disappear. It worked. I did the same to the other vampires and could see that it had worked for them as well. They were all smiling widely realizing they were going to get to eat whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, without the unpleasant side-effect of regurgitation.

The day before Harry's birthday, we had a party for Neville. He had been spending a lot of time at Number 12 the past few weeks helping Harley set up the greenhouses and landscape the basement. He'd also been forming stronger friendships with The Trio and Ginny. Neville's party was spent at the pool. We built a muggle type barbecue (with magical solutions for the smoke, of course) and enjoyed grilled ribs and chicken. Daddy finally got to use the "I'm flippin' awesome" apron that Kate got for him. It had a picture of a spatula flipping burgers.

We set up a volley ball net in the pool and taught the purebloods about water volleyball. Everyone had a blast, especially Neville. He was actually pretty good. He received a lot of Herbology related gifts, including some rare plants that nearly caused him to faint when he realized they were really for him.

The next day was Harry's birthday. The same group assembled for his celebration, plus a few others. Hagrid, Dumbledore and Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, as well as Jacob, Sarah, Jared, Kim, Sam, Emily, and Paul. Quil and Embry stayed behind to watch over the reservation. The wolves and their imprints had met Harry at the Yule Ball and had spent some time with him on our Forks excursions.

We had a really awesome time at Harry's party. Harry had so much fun playing water volleyball at Neville's party that he wanted to introduce some other muggle sports. We played Dodgeball, Kickball, and Soccer (Harry hates that I call it Soccer. But hey, it'll always be soccer to me, no matter how passionately he argues that American Football is played with your hands and British Football [Soccer] is played with your feet).

Everyone enjoyed the games, but it became woefully obvious that the Brits were out of shape. I mean, no one expected them to hold up to much against the pack, even in their human forms, but The Skirts and imprints were also running circles around them.

I was standing next to Dumbledore watching the games and turned my attention to him. "Sir, I just realized that you don't offer any sort of physical fitness courses at Hogwarts. I was so into the Tournament last year that I didn't really notice. The Hogwarts kids aren't in very good shape. At Salem we have physical fitness requirements and extracurricular activities in which students who don't make the Quidditch teams can participate. It helps keep the body strong, which in turn makes a person's magic easier to control and manipulate. You should consider implementing something like that at Hogwarts."

That damnable twinkle in his eye flared up while I was speaking and he smiled happily. "You know, Miss Black, Professor Sanderson said the same thing. She also told me that you and your friends were very involved in various extracurriculars that Hogwarts lacks, namely physical fitness and liberal arts. I actually wanted to speak to you about this very topic. Would it be alright if I stole you away from the party for a little bit so we could speak in private?"

All the humans, young and old, were busy playing Dodgeball at the moment. The vampires were watching the game excitedly, shouting pointers and acting as a vampire's lookout. I figured no one would miss me for a few minutes and gestured for Dumbledore to follow me.

I led him upstairs to the main level and into the living room. As soon as we'd made ourselves comfortable, Dumbledore began speaking. "Well Miss Black, as you know Voldemort is after the prophecy being held in the Department of Mysteries." I nodded my head in affirmation. We had been over this in the Order meetings. I had suggested that we just take Harry to get it now, before Voldemort could start trouble over it. The rest of the Order had thought of this, of course, but figured that if Voldemort was concentrating on acquiring the prophecy he wouldn't be able to focus as much on his evil plans to take over the world.

They had literally used those words. It had made me snort, giving me the vision of Pinky and The Brain from The Animaniacs. Lucius Malfoy could be Pinky and Voldemort would be The Brain. I could picture the exchange. "What are we going to do tonight, My Lord?" "Same thing we do every night, Lucy, try to take over the world!" It's Lucy, It's Lucy and The Dark Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord! I could also picture him as Dr. Evil, with his pinky raised to his non-existent lips while he did his evil cackle. Then one of his idiot followers would do something idiotic (probably Wormtail) and he'd go off into an evil tangent… "That makes me angry. And when Lord Voldemort gets angry, Nagini gets upset. And when Nagini gets upset…PEOPLE DIE!" At that point I had broken down into a fit of giggles while the entire room looked at me as though I'd completely gone off my rocker.

