I'm so glad that I can finally give you the next in the series. Just know I've already started reading Book Six so that I may start as soon as possible.

Thanks must go out to my team. My pre-reader Pienuniek and my Beta Alice's White Rabbit. I would be lost without the pair of you, truly.

I don't own Twilight, or Harry Potter, I'd be a richer person if I did. But I do so love to create my own places for them out in the world.

See you at the bottom ...

Chapter Two – Summer Part II

A few days after returning from Diagon Alley, we received word from James. He was ready to show us the house his parents had once called home. He hadn't been back since they had both passed away, and he had to build up the courage to face the memories he would relive once he returned home.

Because of the spells and enchantments that James had placed on his parents' home, we would be unable to travel there via floo powder or even to apparate, if we were able to. Potter Mansion was completely unfindable on any maps.

"Are you going to?" Bella's voice spoke from beside me. We were currently driving toward the coordinates that James had given us for his house.

"Huh? Going to what?"

"To learn how to apparate with the twins?" The question was asked with a complete "duh" tone, and I could hear Alice and Jasper sniggering in the back seat

I shrugged, nodded, then shook my head. "I don't know, Bella. I only received the invite yesterday. I thought we'd be taking all these steps together. I'm not sure I want to do it without you."

"Edward." Bella sighed with exasperation. "You need to do this. If, no, when you're able to do this, you'll be able to do side-by-side apparition with me. And when I reach seventeen, you can teach me how to apparate. You'll be better than the teachers will be."

I thought about what she was saying. And Bella was right. This was something I could do, even if she couldn't yet. "All right, yes. When the twins go for their apparition test, I'll go with them."

Bella squealed and leaned over the console to kiss my cheek. "I can't wait to apparate with you!"

"I think it will come in handy later on, too, Edward," Alice said from the back seat.

"How so, darlin'?" Jasper asked.

"I don't know. Just a feeling." Alice shook her head. "I haven't seen anything, but if I do, I'll let you know."

We were quiet for the rest of the drive, contemplating what Alice could mean. We were all confused, however, when we arrived at the coordinates James had given us and all we could see were some old ruins.

"This can't be the Potter Mansion, surely …" Alice murmured.

Bella and I smiled at each other. We'd seen this kind of hiding before. The first year we went to Hogwarts. We had to be shown the way along Hogsmeade station and down to the shore of the Black Lake where some small boats were. As we got closer to Hogwarts, the ruins we had seen from the train became a castle; from there, our first year at Hogwarts began.

From the shape of the ruins, I could well imagine what the house would have looked like. With its high vaulted ceilings, open floor design, and what could be considered turrets, the house would have been stunning.

James—not in his Shane disguise—Sirius, Harry, as well as the Weasleys, were all waiting on us to arrive.

"Where's everyone else?" Carlisle asked, stepping out of his car.

James looked around at all of us gathered there before he spoke. "I thought it might be easier …" on me … "if it was just us here today. I'd feel more comfortable getting started with only a small number."

I snickered as I thought about his small number. James's small number included seven of the nine Weasleys—because Percy was at work, and Ron chose not to come—eight Cullens including Bella, as well as Hermione, Neville, Harry, and Sirius. So, there were twenty of us total. If this was his small number, I'd hate to see what he considered a lot.

"Um … how exactly are we going to hold meetings in a set of ruins?" Alice asked again, only this time, it was directed at James.

James looked around at us. He could see that several members of our family were confused about what was happening. "For most of us here, young and old, we were introduced to the type of magic here through our arrival at Hogwarts as students. I can see that even though all of you have been to Hogwarts, you haven't had the same introduction that we had. So, Alice and Rose, can you come here and hold either of my hands. Once everyone is inside, I'll explain how it works."

Those who had never seen what happened watched intently as Alice and Rose took the James' hands and walked toward the ruins. There was no noise, no voices, and no thoughts after the three of them entered the space where Potter Mansion lay. What was funny was the gasps of shock when one moment the three of them were there, then the next, they had disappeared into thin air. There were snickers all around as Bella joined Hermione and Ginny to catch up on the last few days.

Jasper dawdled over to me, crossed his arms, and looked at me from the corner of his eyes. Fidelius charm?

"I believe so. It's the only one that makes sense really," I replied with a nod.

A few minutes after James had disappeared, he reappeared. There was no sound to show that he had stepped out of a spell. He was just gone one minute and there the next.

"So … who's next?" he asked with a smile. He couldn't help but laugh as several hands shot into the air. Although, most of those were from the ones who hadn't experienced the reveal at Hogwarts.

