A/N: I am so, so sorry for the long wait. There are no excuses for my absence. All I can say is that personal stuff came up and it kept me really busy, but I'm back now and are going to write as often as possible, and I can promise you that it will never again take this long for me to post a chapter. And as promised this chapter is in Edwards P.O.V.

Once again, links are available on my profile, so check it out if you'd like

Warning: This story contains SLASH!(male x male) If you have problems with this I suggest that you don't read this story. Also warning for blood, violence, mentions of child abuse,slight angst, possible m-preg (haven't decided yet) and Bella-bashing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Twilight, everything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer.

"Blah" - speak

§Blah§ - Pharseltounge

'...Blah...' – thoughts + spells

Blah – Flashback

Black and Bronze

Chapter 3: First Taste

As the night progressed Edward couldn't help but be excited about going to school in the morning. He was out hunting for the first time in a long time, only now did he realize how stupid it was of him to starve himself to this extent. He had drained at least three animals already, and was still thirsty for more.

He hadn't been to school for some weeks now, and he just hoped that he wasn't going to run in to her more than he had to while looking for his mate.

His mate.

He still couldn't understand that he would actually see his mate in a few hours. The whole thing was so unreal that he, a vampire had trouble believing it. After all, he was a monster, why wound he be granted a mate to call his own? He didn't deserve it. But maybe he have gotten a second opportunity to have someone to love? No, that couldn't be right. Who in their tight mind would give a monstrous vampire a second chance?

That's right, no one.

He couldn't help thinking that it all was a mistake. That Alice was wrong. What if this boy, this Harry, in reality wasn't his mate at all? If he turned out to be just like Bella? Could he handle being alone again? He didn't think so. Everything in his head was a mess, and for a vampire, who had unlimited space of thoughts, that was saying something. It didn't help that he was hearing the others happy thoughts about him finding his mate.

If he could just shut them out... But that, he knew, was impossible. He could tone them out, sure, but to block them out completely? It would take a miracle to achieve that. He could never have peace and quiet, wherever he went there was always something he heard, be it a lone hiker or the mind of an animal. Always something. How he wished for utter silence so that he could think in peace.

It was nearing morning and the darkness of the night was ebbing away. In just a couple of hours he would get his first glimpse of a boy who, supposedly, was his mate. He was more than nervous about it, he was also afraid. Afraid of being rejected, of being called a monster again.

(oOo)

It was clouded outside when they reached the school, but it was expected. As always they were among the first car to arrive to the parking lot. It was easier that way, not as many people staring at them, and less chance of meeting Isabella, for she usually arrived when it was about five minutes till the first ringing. other than them there was just five other cars there. One of them belonged to Angela Webber, who was one of the few students that didn't care about the rumors that had been circulating since the break-up between him and Isabella. Angela had made it clear that she supported Edward instead of Isabella in that which had happened. She still sat at the usual table with the rest of her friends, but she no longer talked to Bella.

Edward made his way inside the school building as soon as more students started arriving, closely followed by his siblings. He would have liked to see his mate sooner rather than later, and what better than to see him arrive at the parking lot, but he couldn't bare the loud thoughts of the school population when they saw that he had returned. Everyone knew about the break-up. As the door closed behind them he and Alice soon parted with the Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie, as they did not have their lockets in the same corridor. Alice was pouting the whole way but didn't comment on his decision. She did, however keep staring at him with a quite meaningful look, and as he tried to see what she meant by it, all he could hear from her mind was an irritating childish song in Japanese.

"What?" he asked instead, rather harshly.

"Oh, nothing, just thought that you wanted to see how he looked like. That's all," Alice replayed lightly, with a shrug of her shoulders. "He reached the parking lot just a few seconds ago."

It was unfair, that she had seen his mate before he himself was able to. It was his mate, after all, he had know about it for nearly twelve hours and had still to know how he looked like. He may be scared of his mate's reaction to him, but he would be damned if he didn't get to know him.

And besides, he could see how his mate looked like. He took a dive into the minds of the student population in search for one that was watching his mate. It turned out that almost everyone's eyes was on his Harry. As Edward looked through the eyes of a nameless student, he saw for the first time a beauty that could take his breath away.

The boy was even more beautiful than Rosalie could ever be. And he wasn't even a vampire. The boy was short, maybe just a couple of inches taller than Esme, and he was lean. He had black pants that fit on like a second skin, a dark green button-up shirt and a black leather jacket over it. Messy black hair framed his face with a few strands falling over his forehead. His skin was pale, like that of a vampire, and totally flawless except for a small scar that traveled down his left brow. He had high cheekbones, and full, pink, cupid bow lips. The oddest thing, however, was the dark shades he was wearing, completely hiding his eyes from onlooker's views.

'...Wow, who's he?...'

'...Is that the new kid? He's HOT... wonder what his name is...'

'...He is soo date-able... wish he'd ask me out...'

'...I wonder if he's gay... maybe I'd have a shot...'

