They landed in the middle of a street in what looked like it might have been a quiet town, if it weren't for the hundreds of people crowding the main road. A few looked up at them when they appeared, hopeful looking young children dressed in pajamas and clutching wands in their fists. Here and there among the sea of youngsters were older students still wearing robes with different crests on them, a few more adults were there- most appeared to be parents just re-united with their children. As the Cullens looked around in disbelief a couple short, elf-like creatures bearing trays filled with cups of steaming hot cocoa and tea scurried around them, offering the drinks to the confused and terrified looking students of the nearby school.

Their sudden disappearance and re-appearance in this crowded street had made Jasper realize the one thing Hermione had been hiding the whole time, but made so many things suddenly make sense. The dragon, the fact that she was in some kind of war that the newspapers in her country seemed blissfully unaware about, her Aunt being able to get her letters without knowing where she was, Alice being unable to see her or anyone around her, even when her scent disappeared the night they met.

"Hermione's a witch?" Edward was staring at him in disbelief.

"If I had known don't you think I would have told you by now?" he snapped back, looking anxiously at the castle where thick black smoke was curling lazily towards the sky.

"Hey!" a brave-looking older student wearing worn-looking robes bearing a black and yellow crest pointed a wand at them, spreading his other arm wide to shield a couple first-years from view, but they were sneaking peeks around him anyways. "What is your purpose here?"

"We've come to fight," Jasper shot back without thinking.

"For what side?"

"We fight for Hermione Granger," he replied, stare ice-cold and challenging.

The student studied him for a moment, then dropped the wand. "She's up at the castle. I was just up there. I found a couple fourth-years hiding out, trying to join the battle. She's okay, for now."

"Thank you," he said insincerely. "Let's go," he muttered to his family.

"Are you okay with this?" Carlisle asked quietly.

"I have to be," he growled and, unable to wait any longer he took off towards the castle. After a fraction of a second his family was close behind. Older students pulled awe-struck younger ones out of the path of the group of rushing vampires, though the young ones were never in any danger. Rosalie would take their heads off if they ever hurt a child. Jasper paused only for a moment at the wall, thinking that there might be some kind of spell to keep him out, but deciding it was worth the risk and launching himself up and over the high stone. Landing on the ground on the other side he took a moment to survey the land before him. A large group of people wearing dark robes were standing at the edge of a forest, what appeared to be a dead body at the feet of a bald man with slit-like pupils, and a number of people were pouring out of the castle onto the grounds to face them. Jasper's stomach dropped as he took a second look at the body. A lightning-shaped scar was visible on his forehead, what Hermione had once told him was Harry's distinguishing mark.

"There!" Alice cried, tugging his sleeve and pointing to someone who had just emerged from the castle with a group of redheads and a few other people her age. Hermione was marching confidently towards the group of dark-robed figures. Jasper was beside her in the blink of an eye, causing a couple of the redheads to back up in surprise, and reaching a shaking hand out to touch her, almost too afraid to think she might really be there.

"Hermione," he whispered as his hand closed around her wrist.

She spun, wand raising automatically, until her eyes locked with his, when it dropped to her side.

"What took your bloodsucking arse?" she smiled, quickly stashing the wand in her pocket to take his other hand.

"My apologies, ma'am," he couldn't help but smile back. "But if you'll remember it was you who asked me to stay away."

"Of all the vampires in the world I have to find the one who actually listens to what a little human girl tells him to do," she rolled her eyes, pulling him closer to her.

"How long have you known?" he asked in a murmur, pushing a stray lock of hair from her eyes.

"That you're a vampire? From the first second I saw you. I've read all about vampires, which is why I realized that your golden eyes mean you feed off animals, not humans, which is why I didn't run or try to destroy you as soon as you sat down."

"You knew the whole time, and you were still willing to write me?"

"I was, because you didn't know about my magic, and you still found me interesting. You didn't care about how smart I was, or how well I could do in this class or on that task. You just thought I was interesting enough to sit next to on some random night in Paris, and I thought you were interesting. Especially how you were pretending to be human. Besides, you're sexy as hell," she finished with a smirk.

"You think so?" he returned her smirk with one of his own before winding his hand into her hair and pulling her to him so their lips met with a pent-up passion. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling herself into the kiss and discouraging him from stopping. Forgetting everyone around them he lifted her off her feet, never wanting their moment to end.

"Oi!" they were interrupted by a loud shout, and they turned in unison to see an irritated-looking Ron staring at them, arms crossed. "If you two are quite finished, you may remember the battle going on, yeah?" Behind him Lavender and Pavarti were staring at her, dumb-struck.

"Ron?" Jasper asked, looking back to Hermione but not putting her down.

"How did you know?" she giggled. Reluctantly he lowered her to the ground, and she ran a hand through her hair in a vain attempt to straighten it. "Jasper, these are the Weasleys and some of my school mates. Had I more time, I'd make proper introductions."

"And I guess I should tell you this is my family," he said, gently turning her to face the rest of the Cullens.

"First I have to feel it, then I had to see it. If I could vomit..." Emmett started.

"Pleasure to meet you, Emmett. Sorry about not sending you smutty pictures," she smirked.

"Oi!" Ron was turning bright red.

"If I don't get to tear something apart in this battle, I think I'll just have to use my imagination to draw a picture to get out some of this pent-up emotion you boyfriend is causing," Emmett replied with a beam.

"What can we do?" Carlisle asked in a shocked yet determined voice as they turned to watch Voldemort shove the Sorting Hat on Neville's head.

Hermione had pulled her wand back out, and Jasper could feel the anger rising inside her. "There's a couple giants we've been having problems with. And acromantula..."

"Acromantula?" Alice asked.

"Really, really big spiders."

