Chapter seventeen
The man that was standing on the porch was tall and thin in extreme. He looked quite young, probably in his late twenties and his hair was coal black and tied up in a short ponytail. He was dressed in a black travelling cloak.
"Hello," he said cheerfully after I opened the door. "I'm Tobias Jackson. Amelia Weber sent me here to teach a young woman a few tricks. It must be you, right? Bella, if I remember correctly." His eyes then darted up to something behind me. I'd heard the heavy footsteps that had just stopped and knew that he was looking at Charlie. "And Mr. Swan, I suppose?" He added with the same cheerful grin and extended his hand.
Both Charlie and I nodded and Charlie shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, sir," he said politely. "Please, come in." He opened the door wide to let Mr. Jackson in. I stepped back a bit and after he was inside I closed the door again.
"Please, call me Toby," he said, looking around the hall. His eyes stopped at Edward, who was standing in the kitchen doorway with his arms crossed. Toby's eyes narrowed slightly but then his expression cleared. "Of course, you are one of the… friends I was told about." I noticed his hesitation and was glad he didn't use the word he'd clearly meant to say. He took a few steps and shook Edward's hand without hesitation. I could see Edward was taken aback by it but he quickly composed his face and introduced himself.
"You look young for a teacher," said Charlie, taking in Toby's appearance.
"Oh, I'm not really a teacher," Toby said with a light laugh. "I only teach apparating so I'm more of an instructor." He shrugged. "And I'm a bit older than I look. But I have some experience that may be useful for your daughter." Then he looked at me and clapped his hands once. "So, Bella, I thought I would have a look at some of your materials from your school, if you have them here. If you could - "
"They're in the kitchen," I interrupted him, waving my hand in the direction of our kitchen. "I already sorted out the ones I thought were important."
"Oh." He looked surprised but pleased. "That's great." He walked in the kitchen and skimmed through the pile of books on the table. "Good, good," he muttered under his breath. "I think they will do. I have some books of my own and then there are things you won't find in any of them." His tone became a bit darker in the end but then he straightened up and smiled at Charlie's worried expression. "Don't worry, Mr. Swan, your daughter is in good hands."
"I really hope so," said Charlie gruffly. He apparently still wasn't very happy about me wanting to learn how to fight but he knew he could do nothing about it.
"I'll carry them, if you don't mind." Toby smiled at me and then revealed a bag which had been hidden under his cloak. He placed it on the table and opened it. Then he pulled out a wand, waved it and the books flew into the bag, which had to have some kind of enlarging spell on it because they fit in the smaller bag without a problem. I wasn't surprised, I had seen spells like that in the past, but Charlie's eyes widened for a second before he quickly regained a mildly interested expression. I glanced at Edward; he had his arms still crossed and his face looked expressionless.
We said goodbye to Charlie – I had to promise that I wouldn't be late – and then we walked to Edward's car. Toby looked very excited. "I've never ridden in this," he admitted. Edward broke his carefully arranged emotionless look and chuckled.
"You can sit in the passenger seat," I offered. I was still angry with Edward and didn't feel like sitting next to him right now.
"That would be great, thanks." Toby smiled at me. Edward threw me a confused look but didn't say anything and got in the car.
"You don't use cars at MACUSA?" I asked Toby when I climbed into the back seat. "The British Ministry uses them sometimes, with slight magical improvements."
"Well, there are a few cars at the Congress, some people use them when they need to blend in among no-majs. I just never needed it for my job." He shrugged, his eyes on the dashboard.
It would have been a very quiet ride if it wasn't for Toby's excitement. He was astonished by the way muggles traveled and couldn't believe they invented all this without magic. Edward tried to explain how the car works but he was being constantly interrupted by Toby's questions. I leaned back in my seat and listened to their conversation with an amused smile.
"Toby?" I said, when there were a few seconds of silence. He turned his head to look at me and I went on. "How did you know where I lived? I thought you couldn't apparate to the places you've never been to." It had been bothering me since he arrived into our house.
"Angela went with me to a spot where your house is visible from the distance," he explained. "I apparated from there."
"Why didn't she come with you?" I asked. I really thought she would.
"She had to look after the twins," he said. "But she said she would come next time."
Edward had parked the car in front of the Cullen house by the time we finished talking. Alice and Jasper were waiting for us on the porch; Alice was bouncing on her feet.
"Finally!" she squealed and jumped down the stairs to meet us. Jasper just shook his head in amusement but stayed on the porch. "Nice to meet you, Toby Jackson. I'm Alice and this is my husband Jasper," she babbled excitedly. She waved her hand in Jasper's direction while she talked and then shook hands with a shocked Toby. Then an understanding crossed his face.