At my affirmative nod, Dumbledore continued. "Well, we know he is focusing on retrieving the prophecy, but we don't know what lengths he will go to try and retrieve Harry. Also, there are many Death Eater children at Hogwarts, and they could potentially cause harm. Also, Fudge has gotten it into his head that I am out for his job. It's probably an idea Lucius put there in order to cause a rift between us. My being on the outs with the Ministry is a huge advantage to Voldemort." I nodded my head, acknowledging the truth of this statement. If you remove Dumbledore's influence over the Minister, the strongest voice in his ear will be Malfoy. He, of course, will be pushing Voldemort's agenda.

"Malfoy has managed to make Fudge so paranoid that he is placing one of his people at the school in the DADA position. Lucius used his influence of the Board of Governors to push this initiative through." My eyes widened, horrified. Anyone Lucius or Fudge trusted for the job was undoubtedly going to be a detriment to the students.

"You see the problem I'm facing, then, Miss Black. I am worried about the students. They are entrusted to my care, yet I can't perform that duty properly if I have to fight this multi-front war."

I cocked my head to the side, curiously. I had no idea what the headmaster was getting at. Dumbledore, seeing my confusion continued, "You see, Miss Black, we need people inside the castle that can be trusted fully. People who can overhear private conversations. People who can stop plots before they're even able to reach the beginning stages. People who are impervious to all but the most complex magic."

My eyes widened in surprise. He can't be serious. "Professor, you've got be joking. I remember reading about the uproar that Remy caused when he was outed as a werewolf. I can't imagine the Brits would be too keen on sending their children into a school with over a dozen vampires." Honestly, people would go nuts.

Dumbledore just chuckled and turned up that blasted eye twinkle. "Miss Black, are you a witch or not?"

I smiled sheepishly. I went before the entirety of the Wizengamot and not one of them knew they were in the presence of a vampire. "Yeah, Professor, I suppose I am."

I smiled happily before continuing. "I've heard about the success on the Taste Potion. You'll be able to eat meals normally and you can put the glamour on all the Cullens to return their appearances back to their human visage. Kate also told me that when you went to a night club you placed warming and cushioning charms on all the vampires. She said that she and her sisters danced with humans and not one of them noticed the differences in temperature or…firmness."

I chuckled at his description of our skin. I reached my arm up to kiss my bicep. "Solid as a rock."

He snickered at my antics before continuing. "Indeed, Miss Black. Anyway, with your ability to blend in, I'd like to offer you the job of Arithmancy professor. Professor Vector has decided to move to the US. She is an academic and wants nothing to do with the inevitable second war. As Arithmancy isn't a subject which requires magic, I thought your Edward could teach with you."

I beamed at this. "Edward loves Arithmancy, and I know he'd be thrilled to teach at Hogwarts. I'm concerned about the others, though. The Cullens are kind of a package deal. They sometimes separate for short periods of time, but I would hate to take Edward off to Hogwarts and leave the others behind."

Dumbledore nodded his head in acknowledgement. "I figured as much, Miss Black. I actually already spoke to Kate about this matter, because I would like for the Denali vampires to stay at Grimmauld and continue on with the protection of the prophecy and other Order business. She said that they would prefer to stay together in whatever task they are given, and that she'd prefer that they stay where Sirius is. So it works out for them. I'd only be asking The Cullens and your friends from Salem to join us at Hogwarts."

I brightened considerably at this. "You want all the Cullens and the Skirts, too! What on Earth would you have the others do?"

"Well first off, I'd like to present the Cullen family structure as thus…Carlisle and Esme are married. Carlisle is a muggle doctor and Esme is a witch. I'd like for you to age their glamour so they can appear old enough to have adult children, of which they have three. Emmett will be the oldest and Alice and Edward will be twins. Rosalie and Jasper Hale are also twins. Rosalie married Emmett, so she's Rosalie Cullen. Alice married Jasper, so she's Alice Hale. All of the children will pose as magical beings. Now, for your tasks…"

I was…skeptical. How on Earth are the Cullens supposed to appear magical? And why leave Carlisle as the only muggle?