'...I'm sure he'd be amazing in bed...'

'...Before the term is out, the new guy's going to be mine...'

The minds was overflowing with thoughts about the boy he already considered his, Harry. It would have given Edward a headache if he was human, as it was, it only made him irritated. After all, it was his mate they were thinking about. As soon as he exited the girls mind, he immediately toned the rest of the thoughts out of his head, while he tried not to think about the various prospects of how long it would take for the female population to start competing for the new boy's affections. 'Well, sorry ladies, but Harry does not belong to anyone but me.'

(OoO)

As the day progressed Edward could do nothing but focus his attention on the thoughts concerning Harry. He watched him from the students minds through out all his morning classes. His mate truly was a beautiful creature. Even if he didn't got to see his eyes(Apparently, Harry had some old injury on his cornea). He studied him and his movements during the whole Spanish class while he pretended to pay attention to Mrs Goff, who was lecturing the class about the correct pronouncements of the characters. Edward already knew this of course. He could speak this language fluently, along with three others; they being; French, Greek, Russian.

As the bell rang, signaling the end of the lessons, Edward made his way to the cafeteria, meeting up with his siblings along the way. The hallways was crowded with students making their way to Lunch. Jasper had a hard time keeping his hunger in check, but Alice distracted him enough to make it.

(oOo)

The chatter in the cafeteria was deafening for the vampires. The conversations at every busy table was loud and all about gossip, most of them about the new guy, Harry Potter, who was yet not present in the room. For Edward, this was very irritating, it was his mate that everyone was talking (and thinking) about.

Most students no longer took notice of the Cullen kids, no longer send glances in their direction, just the one named Isabella Swan, who had kept an eye on the ones she had once called family.

They was seated in the corner closest to the exit and furthest from the corridor entrance. The Cullen heir was at the edge of his seat, keeping an eye on the entrance door. 'Soon', he kept remind himself, 'soon my mate will walk through those doors.'

If his siblings found his behavior different or odd, they didn't mention it in their thoughts or otherwise. They were bored, which in itself wasn't that surprising, having done school over and over again does that to you. Rosalie was filing her nails for the third time since that morning, her mind set on a new fashion magazine she was going to make an order from. Alice was unable to be still in her seat,constantly shifting her position. She wore a big grin on her face, as if she knew something the rest of them didn't, which she probably did. It was a miracle that she kept from squealing. It was impossible for him to find out what she was waiting for, she was blocking him out by rattle off the French alphabet. Jasper was watching his mate with a glint of amusement in his eyes, and he would have been smiling softly had it not been for the clenched jaw that helped him keep his thirst at bay. Emmett kept himself busy by toying with the human food, which he would not eat anything from, on the tray in front of him. In his mind he imagined it was a grizzly bear that he was tearing in bits with fur flying in every direction, making Edward smile mentally.

It was then, it happened. Harry walked through the double doors leading into the cafeteria. The first time Edward got to see his mate with his own eyes, and he was even more amazed than before. Harry truly was a beautiful creature. Had he not known better, he would have taken him for a vampire. His sheer beauty could even rival Rosalie's, not that he voice that thought aloud. He did look very grim though, like he was all grown up and having lived a tough and long life. It made Edward sad, that his mate possibly hadn't have had a happy life. He promised himself then and there that he would make his mate happy no matter what.

In later times he would regret ever making that promise.

He watched as Harry went to stand in line with a bored sigh. Edward looked on with interest as it became Harry's turn to pick his food, he was curious at what his mate's favorite food was. As all food-like substance he ever put in his mouth would taste as dirt he found no reason to care about that sort of thing, but now when he had a human mate he regretted that decision. He would need to know what the different food types was to be able to feed his mate heartily. He made a mental note to talk to Esme about being able to teach it, as she loved to cook whenever the chance presented itself.

When Harry had picked the food he wanted he turned around to look for a table, and Edward got a look on the tray in his hands, a frown visible on his face when he saw that his mate had only taken a bottle of bubble water and yellow fruit formed in a bow that he had forgotten the name of a long time ago. Doesn't humans usually eat more than that? He took a quick look around at the others trays and the answer was yes, they do eat more than just that. Why did Harry take so little food? Was he not hungry after several hours of classes? Did he not like the food the school was offering? Was he maybe on some sort of... what was it called... a diet? The questions was unending and had no way of answering them. Though after some thought the last one was very unlikely, Harry didn't look as if he would need to lose weight. He was thin enough as he was. He was perfect just like he was. Like an angel from heaven.

Just like it had that morning the volume in the cafeteria lowered as Harry made his way between the tables. Everyone kept throwing glances at him, hoping he would chose their table, this angered Edward eminently. Even his siblings was watching his Harry.