I stood and chatted with Jasper as James guided the others into Potter Mansion.

"Ready, Edward? You're the last one," James asked as he stepped back out.

I placed my hand on his shoulder, turning him around in the process. "Let's go. I can't wait to see what house you don't want to live in."

"There is a reason for that."

"I know. And it's probably a really good one. But considering the size of these ruins, it had to be some house."

James just shrugged and took a few steps forward. Once we'd walked through the barrier of the Fidelius charm, the change was almost startling. The outside was crumbling away, with the roof and most of the walls missing. But after stepping through that barrier? My God, was it beautiful.

The house itself was made of stunning sandstone blocks with slate tiles on the roof. But what made it stand out from many of the other mansions and estates around Ottery St. Catchpole was the fact that it was almost covered from top to bottom in the most beautiful, colored ivy. There were reds, greens, and browns. This is what I thought a real English mansion should look like. Not that Swan Manor wasn't home—because our house was stunning, and I loved it—but this is what I had imagined all my life. There were stained glass windows in pertinent places throughout the lower floors

"This house is gorgeous, James. How long has it been in your family?"

James went on to explain that it was built by his ancestors, members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, before they were removed due to their relationships with muggles and because Potter was a decidedly muggle name. Kind of ridiculous, if you ask me.

Stepping into the foyer was like stepping back in time. More so than when we walked into Bella's house. Her home held the heirlooms that had been in the Swan family for generations, but the house hadn't been—Charlie bought it when he settled down with Renee. Around this mansion, you could feel that it was steeped in family history for many, many generations. There was a curving staircase on either side of the foyer, leading up to the higher levels with hallways going off in opposing directions. A table was placed in the center of the foyer with a grand flower vase with wilting flowers. There were rooms off to either side of the foyer—one that looked like a formal living room, and the other was like a formal dining room.

From what I could see around me, it seemed that the home had been well cared for in the absence of anyone living there. But I could also see that while it had been cared for, there was room for improvement or, at least, help.

"C'mon, Edward. The rest are this way," James said, leading the way behind the wall placed behind the table in the foyer to a corridor that led the way through the back of the house to the kitchen.

I could hear the chatter and laughter from the group of people I had come to think of as part of our ever-changing, ever-expanding family. And I found exactly what I had thought I would find when I stepped into the kitchen, only with one difference. My girl was down on her knees, talking to not only the Potter family house elves–who seemed to have stayed—but what seemed to be their children. Two little elves who couldn't be more than a foot, foot and a half tall. They were tiny but absolutely adorable.

"Bella …" I sighed. I could see it all in her eyes. "Just, no. They need to stay here with their family."

Laughter broke out around the kitchen where everyone was having glasses of lemonade while Bella looked at me over her shoulder. She was all wide eyes and innocence.

"I wasn't." She gave me her big, innocent doe eyes, the ones that meant that butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. I crossed my arms and just stared at her. "Really!" The snickers continued while Bella tried to convince me. It didn't take long before a smile spread across her face, and she burst into laughter. "Okay … maybe I was. But I wouldn't really because they do need their mummy and daddy."

I rolled my eyes because she would take them all home if she could. "Mmhmm. So have we doled out assignments yet?"

"No, Edward." Esme snickered once more. "We were waiting for you and James. But I think it might be wise to investigate first to see what we're up against."

James was nodding. "No doubt there are a lot of interesting creatures that have taken up residence, regardless of the fact that Zakbey and his family have done the best they can to maintain it."

The house elf in question tilted his head slightly in recognition before guiding his family forward. "Zakbey would like to introduce his family. Zakbey's wife Posney. Zakbey's son Mopby and Zakbey's daughter Minkey."

"It's good to see that you have had company all these years Zakbey, and it's a pleasure to meet you all," James said as he looked at the elf with affection. "You have done a good job these last years. But we're here to help you get this place clean and ready once more. This old house will be used for The Order of the Phoenix. Voldemort has returned."

You could see the reactions within the older two elves. They had obviously been around the last time Voldemort had been in power.

"Zakbey would appreciate the help. Many creatures have moved in in your absence."

I could see the different creatures in Zakbey's thoughts. I turned to James and spoke before he could. "Maybe we should invite Newt to join us. He would be interested in a few. What is it that your family became famous for?"

"What makes you say that?" James looked at me sharply.

"The house, James. It's elaborate, beautiful, and I can feel that it has a purpose. It radiates through me."