"As stated before, I'd like for you and Edward to teach Arithmancy together. And don't look so skeptical, Miss Black. Have you ever seen your Arithmancy instructor use a wand? Problems have to be worked out, so the Professors always use chalk instead of their wands." I considered this for a moment. He was right, the Arithmancy and Ancient Runes professors always wrote on a chalkboard like in muggle classes. You couldn't just use your wand to conjure the instructions because you needed to do it step by step. It is easier to teach if you show the students the steps manually. I wonder if I can talk him into dry erase boards…

"I see you see my point. Moving on, I'd like for Carlisle to work with Madame Pomfrey in the hospital wing. He'll be able to help her brew and with his extensive study of the human body, he should be able to help her considerably, even without magic. The reason I am presenting him as a muggle is because if he is ever in the hospital wing without Madam Pomfrey and a student enters, he won't be able to magically diagnose. I don't want to run into a situation where magical ability is directly questioned. If he's presented as a muggle this won't be an issue." I considered this as well, and the logic was sound. If no one was in a position where they had to actually teach using magic, there shouldn't ever be a circumstance where magic was needed. No one ever directly cursed a teacher, and even if they tried the vampires would be able to dodge easily to avoid speculation as to why the curse had no effect.

"Now, I'd like Esme and Rosalie to teach Muggle Studies, so they would never have to actually use a wand either. Their excuse is that it is a Muggle Studies class, so everything should be done as the muggles do it. I would like to implement the Runes you used in your electronics room here at Grimmauld in the Muggle Studies classroom. You could get a generator to power any electronics you wanted to use as either teaching implements or subject material." I smiled widely at this. They could really open a lot of eyes to the ingenuity of muggles if the class was taught properly and they were able to show the students some of the more advanced muggle technology.

"Muggle Studies has typically been a class dominated by females, but I think with those two teaching, the male population will suddenly grow and interest in muggles." He added, his eyes twinkling mischievously. I laughed out loud. "You're probably right on that one, Professor."

He smiled conspiratorially before continuing. "Alice has been studying up on Divination. I would like to split up Professor Trelawney's courses. Students typically attend Divination twice per week. I'd like to break up the classes and have each group attend class once with Alice and the other time with Professor Trelawney. Alice will be able to pick out any true seers and help them to nurture their ability."

Professor Dumbledore was right about that. The ability was a natural one and couldn't be taught. There are certain aspects that can be studied and implemented, but as far as visions…you get them or you don't. Also, the skill tends to behave more like a muscle than an inherent ability. You have to work it, exercise it, in order for it to reach its full potential. Alice and I had been working together to exercise my ability and to train hers to see through magic. It was still very difficult to see possible futures when magic was involved, but we could generally get a flavor of a situation. We'd take anything we could get at this point.

I nodded my head in agreement, and we moved the discussion on. "Now, I'd like to bring Emmett and Jasper in as security. The students won't know that they can't perform magic, but their mere presence will be a deterrent for those looking to create trouble. Emmett's size alone makes him an imposing figure. Jasper carries himself like the soldier he is. Both should be able to keep the students in line without ever having to utter a single spell."

I could definitely see the truth in that statement. Both of them appear outwardly intimidating. There aren't any students stupid enough to challenge them, even Malfoy. I had some concerns, though. "Professor, if the Ministry is still denying Voldemort's return, what reason are you giving them to need security? How are they allowing you to bring in a bunch of people who are obviously firmly on your side?"

"Very good questions, Miss Black. There have been enough dangerous situations at Hogwarts in the last four years to warrant two security wizards. Honestly we should have had them all along. Prefects and the Head Boy/Girl shouldn't be our only source for security in the castle. It's high time we brought in some extra security measures. It's just good practice. Now, as for your other question. Honestly, Miss Black, it is none of the Ministry's concern who I bring in to teach in my school. It is up to the discretion of the Headmaster. Fudge has used all of the political power available to him in order to place one of his people at the school. He has nothing left to question my other placements." He added this last part with a slight scowl. This was obviously a sore subject.

"Well, all of this sounds good so far, sir, but what about The Skirts?"

His countenance brightened as he finished up the placements for me and my family. "Well, as you were saying earlier, Hogwarts is sorely lacking in the physical education department. We are in the process of building a recreational center on the grounds at the school. As you know from your time spent at Hogwarts during the TWT, there are truly only a few months out of the school year that provide adequate weather for outdoor activities. The rec center will offer a track where students can run or walk, as well as the same work out equipment you had at Salem." The equipment at Salem basically consisted of any work out equipment you'd see at a muggle gym. The only difference is that the treadmills and other electronic equipment ran off magic instead of electricity.