"Oh, look, Rose," Emmett said, a sinister smirk painting itself across his face as he stared at Grayback. "A mutt."

"Mine," she hissed back. Grayback must have noticed the newcomers, because he was staring at the Cullens and growling menacingly.

"Race you for it," Edward breathed, crouching down, preparing to spring forward.

"If you hear someone say 'incendio', move as fast as you can," Hermione managed to say before the Sorting Hat burst into flames. It was the signal the fighters had been waiting for. From in and around the castle they burst into the fray, the vampire family leading the charge. Esme and Carlisle were on the first giant as Edward and Rosalie came down on Grayback. The only Cullen who wasn't at the front of the pack was Jasper, who had slowed his pace to match Hermione's. She quickly engaged Amycus Carrow in a duel, and Jasper stayed crouched beside her, eyes darting in every direction until he saw what he was watching for.

Alecto Carrow, seeing her brother being fought by Hermione, snuck up behind her, and turned, raising her wand.

"Avada..." she started, but Jasper had sprung. Just as Hermione hit Amycus with a killing curse she turned to see Jasper pulling Alecto's wand from her hand... bringing most of the hand with it. The Death Eater screamed in pain and terror, but it was short-lived. Jasper snapped her neck and turned back to Hermione.

"Thanks," she muttered, turning to fight a masked wizard next to Ron. Behind them a group of acromantula appeared from the darkness of the woods, and Jasper didn't hesitate as he ran towards them.

"Bet you I'll get more than you," Emmett smirked, appearing at his side.

"You're on," he growled, launching himself at the nearest spider. The ground around the vampires became littered with legs, heads, and giant bodies as Jasper and Emmett worked through the large group. Jasper quickly found the method that worked best for him, grabbing any legs that got too close and detaching them from their owners, then jumping onto the backs of the creatures to twist their heads off. Emmett seemed to be having more fun, laughing as he would give chase to any that broke away from the group.

"That makes a bakers dozen!" the larger vampire called as he tossed a large body into the woods.

"Twenty-one!" Jasper shouted back. "And there's only six left. I win. Get ready for karaoke night, loser."

Emmett swore loudly through his chuckles when Jasper realized that a spider had broken free of the group and was now advancing on Hermione. Another wave of anger surged through him as he growled and chased down the massive arachnid, teeth slicing cleanly through it's abdomen as he grabbed the pinchers and pulled up. Hermione turned towards the sound of the acromantula's body hitting the ground.

"Thanks again," she said with a half-smile, then she moved with the group, chasing the remaining fighting Death Eaters up into the castle. In the Great Hall she engaged Bellatrix with Luna and Ginny. Jasper was a step behind her, hand half-extended towards her, waiting to pull her out of the way of any oncoming spell.

There was a crash that echoed through the Great Hall as Alice collided with Jasper, tackling him out of the way of an errant spell cast by a dark-robed figure.

"Saved your life," she smirked as she bounded away.

"How is a vampire like a gnat..." he grumbled as he quickly resumed his position behind Hermione, but she wasn't fighting any more. Molly Weasley had taken up the fight, and the hall couldn't help but stand around and watch. Hermione's arm twitched like she wanted to help, but it was before anyone could realize it a jet of green light from Molly's wand slammed into Bellatrix's chest and she fell.

"One more," Hermione said, turning to Voldemort. It was then that Harry revealed himself, and Jasper grabbed Hermione around the middle to keep her from sliding to the floor in shock. He stood next to her as Harry and Voldemort circled each other, taunting, daring the other to strike first. The sun suddenly started streaming through the windows, and by looking around a fraction of a second Jasper could see six other sparkling bodies standing in the crowd, and felt a wave of relief pass over him. His family had survived. But it was his time to stand with Hermione, whose wand was raised, ready to fight in case Harry fell. She and Ron were the only two whose wands weren't hanging by their sides, and it was what was right. Should Harry fall, his two best friends would be the first back into the fray, hopefully the ones to cast the killing curse to finish off he who murdered their friend. Harry, despite his confidence, seemed to have thought the same thing, and positioned Voldemort with his back to his two best friends.

But their wands weren't needed. With two loud spells that rang through the crowd Voldemort fell. There was a fraction of a second of stunned silence before the hall erupted in cheers and loud war whoops. Hermione pulled Jasper to her for a second time, kissing him again with even more abandon than she had the last time.

"We did it!" she exclaimed breathlessly when he finally allowed a tiny bit of separation between their lips.

"You're free," he beamed.

She closed her eyes and burst out laughing, resting her head against his shoulder as she did so. Relief was pouring off her like a waterfall, and each second of feeling it and the joy around him made Jasper grow more happy until he was quite sure it was the happiest moment he had ever had since he became a vampire.

The Cullens got down to work mode, with Carlisle moving around, tending to small wounds and assisting Healers as best as he could. Emmett was joking with some surviving students as he helped set up places to eat. Edward and Alice were carefully wrapping bodies and moving them, fighters to one side of the hall, Death Eaters to a different room with their master. And Esme and Rosalie were circling the crowd, handing out drinks and blankets.

Hermione was surveying the crowd, looking at each area.

"Somethin' wrong, Darlin'?" Jasper asked, wrapping her in his arms from behind and planting a kiss to her neck.

"I... I don't know where to go. Or what to do. Or how to feel. I'm happy, but I lost friends who were like family. Should I go to the Weasleys or give them space or...?" she trailed off as something grabbed her wrist.

"Come on, 'Mione," Harry whispered from under the invisibility cloak.

"Oh..." she said, turning to look at Jasper.

"Bring him with."

She ducked under the cloak, but he felt no need to, and he followed the sound of her heartbeat out of the Great Hall.