Sirius snorted before bursting into laughter. "I'm not surprised about that."

James smirked at Sirius's reaction. "No, neither am I. I'll show you once we're outside. For now, let me show you around. I also agree, once we find out what we're dealing with, I'll invite Newt myself."

"Then lead the way, my good man," Emmett said from his spot at the table. "I want to get a good look at this place."

There were several snickers as James shook his head and walked out the way we came. He led us through the entirety of the bottom floor, showing us the formal and informal family rooms, a formal and informal dining room—which we had been in before—the kitchen, and surprisingly, a ballroom.

"Oh, this room is so pretty," Hermione whispered as she explored the stage where the band would have once played. "Did you have many balls here when you were younger?"

"We did." James nodded. "My grandparents and parents hosted many parties even though they were removed from the Sacred Twenty-Eight. They were leaders of our community, and many looked up to them. But they didn't host them as a showing of wealth. A lot of the time, it was the overlooked poorer families who were invited to their balls. They held their balls to share their wealth, to care for the fellow neighbors, and to give back to the community they loved being a part of."

"That's wonderful, James. It would be a nice thing to start again," Esme murmured.

James sighed. "Maybe one day."

After the girls had thoroughly inspected the ballroom, James led us back to the foyer and up the stairs. The second floor was predominately the Potter family's extensive library—which was vast and very old—as well as an expansive potions room. While it wasn't as large as the library, this room wasn't hidden either. There were cupboards and shelves lining the room that held jars, bottles, and instruments. In the center of the floor were three large brass cauldrons sitting on top of stove-like appliances instead of open fires.

"This should give you an idea, Edward, of what James's family was within the wizarding community," Sirius stated as he wandered around the room, touching things. Sometimes, he would stop and gaze into a jar before moving on. James, however, was looking out one of the large windows to the backyard.

"It does. They were potioneers. This room is amazing. I'm kind of jealous actually." I couldn't believe there was a room like this. Mine was well laid out, but it was nowhere near as large as this one.

James snickered at me. "They were. My family could be traced back to Ignotus Peverell of the Peverell brothers."

I saw several mouths drop open at the name, but it was Bella who spoke. "As in the tale of the three brothers?"

Sirius laughed again, but James nodded. "One and the same. But it was my great-great-great-great grandfather on my father's side that—while vague and absent-minded—was depended on for many medicinal potions. And as such, he created many potions still used in the wizarding world today. Like Skele-gro and Pepperup potion."

This time it was my mouth that dropped open. His family members were legends in the potion's community. But before I could say anything, Emmett interrupted. "Wait, wait, wait, wait! Back the truck up. What tale are you talking about? And how is this Peverell fellow famous?"

"Honestly, do you not read?" Hermione's hands flew up in the air and smacked on her thighs. "Wait here."

Laughter followed her out of the door as she ran off toward the library. Bella came over and wrapped her arms around my waist, just resting her head on my chest, not saying anything. Fred and George were inspecting the different ingredients still lying about in the potions room. Neville and Harry were holding their own conversations while Arthur, Molly, Esme, and Carlisle started their own while waiting for Hermione.

"Ah huh! Got it!" Hermione yelled from the library before I heard her running back toward the potions room. "The tale of the three brothers is written as what muggles would call a fairy tale. Something that may or may not have happened, that may or may not be true, or have any semblance of truth." Hermione opened the book to the correct page and began reading.

"Three brothers, traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight reached a deep and treacherous river where anyone who attempted to swim or wade would drown. Learned in the magical arts, the brothers conjured a bridge with their wands and proceeded to cross.

"Halfway through the bridge, a hooded figure stood before them. The figure was the enraged spirit of Death, cheated of his due. Death cunningly pretended to congratulate them and proceeds to award them gifts of their own choosing.

"The eldest brother, a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence. Death granted his wish by fashioning the Elder Wand from the branch of a nearby elder tree standing on the banks of the river. The second brother, an arrogant man, chose to further humiliate death and asked for the power to resurrect the deceased from the grave. Death granted his wish by crafting the Resurrection Stone from a stone picked from the riverbank. The third and youngest brother, who was humble and wise, did not trust Death and asked him for something to enable him to go forth without Death being able to follow. A reluctant Death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Invisibility Cloak."

My eyes shot to James, who was already looking at me. He nodded, just once, to answer the question that must have been all over my face.

Hermione continued without noticing the exchange. "The three brothers took their prizes and soon went their separate ways.