"Oh, you're the one who can see the future, aren't you?" he said, smiling, while Alice proceeded to hug me and Edward.
"Yes, yes!" Alice clapped her hands excitedly. "It's going to be so interesting!"
"Let them breathe, Alice," said Esme disapprovingly from the front door where she'd appeared with Carlisle. They too walked toward us to greet Toby and introduce themselves.
I could see Emmett and Rosalie approaching us from around the corner of the house. It seemed like Emmett's huge grin was permanently glued to his face but Rosalie didn't look very happy. Edward had explained to me, after the Monday meeting with Mrs. Weber, that she no longer believed I would tell their secret but she still didn't like me. He wouldn't tell me why, though. "It's her right to tell you, not mine," he'd said.
After the necessary introductions I was about to go to the clearing behind their house but Toby had different plans in his mind. "We should discuss what you need to learn first," he said. "Also I'd like to know more about your skills."
I felt a slight dissapointment, I was eager to learn how to fight, but it didn't lower Alice's excitement so I supposed it would be at least a bit interesting. We all went inside into the living room and seated ourselves into the couch and armchairs. Alice looked quite comfortable sitting on the floor, leaning against Jasper's legs. Edward sat on the arm of my chair again while Toby took a seat on the couch opposite me.
"So, Bella," he began, looking directly into my eyes, "what year are you supposed to be now? I saw you owned sixth year books…"
"Yes, this was supposed to be my sixth year."
"Right." He nodded. "Since I'm not familiar with Hogwarts curriculum, could you give me an idea what you were supposed to learn? So I wouldn't have to go through your books."
"Well, I looked into them and there is a lot about non-verbal magic…" I trailed off.
"Hm," he said, frowning slightly. "And did you learn anything about non-verbal magic in the past?"
"No."
"Hm," he said again, still frowning. "That complicates things a bit. I hoped you would know at least the basics. You know, you can't learn how to apparate without knowing how non-verbal magic works." I felt a sting of disappointment at his words but I knew he was right. It seemed logical. Toby smiled when he saw my expression and went on. "Non-verbal magic is not easy but when you get the gist, it gets easier. And it's a great advantage in fights. Can you guess why?"
I felt like I was in school but the answer seemed obvious. "The opponent doesn't know which spell you're about to cast."
"Exactly," he said, nodding. "And you do want to be able to defend yourself, don't you?"
I nodded.
"Now, tell me about your strenghts," he continued. "What are you good at? I need to know so we can work with it and expand it as much as possible."
I frowned, thinking. "Well, my Shield charm is quite strong," I began. "And I think I'm quite good at Transfiguration and Charms. But I don't see how that would help me in a fight." I bit my lip, frowning at my slip. I hadn't told Toby I'd like to learn how to fight.
"Oh, on the contrary, it can be very useful in fights." He smiled. He didn't seem to care about my true intentions. Or maybe he'd expected it all along. "Especially Transfiguration is very often used in duels. But you said that you have a strong Shield charm. I'd like to see that."
I jumped from my chair and Edward led us all to the back door. Through the glass I could see a large clearing surrounded by a forest of tall trees. It was perfect. I smiled up at him and his lips twitched in amusement.
"This is perfect," Toby voiced my thoughts when he stepped into the clearing. The Cullens remained standing behind while I and Toby walked further into the middle of the huge grassy circle. Then he stopped and pointed to a spot he wanted me to stand. I obeyed and went about ten steps further and then turned to face him. Then I pulled my wand out of my jeans pocket and clutched it tightly in my hand.
"Now, I'm going to try to disarm you and you'll try to block it with the Shield." He pulled out his wand faster than I could blink and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
"Protego!" I barely had time to react but was relieved that his spell bounced off of the transparent barrier that had shot out of my wand. I was proud of my Shield, it was the only spell I'd managed to learn as quickly as Hermione Granger when we practiced it in our secret lessons with the Dumbledore's Army.
"That was very good, Bella." He smiled, nodding in approval. "Of course the Death Eaters wouldn't give you a warning but it's good to know you have fast reflexes." I blushed at his compliment and lifted the spell. So he had guessed right that I wanted to go back to Britain and fight. I didn't think I'd been that obvious.
It was getting dark so Toby conjured two big balls of light that he sent hovering above the clearing. I chuckled at the astonishment in the faces of the Cullens but then I quickly returned my attention to Toby.