"There will also be a large room in the Center that can be transfigured into any type of environment one would need for any of the muggle sports. We are going to be adding P.E. as a requirement for all students. The classes will be attended twice weekly, but the Center will be open for students to use other times as well. We hope to build up interest in other sports that can provide healthy entertainment for the students. I'd like for Miss Pattinson and Miss Timberlake to head up the P.E. classes. I'd also like to offer an elective for liberal arts which I'd like to be headed up by Miss Lautner. "

Dumbledore sat back in his seat, having explained everyone's role in the school. "Wow, Professor. I certainly wasn't expecting this when you asked me to come up here for a little chat." We both chuckled. "I'm obviously going to have to discuss this with the others."

Dumbledore nodded his agreement. "Of course, Miss Black. Unfortunately there is only one month until school starts and I'll need to start looking elsewhere if you all do not wish to take the offer. You'll also need to start working on lesson plans if you do. I'll need an answer soon."

"I understand, Professor. I honestly think the others will jump at the chance. The Cullens are desperate to see the castle, and I know I'd feel a lot more comfortable if I could keep an eye on Harry. We'll discuss this tonight and I'll have an answer for you tomorrow."

He nodded his acceptance and we both returned to the party. The game was just finishing up when we made it back down to the basement. Kreacher was setting up for dinner, and the tired players were making their way over to the picnic tables.

Harry, who'd been denied the types of fun foods that most kids take for granted, requested pizza for dinner. Kreacher had gone all out. He'd make dozens of pizzas with every different topping combination you could possibly think of. Everyone was in heaven. Harry especially, as he'd never actually had pizza before. Ever. Can you believe that? Damn Dursleys. The wolves because, well, the pizzas were awesome and they are bottomless pits. The vampires had the funniest reactions, though, myself included. The flavor combinations exploded in our mouths in the most delicious way, and again, it was like eating pizza for the first time. For some of the older vampires, it probably was the first time they'd eaten a pizza. Overall the pizzas were a hit and had everyone bowing to the greatness that is Kreacher the house-elf.

After dinner the humans were ready to enter a food coma, and not for the first time was I happy that I could simply banish the food in my overly stuffed stomach. The wolves were saying their goodbyes when Kreacher approached with some more pizzas in take away boxes. "Mister Uley, sir, Kreacher heard Mistress say that two of Mister's pack had to stay behind. Kreacher thought Mister Uley might like to take some pizza back to the wolves that couldn't make it."

Everyone beamed at Kreacher's thoughtfulness. He really had made a complete turn around and had everyone in the house wrapped around his bony little fingers. The wolves thanked him profusely, causing him to blush and bow deeply before apparating away.

After the wolves left, the rest of the humans were ready to beg off for an early night. I asked to speak to The Skirts before they went off to bed. They agreed and I led them and the vampires back to the living room. I brought my pensieve into the room so I could simply show everyone my conversation with Dumbledore. We all crowded around the basin and stuck a finger into the memory, allowing it to pull us all in.

When I emerged from the memory I was greeted by the smiling faces of The Cullens and The Skirts. Edward pulled me into an embrace and spun me around, thrilled at the opportunity to teach at a magical school. The other vampires had similar reactions. The Skirts had loved staying in the castle and were looking forward to bringing physical education and liberal arts to Hogwarts.

The Denali vampires weren't jumping up and down like everyone else, but I could feel that they were excited for us. They had been living in complete isolation for the past few centuries, and didn't particularly want to be surrounded by a bunch of children. The Cullens, however, had spent the last few decades attending muggle school and were used to being around humans. Now that they could actually blend in and participate socially, they were actually looking forward to it. In the end, it was the perfect solution for everyone involved.

Everyone wanted me to send Dumbledore an acceptance immediately, as no discussions were needed. After seeing Caelen off, The Skirts retired to their rooms excitedly discussing the upcoming school year.

The Hogwarts students were ecstatic to hear that most of us would be joining them at school next term. They spent most of their time helping Nic and Sammie come up with their plans. Well, everyone except Hermione, who was more interested in what Edward and I were working on in Arithmancy. It was a bit of work to go over all the old lesson plans and see what had been covered and at what levels the students were performing. However, when you don't sleep, it becomes much easier to fit everything in.

Carlisle was busy studying up on the lycanthropy problem. He didn't have any lesson plans to work on, and he'd already read every book on magical healing he could get his hands on, so this was the perfect way for him to spend his extra time. He had taken samples of Remy's blood twice every day leading up to the full moon, when he was actually in the process of changing, when he was a wolf, during his transition back into a human, and finally when he was human again after the whole process. He was going to use muggle techniques to analyze any changes in his blood so we could try and isolate what happens in his body to cause the change. He'd asked Remy not to take the potion for the last full moon, so the reactions in his blood wouldn't be completely natural. On the next full moon he'd take the potion and pull the same samples. He'd then study what changes the Wolfsbane causes that allow Remy to keep his mind. Hopefully once the data was analyzed we'd have a better direction in which to study to find the permanent cure.