"The eldest brother travelled to a village where a wizard, whom he had quarreled with, lived. He sought out a duel and fought the wizard using the wand, instantly killing the latter.

"Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the eldest brother walked to an inn not far from the dueling site and spent the night there. Taken by his conscience and lust of the Elder Wand's power, the eldest brother boasted of this wand gifted by Death and his own invincibility. That very night, Death transfigured to a murderous wizard. The unknown wizard crept to the inn as the eldest brother slept, drunk from wine. The wizard slit the brother's throat for good measure and stole the wand. That was when Death took the first brother.

Emmett looked at me, surprise on his face. This is a children's book?

I shrugged.

"The second brother returned to his home where he lived alone. Turning the stone thrice in his hand, the figure of the girl he once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him, much to his delight. Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there, and she suffered. Finally, the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, committed suicide by hanging from his house's balcony so as to truly join her. That was when death took the second brother for his own."

"Aww, that's sad," Alice and Rose cooed in sympathy for the second brother in the story. Alice continued. "He only wanted the love of his life back."

"It is sad," Hermione agreed. "Shall I finish?"

There were nods all around. Everyone—even those who had heard the story before—had been sucked into the retelling.

"Death searched for the younger brother as years passed but never succeeded. It was only when the third brother reached a great age, he took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. Greeting Death as an old friend, they departed this life as equals."

"So, your ancestor cheated death?" Jasper asked.

James laughed, as did Molly and Arthur. "That's the story," he answered. "But nobody knows how true it is. Sure, his brothers died, one early, the other committing suicide, but that is the only nugget of truth I could ever find." The invisibility cloak is a closely guarded family secret. Only you, Bella, Remus, and Sirius know about it at this point. I don't want the others to know.

I nodded again, causing Bella to look up at me. James doesn't want it known that he has the cloak. I kissed her head, nodding slightly, letting her know the answer to her question. Okay. Secret it is.

"And how many things have we seen in the muggle world that should be stories?" Carlisle asked.

"The whole wizarding world is one big story." Esme laughed. "All the things we've seen since entering this world—witches, wizards, dragons—are all stories that hold some kernel of truth in the stories in the muggle world. Why shouldn't this one be true, too?"

"So, do you have it?" Emmett bounced excitedly. "The invisibility cloak? Was it handed down to you?"

Initially, James laughed, but then he sobered. "If I did, don't you think I would have hidden my family underneath it during the last wizarding war?"

Why didn't he? Bella asked in shock, her eyes flying from James to me.

I shrugged subtly but rubbed her hip bone softly. Just a flutter. It was a sign; one we had discussed previously. We had devised a series of them so I could talk to her silently in a room full of people. This one let her know that I would fill her in later.

With that question from James, the mood shifted, so instead of discussing this further, James led us out of the room and to the only door left on this floor. This room was located at the turret end of the house.

"This room belonged to my parents and, as such, should be considered as the master bedroom of the house," James said before he reached out and turned the handle.

I was just about to tell James not to open it because I could hear the fluttering of wings from the other side, but I was too late. As soon as he opened the door, what seemed like hundreds of purple-brown bodies flew at us. I pulled Bella behind me because the last time we'd gone up against these damn things, she'd been bitten.

James pulled the door closed as fast as he could, managing to shut it before any of them escaped.

"Well that answers that question," Fred said. "The first creature we came up against happened to be a Doxy. Who bet that?"

Bella and I couldn't help but laugh because it was so like them. And then I laughed harder when Emmett's hand shot up into the air. "Me, me! I did. I won that one."

"Emmett!" Esme exclaimed while Molly admonished with a "Fred! George!"

With chuckles all around, we left that room to continue exploring the mansion. Bella was wondering what else we would find within its walls. And she wasn't the only one.

I ranged my hearing out, trying to determine what other kind of creatures we would encounter only to hear many voices on many different wavelengths. There were too many to determine what exactly they were.

We chatted lightly as we made our way up a different set of stairs to the third floor.

"This floor is all bedrooms and bathrooms. My room is up here, plus many more." James gave Sirius a look that I didn't bother to identify. I'm sure we would find out eventually. "And then up that set of stairs is the attic. Which is full of just stuff. When you've had five generations—six if you include me—living here, we tend to accumulate stuff."

Several of the Cullens snickered because if it was one thing we knew, it was that over time, stuff just turns up. After the amount of times we had moved around in the muggle world, we tended to leave the non-important furniture and things in the houses and only took what we needed.

