Apologies for the short chapter...It's the shortest one apart from chapter 1.
Chapter 3:
(3/11)
Carlisle found the Volturi very interesting; rules were needed if vampires were to remain hidden from humans and the Volturi were needed to enforce these rules.
They were also some of the first vampires Carlisle had found that had a permanent place of residence and they were more...civilised than the vampires Carlisle had previously ran into.
The library at Volterra was awe inspiring.
In turn Aro, Marcus and Caius seemed to find him curious as well. They were endlessly fascinated (and a little repulsed) by Carlisle's unique choice to abstain from human blood. They had tried to convert him many times to a diet of human blood.
He spent some years learning, reading and getting up to date on various medical and scientific inventions. He did like Italy; it was pleasant in a different way to England.
Vampires came and went in Volterra, some of the guards sent on missions and sometimes new vampires came seeking instruction or how to join the guard or even out of curiosity, so it wasn't odd when a new vampire arrived.
The new vampire that arrived two years into Carlisle's stay, however, was unusual.
Carlisle spent most of his time in the library so he hadn't seen the new guest yet, all he knew was that the vampire had green eyes, a curiosity, but then Carlisle had been odd because his own eyes weren't blood red but topaz.
Carlisle had begun to despair of ever meeting another vampire that shared his respect for human life. He hadn't yet met a vampire who thought of humans as anything other than a convenient food source.
When Aro sent someone to ask for his attendance Carlisle had just calmly put his books away and answered the summons, it wasn't the first time Aro had called on him for a chat or intellectual debate.
He hadn't been expecting the new vampire to visit Volterra to be there.
The vampire had the chalk white skin characteristic of a vampire and it contrasted with his pitch black hair and vibrant green eyes. The vampire was neither tall nor short; he was thin, slender almost. Carlisle nearly halted his steps ensnared by the soulful green eyes.
Aro turned a benign smile upon his papery like skin.
"Ah, Carlisle, this is Harry, he seems to share your ideals about humans." Aro stated without inflection. "I am sure you will find much to speak of." Aro said dismissing himself from the small room, near the large main meeting room.
Carlisle sent a quizzical smile in the vampire, Harry's, direction. Harry smiled tentatively in return.
"I am told you drink from animals only also?" Harry broke the silence, his voice a melodious soothing sound. Carlisle forgot to blink, surprised.
"Indeed, I did not know others also chose to drink from animals." Carlisle responded a warm smile flitting across his face.
"Neither did I. I thought it was only me and four of my friends who choose not to take life needlessly although my friend Luna did mention she got the idea of drinking animal blood from rumours of a vampire living on it." Harry spoke shocking Carlisle further.
"Your friends, they also don't drink human blood?" Carlisle asked eyes slightly widened in surprise. Harry nodded.
"I am not sure whether one of them abstains from humans because he just doesn't want his wife to nag him about morals but he doesn't drain humans." Harry commented with a fleeting smile of amusement.
"May I ask why you all chose a 'vegetarian' lifestyle?" Carlisle asked politely not sure if he was overstepping his bounds, it appeared not as Harry smiled.
"You may." Harry answered an amused grin on his face while his eyes danced. Carlisle didn't bother restraining his own slightly amused smile.
"Then why did you all choose to drink animal blood?" Carlisle questioned.
"Me, Severus, Luna, Hermione and Ron believe human life to be too valuable." Harry responded simply, that was the main reason but Harry's own personal reason was a little different, slightly more complex and everything to do with his godson.
"Are you really a doctor?" Harry asked curiously. Carlisle smiled at the innocent question, it wasn't meant rudely, Harry just wondered how Carlisle could stand the scent of blood at such close proximity.
"Yes. It was hard to begin with but I gradually managed to desensitise to the scent of human blood. It only bothers me a little now. It did take me more than a hundred years of trying." Carlisle said gently. Harry nodded in thought.
"I find it still difficult to resist freshly spilt human blood and I thought it would always be so since I have been a vampire for twenty years or so." Harry said his thoughts spinning in different directions.
He and Severus had never yet tasted human blood, Harry thought Severus much too stubborn to even slip off the bandwagon.
"Have you ever tasted human blood?" Harry asked thoughts still percolating at the negative shake of Carlisle's head Harry nodded to himself as if confirming a theory.
"It is probably easier to live this way of life without having tasted human blood. I haven't and neither has Severus but my three other friends find this way of life a little more challenging and I wondered if it could be partly because they had tasted human blood once before." Harry speculated thoughtfully.
Carlisle listened, Harry's idea had merit.
"So, why do you abstain from taking human lives?" Harry asked snapping his attention back to Carlisle.
Carlisle described snippets of his life to Harry who was listening avidly, occasionally interjecting with a curious question.
xxx
Carlisle found Harry very good company, they even shared a hunt companionably.
Harry had also shared stories of his life, the massacre where he and his friends had been turned. Carlisle was surprised Harry had managed (attempted) not to rip his friend Neville's throat out when he was freshly turned.
Harry in turn was surprised by Carlisle managing to drag himself off and hide then remain silent when he was first bitten.
Harry thought getting bitten hurt nearly as much as the cruciatus curse, the only reason he didn't say it was just as painful was because after too much exposure to the cruciatus curse people went insane. So he was surprised (and slightly in awe of) Carlisle's strength of will.
Carlisle (to his own surprise) told Harry about the witch/vampire/devil hunts he had led and he spoke of his father.
Harry explained about the magical world to Carlisle and his own life, he even spoke dryly of his uncle Vernon and Theodore, he hadn't spoken of them in, well...ever. So he found himself somewhat surprised and perplexed he was confiding in Carlisle so soon into their acquaintance.
Carlisle found the magical world fascinating although he was sorry to hear of Harry's own negative experiences through life. He also would like to meet Severus and Harry's other friends one day.
xxx
Carlisle barely twitched when Aro dropped a fresh corpse bleeding slightly in the entrance of the library. The scent slightly bothered Carlisle, he could sense it and it smelt appealing but it didn't burn his throat quite like it did when he was first around spilt blood.
He watched Harry utterly fascinated.
The blood barely bothered Carlisle now but it seemed to affect Harry greatly. Harry had tensed and was now sketching something with harsh jerks and lines of the quill.
Carlisle studied Harry noting the melancholy look in his eyes even as he sketched and the slow relaxation of tensed muscles.
The hand that Harry had gripped the table with relaxed and Carlisle noted the now broken table. The piece Harry had held tightly enough to crush fell to dust and there was just an uneven gap where Harry's fist had clenched through the stone.
He eyed the drawing of a young boy, a sunny smile on the boys face. Well that explained Harry's despair. It also seemed that Harry used the memories of his godson as a way of trumping the bloodlust.
Carlisle mulled over this even as he offered solace in an embrace. It seemed Harry was a rather emotional person, he felt things deeply, deep enough to triumph over vampire nature which was naturally rather cold.
Carlisle rather liked the hug, having Harry in his arms, if only the cause wasn't grief.
It did not take Carlisle or Harry long to start a more romantic relationship.
They stayed with the Volturi for a couple of years more before leaving to travel around the world.