As anyone could have guessed Jessica Stanley was the first to jump at the chance of getting the new student to sit with her, as she had done with one before him, namely Isabella. She dragged him to where the rest of her 'gang' was waiting for them, at the table in the middle of the cafeteria. As they sat down Stanley proceeded with introducing the others. Ben and Angela was nice to him and didn't stare expectantly at his mate like the rest of them did. Newton was his goofy self and pulled a joke at him that didn't seemed to have done its job to make Harry smile, not even a twitch of his lips was visible. This amused Edward greatly. Eric Yorker, over friendly as he was, asked if Harry had found his way to the classes. As Edward glanced upon Harry's face it was clear that he did not like the company that was surrounding him. Lauren and Taylor didn't seem to care much for the new guy at their table, but in their minds they practically thinking the same thing; ' That guy is not impressed by the looks of it. Why can't they see that and just leave him alone.' Edward found his respect rising for the two teens that was among the few that had left his family alone when they first had presented themselves for these newer generations.

The last one being introduced was her.

Edward's body went rigid when he saw her. Having made an huge effort -and succeeding- in avoiding her all through the morning classes it had slipped his mind (even if it should have been impossible to accomplish it in the first place) that he would see her during the lunch hour. Now as she sat there smiling at Harry from her place across from him, Edward thought that she seemed next to totally unaffected by their break-up, but than again, maybe she was, maybe he didn't mean nothing to her as she had said that afternoon. After all she had been unfaithful to him, with the dog of all beings. It was just his immortality that had attracted her into be with him. The same immortality that he had refused to grant her for the sole reason of wanting to save her soul from being destroyed for all eternity.

As he sat there, watching his mate, he discovered another reason for denying Isabella what she had wanted. It was because deep down he had known that she was not his true destined mate, therefor she had been deemed unfit by the vampire within him. But Harry... Harry was an ideal mate for the vampire. He would be the perfect mate to stand next to him, be his submissive.

Had he turned Isabella when she first had asked him to, he would have been stuck with her for a long while, he probably wouldn't have spared Harry a single glance with or without Alice's vision of him. And Isabella would only have held him back. So now, after some weeks of misery he was fine with being rid of her. He felt a kind of freedom that was new in his whole existence.

He was broken away from his own mind by the angelic voice of the very person his thoughts had been about, Harry had just asked the same question she had on her first day.

"Who are they?" The voice sounded like a melody, a very beautiful melody which he couldn't wait to get to play on his piano. Jessica, who was the one to answer, on the other hand had a very different tune to her voice; it was shrill and loud, which was very unpleasant on his over-sensitive eardrums. And the constant giggling was (if possible) even worse.

Edward took a inhumanly quick look around their table and noticed the tell-tale signs that his sibling was listening in on the ongoing conversation as well. Not that it was particularly hard for them to miss it.

"That's Edward, Emmett and Alice Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. They moved here three years ago, last year they moved away again. And now they're back. Apparently they didn't like the school."

Edward detected a jealous undertone in Stanley's response. It was barely there and obviously not meant to be picked up on.

At the interested look on his mate's face Edward couldn't help but wondering what Harry was thinking about, but as he tried to locate the thoughts belonging to his unnaturally angelic voice in the sea of young minds, he found nothing but a strange hissing sound with a few words thrown in. It was strange, even more so than the mind of Isabella, who he couldn't hear at all. He could feel himself getting frustrated, and by the quick glance his brother shot at him, Jasper felt it to.

"I don't hear him the same way I hear all others. It's like he's... thinking in some sort of secret language," he told his siblings ",I can not make anything out except for some words here and there,"

The frustration was taken out on the bagel in his hands. It made him feel a bit better, after having been tearing it apart into small insignificant pieces. But he was still worried.

His brothers and sisters were watching him, Rosalie with a glare and stiff posture.

"You sure? Your power isn't malfunctioning or anything?" the humor in Emmett's voice did nothing to ease Edward's worry for his mate, in fact it only increased it. If his ability was indeed malfunctioning, then how was he supposed to be able to protect his mate against possible attackers? Or against anything remotely dangerous. It would surely be very difficult.

As he once more focused on the talk of Stanley, the topic had moved along a bit, they were now talking about Esme, and having Rosalie and Jasper in the same in the same room when that happens was never a good thing.

Keeping an eye on his blonde sister he saw how she was glaring at the table which housed the teens as if wishing to set on fire. Her stature, if possible, had became even stiffer. Rosalie was very protective of Esme, they all were.

OoO

As Harry left through the door leading outside, all they could do was look in that direction. Had he really just stood up for their supposedly mother without having met her? It seemed unbelievable, but they had seen it with their own eyes.

"He have some serious anger issues." he heard Stanley say. And even if it angered him to do it, he couldn't help but to agree with her, just a little bit. According to Jasper's thoughts Harry did have problems with controlling his emotions. Maybe Edward himself also could be of use to his mate, so that it wasn't only he who would take comfort and strength from Harry, Harry could take from him as well.

It was an encouraging thought, that he may actually be need for more than just his mind-reading abilities. He knew that his family loved him, but sometimes...

It just wasn't enough.

He needed something more...

He needed Harry.

And he would get him.