I noticed that many of the rooms had their doors closed except for two. But after exploring them, we only found some Cornish Pixies and a large wardrobe that rattled. Without opening it, we determined that it held a Boggart. That was definitely one for Newt Scamander. We did owe him one after all, considering we accidentally destroyed his during our finals for third year.

"This is my room," James said as he stepped inside the first open door. His room was decorated like any normal teenage boy's room. He had flags of his favorite quidditch teams, moving posters of his favorite players, and a large Hogwarts pennant hanging above the head of his bed. It seemed that this was one of the rooms Zakbey and his family were able to keep clear of pests or magical creatures.

"This is a nice bed," Hermione said as she looked around. "I always wanted a four-poster bed. They seem so elegant."

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Esme asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "We would have gotten one for you."

Hermione sniffled. "You were kind enough to take me into your family after mine went south. I didn't think I had a right to ask for anything more."

"Oh, sweet girl." Esme wrapped her up in a hug. "You can ask for whatever you want. Never be afraid to."

Esme hug caused her to burst into tears.

Did you know she felt this way? Bella asked, looking at our sister with tears in her eyes.

"No," I whispered in shock. "She hid that surprisingly well." We watched as Esme escorted Hermione out of the room and turned toward the kitchen. She was going to sit and have a cup of tea with her to sort out her feelings. "I'm sure by the time we get home, Mom will have an order for a new bed."

There were several snorts around the room. All in agreement because we all knew what Esme was like.

"Will she really? Just like that? No saving or scrimping?" Ginny asked.

Molly smiled. "Thanks to Alice selling my jumpers in her store, we might not have to scrimp and save for much anymore either, Ginny. But I'm sure the Cullens have had decades to amass the money they have."

"We have." Jasper nodded. "And we could show you how to create wealth in the muggle world that will help in the wizarding one." Jasper paused at Molly and Arthur's shocked faces. "I honestly don't know why we didn't do that before."

"I'm not sure we would have accepted before," Arthur stated quite bluntly. "But I think it's definitely something we'd be amenable to now."

"Good," Carlisle said. "We'll help with that. Shall we finish the tour? I'm pretty sure I hear something rattling around in the attic."

"Probably a ghoul," I replied offhandedly, causing many of our family members to look at me in shock as we stepped back into the corridor and toward the only other open room, which happened to be in the turret. "What? It's not like we don't have ghosts at Hogwarts. Why is it so shocking that they might be elsewhere too?" Emmett and Jasper shrugged while Alice and Rose just nodded in agreement. "Why didn't you have this room, James? Isn't it bigger?"

"It is, yeah. But I spent all year in the circular rooms of Gryffindor Tower, the last thing I wanted when I got home was to be in another round room."

That made sense, I suppose. Although, I'd never thought of it like that before. Probably because Bella's and my room was a large square shape. Bella stopped dead in front of me after stepping into the room. I could tell from her thoughts that she was rather confused. So, I had a look around to see what was causing it. What I found made no sense to me either.

"Uh, Sirius, dude, didn't you have your own house? With your own room?" Emmett blurted out, seeing the same things I did. There were pictures with him and some of his family. Posters of the quidditch teams he supported and more Gryffindor memorabilia than I had ever seen before.

There was a large, somewhat sad sigh from the man we had come to think of as family. We watched as he stepped forward and ran his fingers along the bedspread and over some of the items placed on the bedside table. It wasn't until he turned to face us that he spoke. "I did grow up in that house in London. The one we cleaned out before. I'm sure I don't have to remind you of the room in that house with the family tree. The one with some of the faces burnt off?"

Esme and Hermione stepped back into the room as several heads shook "no". That room had been disturbing.

"My mother was a believer in the purity of the wizarding world. In the pure blood lines. 'No tainting the blood,' she would say. And that only intensified when Voldemort came into power. The more he grew, the stronger her belief. So much so that she would eviscerate the face of anyone who went against his rhetoric." Sirius paused as he looked around once more. "I was sixteen when I saw what was going on in the world, and I refused to toe the line that she'd laid down. When I spoke out against her, she threw me out of the house with only my wand and the clothes on my back."

"Merlin's beard!" Harry exclaimed. "Where did you go?"

Sirius spread his hands out. "I came here. I was always welcome at the Potters'. I didn't know she'd removed my face from the wall until we went home that first summer. Although, I had expected it. I'm grateful for my friend, my brother. I don't know what would have happened to me if I'd been left to my own devices."

"We would never have abandoned you." James snickered suddenly. "I'm sure my parents would have given Remus a room if he would have accepted. They loved him in spite of his werewolf status. And had they known what Charlie was working on, they would have tried to help create it, as well."