It wasn't all work during the nights at Grimmauld, however. All the couples made sure to take a few hours every night to enjoy the private company of their mate. About a week before we were set to go back to Hogwarts, Edward brought me to the Forks house to spend some time alone together. We started our night running around the forest enjoying the wind on our faces as we darted through the trees. We had carefree fun racing each other, although Edward always seemed to be able to catch me. He'd tackle me to the ground and we'd playfully wrestle each other before I'd escape and run off again.

Eventually we made it to his meadow, and what I saw shocked me into speechlessness. There was a beautiful gazebo in the middle of the clearing covered in vines of freesia and wisteria. There were also hundreds of fairies who'd wrapped themselves up in the vines, letting off a soft glow that was absolutely enchanting.

Edward slipped his hand into mine and led me over to the gazebo. There was a table under a chandelier of fairies. He'd set out my favorite, Hibachi style Japanese, and a bottle of red wine. I smiled sweetly at my wonderful, handsome boyfriend and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, Edward. This is beautiful."

He smiled shyly in return. "I'm glad you like it, baby."

We sat down to eat. Edward had never had this type of food before, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. We spent the next hour or so eating and talking about nothing of importance. Just simply being with each other, enjoying each other's company. During dessert he'd pulled my chair directly next to his and we fed each other chocolate cake in between sweet kisses. It was all terribly romantic and caused me to swoon over my own boyfriend.

When we finished eating I waved my hand to remove the food in our stomachs and leaned in to give Edward a proper thank you for such a wonderful evening. He didn't allow me to, however. He merely pecked my lips before pulling my chair around to face him and getting down on one knee. My breath caught in my throat. Edward was proposing.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He then slipped his hand into mine and brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss. "Bella. Before I met you, I was living in a world of darkness. A place where I never truly lived, but merely existed. Then you stepped into Forks High and changed everything. You brought this amazing warmth and light that I never imagined could exist in this world. You looked at me and saw Edward. You saw all of me and accepted it all. It…changed me. At first I thought that I would taint you, turn you dark like me. But that didn't happen. Your spirit brought light into my life and eliminated the shadows. Bella, there are no words to describe my feelings for you. I love you more than anything in this world. You are everything to me. My heart, my soul, my whole life. I am but a shell of a man without you. I would be the happiest man in the world if you would agree to spend eternity with me as my wife. Bella, will you marry me?" He asked, opening the box to reveal a diamond ring. The band was made up of infinity symbols, and there was a brilliant round diamond in the middle.

The sincerity in Edward's green eyes as he spoke those beautiful words stole my voice away. I couldn't speak; I could only stare at the beautiful man in front of me who'd asked me to be his wife. I could feel the intensity of his love for me and it caused venom to well up in my eyes. I could also sense a sliver of doubt and insecurity in him. Well, that won't do.

I was still having a hard time finding my voice, so I decided to deliver my answer in a manner that Edward would certainly appreciate. I put all my concentration into my shields and stripped them away to open my mind to him. When he'd set his shields he'd made sure they'd permanently be open to me. He wanted to make sure he'd always be able to hear me if I tried to speak to him mentally.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Of course I'll marry you, you silly man!

The smile that overtook his face was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. He quickly slid the ring onto my left ring finger before pulling me into a tight embrace. Then he finally allowed me to give him a proper thank you for the wonderfully romantic evening.

We stayed in the meadow until the sun started rising in the early Washington morning. Afterward, we ran back to the Cullen house and grabbed Edward's Volvo to visit Charlie before heading back to London. He congratulated us happily. I was so glad he was so accepting of all the craziness in my life. After cooking him breakfast Edward and I headed back to the Cullens to floo back to Grimmauld.

It was just before one in the afternoon in London when we arrived back home, and everyone was sitting down to lunch. It didn't take long for the vampires to notice the sparkly diamond adorning my left ring finger. They're worse than Nifflers, I swear.

Edward and I soon found ourselves surrounded by our family. We were passed from hug to hug, everyone giving their heartfelt congratulations. I may have even seen Daddy tear up a bit, but we'll overlook that.