"I wonder how strong your Shield is," he said, looking thoughtful. He glanced at the Cullens and I saw Alice bouncing in excitement and Edward frowning.
"I volunteer," squeeled Alice and flashed toward Toby.
"Alice, no," growled Edward but she completely ignored him.
"Would you mind telling us what are you on about?" said Emmett, annoyed.
"You can just tell us the outcome, there's no need for demonstration," Edward went on, ignoring Emmett.
"But where's the fun in that?" Alice stuck her tongue at him and then looked up at Toby in anticipation. Edward sighed but stopped arguing.
"Um, I really wouldn't mind some explanation," I said, shifting my weight nervously.
Toby had watched the bickering between Alice and Edward in amusement and now he finally turned to me and started explaining. "The best way to test your shield is to let something or someone really strong try to crash into you. A strong Shield should be able to fend it off."
"You want her to crash into me?" I repeated slowly, incredulously. I could hear a mixture of excitement and worry among the Cullens.
"Oh, come on, Bella. I wouldn't hurt you, would I?" said Alice impatiently, rolling her eyes. I glanced at Edward who had his eyes fixed on Alice and his hands were clutched in fists. That didn't really calm my nerves.
Toby stepped aside, making room for Alice. "Get your Shield ready, Bella!" he said loudly. I conjured the Shield, relieved that I could do it before Alice started running. Toby then turned to Alice. "Three, two, one, go!"
Alice was a blur to my eyes but she never got to me. She crashed into the invisible barrier and bending it slightly, she bounced off and landed elegantly on her feet right in the middle between me and Toby. I sighed in relief, earning murmurs of appreciation and even some whistles from the audience.
"Very good, Bella," said Toby. "Now, I don't think there would be any vampires on the enemy side but just out of curiosity, I wonder if your Shield can resist even bigger force." While he was speaking, I could hear a furious hissing noise and when I turned my head toward it, I saw Edward glaring at Toby, who was now looking at Emmett.
"You can't be serious," said Edward angrily. "He will crush her into dust!" I, for once, could see his point. Emmett was huge. Even Esme and Carlisle were looking at him uncomfortably now and Alice was eying me and Emmett uncertainly. Only Jasper looked curious. Rosalie was leaning against the wall, looking like she wouldn't care if Emmett did crush me into dust.
Emmett, on the other hand, stretched his lips into even wider grin. "Sounds like fun!" He laughed and strode toward Toby. I gulped, trying to think of a way to strengthen my Shield. I could think of nothing.
"I'm not sure this is a good idea," I admitted over Edward's growling. He was now standing next to Emmett, holding his arm.
"Relax, little brother," boomed Emmett, winking at me and shaking off Edward's hand. Jasper was there too now, placing his hand on Edward's shoulder and suddenly his face looked much calmer. But his eyes remained wary. I wasn't nervous anymore, on the other hand, I felt calm and it was somehow easier to concentrate.
"Do try not to crush her," said Toby to Emmett and then he turned to me. "Focus on your Shield, Bella."
My Shield was still active, I could feel the slight vibration of my wand. I tried to strengthen it with my mind but I had no idea how it worked. Before I could think of anything else, I heard Toby counting and then saw a lot bigger blur throwing at me. Emmett cut through the Shield like it wasn't even there and then I felt two huge iron arms lifting me off the ground and bringing me down. I didn't feel any pain, his grasp was strong but gentle at the same time.
"Wo-hoooo!" Emmett yelled in my ear so loudly that it hurt. He eased his grasp and I was able to stand up. My legs were shaking a little but other than that I was okay.
"Are you alright?" said Edward, who had darted to me in a speed of light.
"Sure," I said and then I frowned. "I guess my Shield has its limits."
"Well, we can work on that," said Toby, who was now walking toward us. "When you are able to do non-verbal magic, it will be easier to control all your spells. The more you concentrate, the stronger the spells are."
"Can we do it again?" asked Emmett excitedly and I nodded in agreement.
"Not tonight," said Toby, shaking his head. "It's late and I have to go home. But I give you your first homework, Bella." I lifted my eyebrows, curious. "You will exercise your mind. Every night before sleep, you will try to empty it. Think of nothing at all. Then when you have time during the day, I want you to concentrate on only one thing at the time. Really concentrate and ignore any kind of distractions." It didn't seem that hard and Toby must have seen the doubt on my face. "It's not as easy as you think. The brain takes in all your surrounding even when you think you're focusing on one thing. You still hear the noises and are aware of the things around you. I want you to ignore them so you wouldn't even know they're there."
