As Harry, Malfoy and Hagrid began the slow trek towards the edge of the forest, the dark clouds overhead advanced and blocked the moonlight. Darkness fell like a blanket over the forest and the absolute silence pressed against them.
Malfoy's head whipped from side to side. Harry could see the blonde bitch was trembling in fear. The night had turned cold and the wind that filtered through the thick vegetation made him shiver. Soft, previously unimportant sounds became magnified in the tense silence of the forest. The rustling of the leaves, the eerie dance of the canopies and Hagrid's farts made him and Malfoy glance around nervously.
Hagrid seemed at ease though, the dead corpses of the wolves dangling silently from side to side as he walked in great strides, a satisfied smile on his face and his black eyes glittering under the lights of their wands. Harry noticed the path they were following was different. He couldn't precisely pin-point what made it so, but there was something strange, something unfamiliar about it.
They came to a stop when they reached a clearing, one they had definitely not encountered before. The thick, brown barks vanished and only vivid green grass grew inside the wide circle.
Hagrid motioned for them to stay quiet. Malfoy looked with panic at Harry, who rolled his eyes. They put out their wands and stared at the strange sight that met them.
There was a man and a woman in the clearing, their backs against the grass and hands crossed behind their heads. They were staring at the stars in silence. The man was very pale, had brown hair and a blissful smile on his face. He was oddly handsome, and Harry thought he'd seen him before. The woman was rather unremarkable, with her long, black hair, thin and flat body, and the pasty complexion of her skin.
"Is - is he sparkling?" Malfoy whispered. Harry thought he detected a hint of jealousy in his tone. "There, look. See how the moonlight falls on his skin? I swear he's shining or something."
Harry pushed up his glasses as they hid behind the trees and looked closely at them. Both strangers had their eyes closed. The clouds cleared for a moment and when the light fell on them, Harry saw what Malfoy meant.
"He's right," he whispered, surprised. "That guy is sparkling. Do you think they're wizards, too, Hagrid?"
The half-giant was absent-mindedly stroking the fur of the dead wolves with a smile on his face. "Aye, yer a wizard, 'Arry, an' a thumpin' good on' at tha'"
"What the hell is wrong with him?" Malfoy asked, genuinely scared of Hagrid's lunacy.
Harry waved his hand dismissively. "He's always like that," he said as he stared at the strangers. "He'll either say I'm a good wizard or that Dumbledore's a great man. Nice guy, really, but don't expect too much of him."
Malfoy nodded seriously. He already had his suspicions about the half-giant's intelligence.
"Listen," Harry urged.
The pale man lazily stretched his body and put an arm around the ugly woman. Harry couldn't understand why a handsome man like him would settle for the most unremarkable woman he'd ever come across. Even Professor Sprout had something of interest if you liked the way drops of sweat trickled down the valley of her wobbly breasts while she planted Mandragoras.
This woman seemed quite pleased with the turn of events, and snuggled against his side as they stared at the now star-filled sky.
"Marry me, Bella," the man said in a sultry, low voice.
The woman named Bella sighed exasperatedly. Malfoy made retching noises behind Hagrid's back as he and Harry stared.
"Not this again," she said. "You promised you'd turn me before bringing marriage up again."
Malfoy and Harry stared at each other. They shrugged and turned to look at Hagrid. But the half-giant wasn't really paying attention, and Harry noticed one of his thick fingers seemed to be sticking inside the wolf's dead corpse. He sighed. At least Hagrid could always be counted upon to act like himself.
"Stop fingering that wolf, Hagrid," Harry said tiredly, his tone suggesting he'd had the argument before. Hagrid gave him a toothy grin and sucked his index finger delightedly. "Good. Now put the corpses down and help me figure out what the hell these two are."
Hagrid shrugged, grabbed the dead bodies more firmly and ambled away. Harry saw him sit down against a tree bark and resume his prodding of the dead wolves. He shook his head resignedly and motioned for Malfoy to follow him.
It didn't take much to convince the blonde. His face had acquired an unhealthy shade of green, though whether because of Hagrid's habits or the strange couple's argument, Harry could not tell. They stealthily tip-toed to the other side of the clearing, from where they could see these strange folk with American accents more clearly.
"You don't know what you're asking for," Edward was saying, his face blank. Harry noticed his eyes were of a very pale amber. They seemed to glow in the dark. "To kill you, to destroy your soul... I could never do that. I love you too much."
Malfoy elbowed Harry and mouthed, "Vampire?" Harry shrugged.
"Is that why you refuse?" she pressed on. "It doesn't make any sense, Edward. I love you, too. I want to be with you forever, and there's only one way for us to be together. This can't go on. Not like this." She leaned closer to him and very softly kissed his too-red lips. Then, in a pleading voice she whispered, "Tell me the real reason, Eddy-poo."
Malfoy held Harry's hair while he threw up. As he painted the muddy ground in yellow he missed the touched and jealous look on Malfoy's face.
Edward caressed Bella's cheek and said, "You're like my own personal brand of heroin. To turn you would be to destroy the real you, the Bella I fell in love with."
The ridiculous argument carried on for a while. Before they knew it, Harry and Draco were sitting on conjured chairs, their feet supported on low tree branches and their hands crossed behind their heads. Harry tried and tried to think of why the man named Edward looked familiar. As the argument turned more and more ridiculous it occurred to him that perhaps he was imagining things. He was pretty sure he'd remember meeting people this stupid.
Suddenly the peaceful moment was broken by Edward, who sat up unnaturally quickly and seemed to sniff the air in their direction. Malfoy looked with terror-filled eyes at Harry. "The smell," he whispered. "Vampires have very good smell."
Harry was about to say something but he felt a presence in front of him. He looked away from Draco and came face to face with the pale man, Edward. The vampire's mouth barred into a snarl and his long fangs came out, protruding over his lower lip and dripping with saliva.
Harry's heart was beating furiously. Malfoy shrieked and fell backwards on his chair. On all fours he dragged himself away in panic, aiming to go as far as he could from those white fangs.
Bella came bustling into the trees, her white dress trailing behind. She stopped when she saw Edward had company, and that he was leaning very close to Harry. But while Harry was paralyzed in place, Bella knew Edward would never hurt anybody. She recognized her boyfriend's relaxed stance and simply held back and watched.
Edward's nose was inches away from Harry's, and he could smell the vampire's minty breath on his face. His amber eyes were open very wide, and Edward spoke in a very low and intense voice.
"Do I dazzle you?"
(written by IdSayWhyNot)