"Of that, I have no doubt." Sirius chuckled. "They loved to spread the love around. All right, time to inspect the gardens."

Chatter broke out as we trooped out of Sirius's room and down to the kitchen. From there we exited the house to an expansive garden with greenhouses—to be expected from potioneers—and a lake. It seemed the Potters couldn't do anything halfway.

"Oh, we need one of those at Swan Manor," Bella murmured. "I do miss being able to swim."

"If you're awake when swimming, will you grow a fin? Turn into an actual mermaid?" Fred asked, seemingly out of nowhere. He hadn't even been thinking about it. It seemed both Fred and George were wondering what ingredients they could gather before their mother found out.

Bella stopped, stared at Fred like he had two heads, then burst into gales of laughter. I couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction.

"I'll take that as a no …" he grumped before moving off to the low hedges that ringed the garden.

Neville shook his head before wandering off toward the greenhouses. That was his area of expertise after all. Jasper followed along with him. They had set up the greenhouses at Swan Manor, so they would be the best bet to explore what kind of plants were inside.

"Looks like you have a gnome infestation!" Fred called from his place at the hedges. "We have holes like this all around the Burrow."

"Ooooh fun. We can see how far we can throw them." George cheered excitedly as he ran toward his twin.

Charlie snorted. "I don't know if that's fair seeing that Emmett, Jasper, and Edward can probably throw farther than any of us!"

"Probably? Probably? How about most definitely. There is no way you'll ever throw farther than me!" Emmett stated, flexing his muscles and making the girls giggle at him and Rose to roll her eyes.

"Count me out," I said, walking away from everyone except Bella. She had a hold of my hand and wasn't letting go. "I want to see what else is hanging around."

Everyone split after that, heading in their own directions. Bella and I walked toward the lake while Esme, Molly, Hermione, and Ginny decided to explore the flower gardens. Carlisle went back inside to catalogue everything in the potions room while Sirius and James decided to talk more to Zakbey and find out what had happened in the years since James had sealed up Potter Mansion.

"What do you think we're going to find?" Bella asked as we stepped to the edge of the lake.

I shrugged. "I have no idea. But if the Potters were the great portioners I think they were, then there could be untold ingredients here." I waved my hand around. "For all I know, there could be ingredients that are extinct everywhere else. I'm hoping James will allow me access to what he has here. Imagine all the things I could create."

"Depending on what's here, of course."

I laughed. "Of course."

For the rest of the day, we explored around the mansion encountering many different creatures. In the pond, we found Plimpies. A small round magical fish that has two legs and webbed feet. Their eyes have been used in potions for centuries, so I wasn't surprised to find them there. I also found different species of frogs, some ducks, and even a couple of Australian Platypuses. There were more water-dwelling creatures than I ever thought possible, some I wasn't even sure even got along in the wild. There weren't just the creatures in the pond; it was also filled with all manner of water plants. Ranging from freshwater seaweed–I thought I saw Gillyweed sticking up from some rocks; I'd have to ask Neville–to coral and water lilies.

Out farther into the garden was a grove of Horklumps. Another ingredient used in potions. These were mushroom-shaped creatures that were pink in color with black bristles. Fred and George laughed when they explained that they weren't surprised to find them because gnomes loved to eat them. So, wherever a large grove of them appeared, so would the gnomes.

All of these weren't even the best find of the day. At the back of the house and gardens lay the forest that surrounded this area. It was something that connected the Burrow, Potter Mansion, and Swan Manor. Just inside the tree line was a beautiful Cherry tree. This tree wasn't just an ordinary tree. The Cherry tree had become home to a whole community of Bowtruckles, making this tree perfect for wand wood.

"Newt would have a field day here," I murmured, watching the Bowtruckles move around, tending to the tree.

"He really would. Lots of magical creatures to add to his collection. But you're envious of this"—Bella waved her hand around—"aren't you?"

"A little, yes. I won't deny that. I would love to do this at Swan Manor."

"Why can't we? Obviously not right now. We're not there for eighty percent of the year, but when we're finished with school. There's nothing that says we can't."

I thought about it and realized Bella was right. We had the space, and it wasn't like we couldn't expand what we had. "Guess I won't have to covet it for much longer. Will I?"

Bella shook her head. She was about to say something when she was interrupted by Sirius calling our names. We both spun to look at him.

"I think you guys need to come and see what we've found in the center of the labyrinth!"

Bella and I stood and followed along behind Sirius.