"Okay," I said slowly.
"Good." He smiled and went to get his cloak which he had taken off and put aside.
"When is another lesson?" I asked, while walking inside the house with the Cullens.
"I'm busy for the rest of the week but I'm free on the weekend," he said with a thoughtful expression. "What about Saturday afternoon?"
"Sounds good," I said, nodding.
After Toby disapparated, Edward drove me home. I felt tired so I spent the journey looking out the window in silence. It was dark outside so I couldn't see much but I didn't mind. I was trying to think of nothing like Toby had said. It wasn't easy, especially when I was very aware of Edward sitting next to me. He didn't talk but I could feel his eyes on me every now and then.
When we arrived to Charlie's house and I was about to climb out of the car, I felt Edward's hand touching my arm. "Can I come into your room again?" he asked quietly. I turned to look at him and his eyes were pleading.
"If you want to," I said with a sigh and got out of the car.
Charlie was still up, watching some game on the TV.
"So, how did it go?" he asked eagerly as soon as I walked into the living room.
"Quite well, I think," I said, shrugging. "I didn't learn anything new tonight, though." I told him briefly about my first lesson with Toby and then I went to my room.
Edward was already there, sitting in the rocking chair. I just grabbed my pajamas and the toilet bag and without a word went to the bathroom. Thanks to Toby I had almost forgotten that I was angry with him but now the anger returned. I was glad he was here though because I needed to get a few things straight. While I was taking the shower, I was mulling over everything I wanted to tell him.
He was still in the same spot when I got back to my room. I put away my toilet bag and turned to face him with my arms crossed.
"So?" I started, looking at him significantly.
"So what?" He raised his eyebrow, confused.
I sighed. "Wouldn't you like to apologize?"
"Apologize for what?" he said and pressed his lips into an angry line.
"For telling Charlie I wanted to fight, of course!" I hissed angrily. "I think I asked you not to do that!" I nearly shouted at that point but then I realised that Charlie was downstairs and quickly cast Muffliato on the door.
"He had the right to know." He sounded quite calm but his voice was cold.
"I would have told him when the time was right. I wanted to prepare him for it first." I saw his face turn from angry to sad and added in a calmer tone. "I know you hoped he would keep me from fighting. But please, Edward, I need you to understand." I crossed the room toward him and kneeled down beside the chair, taking his hand. "I don't want to fight with you. I need your support. I know you don't like this and I don't like it either but I have to be ready to go and help my friends if they need me. I can't sit here doing nothing, knowing they have to fight for their lives."
He sighed and carefully pulled me onto his lap, still holding my hand. "Bella," he said in a quiet voice, closing his eyes. "I had been waiting for you for nearly a hundred years. I can't lose you now." His tone was serious, pleading. When he opened his eyes again, I could see in them how old he really was. I repeated his words in my head and was afraid to really believe it. When I didn't speak, he sighed and went on, still in the same quiet voice. "Maybe you don't understand what you really mean to me." He looked directly into my eyes. "What do you know about vampire love, Bella?"
I stared at him for a few seconds. "Well, I heard about it," I admitted in whisper. "It's for life."
"For eternity, actually," he corrected me with a sad smile.
"So, what are you trying to tell me?" I said slowly. My heart was beating so fast I was afraid it might jump out of my chest. I didn't even dare to think about his next words.
"You know I am frozen in this body forever. I will forever have the nature and temper of a teenager. I can't change, neither physically nor emotionally. The one exception is when I find someone who I can't imagine my life without. That someone is you, Bella."
I blinked a few times, trying to comprehend everything he'd just told me. "So, you are in love with me?" I finally managed to whisper.
"It's more than that. It's something I can't even explain properly without terrifying you," he said with a sheepish smile but then he turned serious again. "Of course, I can't force you into a relationship with a crazy, overprotective and very dangerous vampire. Actually, it would be better for you to stay away from me. I just can't stay away from you. But I can try, if you tell me to leave you alone. I will understand. I can try and leave."
"No!" I blurted out fervently. "I don't want you to leave. You said you would protect me, remember?" It was more than just the need for protection but I didn't know how to say what I felt. I knew it was unfair to him when he'd just basically declared his love, or whatever it was he felt, for me. I just wasn't good at expressing my emotions.
A strange expression crossed his face but then he smiled slightly. "You're right. I promised." Then he frowned. "But you obviously don't want it if you're planning to go and get yourself killed." He looked stern again, his eyes hard.
I sighed. It looked like we were going to have a lot to talk about in the near future.