Alice also wanted to immediately begin planning the wedding. Edward wanted to have the ceremony on New Year's Eve. "There will always be fireworks on our anniversary, sweetheart."

I was reluctant. December 31st is the day Tom Riddle came into the world. I hardly wanted my anniversary to be on that monster's birthday. I was torn, though. I didn't want the asshole to have any influence in my life, and New Year's Eve was a great day for us to get married. We'd still have a week left of the holiday before returning to Hogwarts, so we could have a honeymoon. Plus, as Edward said, we'd always have fireworks to celebrate our anniversary. In the end I relented. Edward really wanted to do it on that day, in fact, he was even more adamant about it after I told him why I was unsure. I think a part of him liked the idea of officially making me his on Voldie's birthday since he'd tried to claim me all those years ago. Men.

Alice spent the remaining week of summer on wedding planning duty. I totally trust her judgment and know that she'll make the day spectacular. She was being assisted by The Skirts, who were helping her figure out the magical aspects of the ceremony, as well as the new options available for decoration. The only thing I wanted were fairies to light up the reception. I wanted a little piece of Edward's proposal to be a part of our wedding. I also realized we were going to have the largest freaking wedding party in history. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more people in the wedding than there was viewing it.

That thought alone stressed me out, so I was happy to leave the planning in Alice's capable hands. That left me to have a week to happily spend my time snogging my super sexy fiancé.

A/N: OMM! Oh My Merlin! That chapter was a doozy. I started writing the thing and it sort of just evolved into this monster. It's my longest chapter yet! I do so hope you all enjoyed it.

Now, I need to thank all my lovely reviewers for taking the time to leave me a review. I love you guys! You totally motivate me! I have to give an extra special shout-out to PhantomLoveNeverDies for giving me my 200th review! Thanks so much! And DreamerHorse, of course you can call me Leah. It is my name, after all! :)

, Sweetie7Smiled, WriterOfTheGods, IDontKnowWhatToPut4ApenName, BellaPevensie96, AvengedSevenfoldLover, PhantomLoveNeverDies, vivx-chan, Sakura Ichigo Morihiko, XxHelixRiderxX, 1vampire-girl1, lunarwing, Angel JJK, jafr86, DreamerHorse, mimic121, poochieB and deathgeonous

Thanks guys, you are the best!

So, a lot happened in this chapter. It better have as it's 29 pages in Word. :) Firstly, I hope you liked the article, and the changes to the trial. Bella had to get her dig in about Sirius not getting a trial. Now, originally I had planned for Rita's article to cause such an uproar that the Ministry was forced to actually perform the investigation into the Dementor attack and discover that the Umbitch was the one who sent them. I originally planned for Bella to take the DADA position. However, I've had a lot of reviewers comment that they're excited to see what happens with Umbridge at Hogwarts, so I changed things up a bit. Keep in mind that no one knows that she's the one who sent them, as she's has basic Occlumency shields so Edward and Bella can't read her thoughts.

Now, as I stated before the chapter, I'm not a big fan of Molly Weasley. Almost the entire exchange that took place before the Order meeting was directly from the book. There had to be changes since the exchange took place from Bella's POV. Some Siriuses got changed to Daddies, Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys got changed to Molly and Arthur. Things like that. Plus, I obviously added Bella's parts. My point is, the exchange paints her in a bad light, but that is all canon. The movie doesn't show it as heatedly as the book describes it. So, if you are a fan of Molly…well, I'm not really sorry. In fact, what's wrong with you? Heh. Just kidding.

We also completed the Taste Potion in this chapter and got to see Bella have an interesting reaction to the chocolate. The Wolfsbane will take more time, as it is much more complicated. I think there'd be a lot of research needed in order to cure lycanthropy, so that's why it's more in depth. I had to put the bit about seafood in there. I love Jim Gaffigan; he's my favorite comic. We have this café in the lobby of the building where I work, and they were serving fish on Friday. That disgusting fish smell was permeating the entire lobby, as well as the elevators, all damn day. It inspired me to make Bella a seafood hater.

What else, what else? Ah yes, all the Cullens and Skirts are going to Hogwarts in the fall. I hope everyone is happy with this. It should be a fun time.

And finally…Edward proposed! I put a link to a picture of the engagement ring on my profile if you'd like to see how I imagine it to look.

Now, I will end this epically long author's note with a request for my readers. What should we do to Umbridge over the next year?

Thanks for reading! I'll love you forever if you review!