"Labyrinth?" I asked just as Bella thought, I've not seen Sirius this excited before. We both laughed together before Bella continued answering my question. Why not? Surely, there were muggles who had houses with labyrinths and all sorts of stupid things.

"Well, yes. The rich and famous probably have ridiculous things like that," I agreed. "But considering the stance that most wizards take about the dark arts and flaunting your wealth, I'm surprised this place has this much."

Bella shrugged. "Do you think they're flaunting it, considering what James told us about his family earlier?"

I thought about how the Potters seemed to share the wealth. How they looked after their fellow wizards and witches. It was more like they were running a charity instead of flaunting what they had. "No. No, it didn't seem like that at all."

"Come on, you two! This is important!" Sirius shouted from the entrance to the labyrinth.

"Race you!" I yelled back before bobbing down in front of Bella. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's get there before he does."

Bella giggled as she climbed on, and then laughed even harder when I didn't enter the labyrinth like Sirius had done. Instead, I jumped up onto the top of the maze wall and used my speed to move along the walls, making my way to the center.

"You damn cheater!" Sirius grunted as he ran into a dead end. "How am I supposed to compete with that?"

I laughed, loudly. "I'm sure you can figure out something. You're a wizard, after all."

It didn't take long for him to transfigure into his animagus form and use his enhanced sense of smell to guide his way back through the labyrinth. We still beat him to the center, but it was a close race.

"What is that?" Bella asked as she slid down my back to get a closer look.

"It looks like a giant geode. It's a circular rock that's hollow but lined with crystals," I explained when Bella looked at me confused. "I wonder what it's doing here though."

"Right now, the gnomes are making their home inside it," George said, walking around the right side.

"We'll need to remove them and get it cleaned out before we can get a good look at it," Fred continued as he walked around the left.

Even though it was covered in the same ivy that the house had been, I reached out to lay my hand on it, only to find that while the surface was pockmarked, it was actually quite smooth. I ran my hand over it, feeling a sense of power, until I came to the side facing the south. This side was completely open, and the most stunning-colored crystals were laid out around the inside. It started with a white rim which changed to green, then blue, then purple, and even a pale pink as it came together in the center.

The gnomes had lined the inside with all manner of greenery they could find to make it softer and more hospitable.

"What do you think it's doing here? In the centre of the labyrinth?" Bella asked as she came around to my side. "Oh, wow. I bet that looks stunning when it's all clean." She reached out to touch the crystals but stopped a few inches beforehand. Do you feel that? The power emanating from it?

I nodded. "I think as well as a visit from Newt, we also need Opi to explain this."

Sirius stepped up behind me. "You thinking it has something to do with the journal of Godric Gryffindor?"

"I wouldn't be surprised."

~*~UHS~*~

I sighed as I stepped into our suite at Swan Manor from the fireplace. Learning to apparate was a lot harder than I'd anticipated. And the side effects from not doing it properly were downright scary. Splinching? The act of leaving clothes or body parts behind from an unsuccessful apparition. Yeah … that freaked me out when I heard it before I even wondered whether it was possible because I was a vampire.

So far, I had managed to apparate from one end of the room, at the Ministry where it was taught, to the other. But I couldn't believe how tired it made me feel. I was having to have a goblet of dragon's blood every second day to counteract the tiredness I felt.

It had been a week since the others had started cleaning out Potter Mansion. Fred, George, and I had been able to help for the first couple days, but an owl had come for us on the third day—before we had left—advising us that classes were to start that day at ten. We had to be there or wait another year for the instructors to be available.

I was late returning home today as I had stopped by The Masen Consortium of Printing to see how Remus was holding up on his own. Things were running smoothly, and "Operation Move The Daily Prophet" had begun. It wouldn't be long before we had better access to it so that we could insert The Truth without anyone's knowledge. I was even able to meet the man responsible for helping us out. He was ever so grateful for our help that he kept thanking me. It wasn't until I told him that it was Remus's idea that he stopped.

Everyone was home from Potter Mansion and were sitting or playing outside, including the Weasleys and their famous cousin Ed. As I walked through the kitchen, I picked up the goblet Kreacher had left me and walked to stand at the kitchen door. The "adults" were sitting on the deck furniture while Bella and the other "children", including Emmett and Jasper, were playing with the menagerie of animals we had collected over the years. All of our owls, the unicorns, the flying puppies that I had given Bella for Christmas one year, and my Kneazle. It certainly was a loud group.

Ed was sitting on the garden wall, strumming his guitar with no real music in mind. He was just playing what he felt. But suddenly, that was all I could hear; all I could feel. And I wanted to share that with Bella. I placed my goblet down on the counter, toed off my shoes and socks, and walked to Ed. He looked up as I approached. "Can you play 'Thinking Out Loud' for me please?"

"Nah, I don't know that song." Ed snorted sarcastically before getting a real good look at my face. Something there must have clued him in to what I was feeling. "Yeah, sure, Edward. No problem."

"Thank you," I breathed before I stepped off and walked out onto the grass. "Bella?" I called softly but catching her attention as the first strains of a song we both loved started.

She looked up and gasped. No doubt at the look on my face, as well as the song, and ran into my arms. "I must look a mess."

"No … darling, you look perfect tonight," I whispered, knowing she'd hear me. Bella looked up at me and blushed. The first in a long time.

"Thank you," she breathed. For the rest of the song, we looked into each other's eyes, and danced barefoot in the grass, listening to Ed croon for us.

It was a perfect moment made even more perfect when Bella stepped up onto her toes and closed the space between us. For a long moment, our lips softly caressed each other before we both opened our mouths and tangled our tongues together for the first time. Nothing but the music penetrated our bubble.

When breathing for Bella became a necessity, I pulled back, and we rested our foreheads together, eyes still closed. At least, until Ed stopped singing. That was when the noise—or lack of—rushed back in. It seemed that in the time after we had started dancing together, everyone else had made themselves scarce.

"Where did everyone go?" Bella whispered.

I listened for the thoughts of our family and the Weasleys and found them over at Em and Rose's house. "It seems they're giving us some privacy. They knew that this moment would be special to us."

"That was really sweet of them. How are you feeling after that kiss?"

"Fine. It was beautiful, and I refuse to feel guilty or think that you were too young. It was all natural and happened on its own. I'm sure there will be times that I'll slip, but this isn't one of them."

Bella smiled. "I'm glad because you're right; that was beautiful. What shall we do now?"

"Hmm." I pretended to ponder as I pulled Bella over to one of the lounge chairs. "How about we see if we can perfect the art of 'making out'?"

Bella giggled. A sound that was usually reserved for girl talk. "Oh, I like the sound of that."

~*~UHS~*~

"Will you be …" small kiss "… coming to …" a deeper kiss "… Potter Mansion later?" Bella kept trying to ask as I kept kissing her.

"Mmmhmm … I'll be there…" I pulled her closer to me to deepen the kiss. After a few minutes, I pulled back. "Will Opi and Newt be there?"

"Y … yeah," Bella stuttered as I placed a kiss under her ear so that she could breathe for a few seconds. "You really should go."

"I don't want to."

"It's the last day of lessons …" Bella breathed through another kiss. "You'll be qualified to apparate on your own."

"I know." I kissed her on the mouth again, deepening it briefly, before speaking once more. "I don't want to go, but I want to be able to apparate with you."

"Me too. We'll be able to go anywhere."

"We'll be able to sneak away … go anywhere … anytime we want." I smirked. "That means we'll be able to find all sorts of places to make out. Except when we go to Hogwarts."

Bella snickered. "There's always the Room of Requirement. I don't need a lot of sleep now, probably less after my birthday." Bella pushed off my chest before taking a step backward. "You really should go," she said, taking steps backward as I stalked her.

"Just one more," I crooned, stretching my steps out as far as I could.

"No!" Bella laughed as she started to run from me. "That's the whole reason you're nearly late in the first place. Get going!"

Bella cracked up laughing as I ran toward her before she bolted away. I chased her all over the house and out into the yard where the rest of the family were waiting with the Weasleys, who were helping at Potter Mansion, where I made a dive to grab her, only to be thwarted by Bella's shield.

"Bella," I whined leaning against her shield. "Kiss me!" I demanded.

Bella shook her head while the others laughed at me. "No!"

"Yes!"

"No!" Bella laughed.

"Yes!" I chuckled because even I thought we were being ridiculous.

Bella shook her head again. "No, you need to get going! Emmett, Jasper, if you please?"

"That's cheating, Bella. Don't …" I growled toward my brothers. "I just want one more kiss! Bella …"

Emmett and Jasper were still laughing as their hands clamped down around my shoulders. They were just about to drag me back toward the house when I felt Bella's shield drop. I was about to lean forward to try to pull them to her when Bella collided with me and planted her lips on mine. "There. You have your 'one more'. Now go to class."

"Yeah … okay," I said as my brothers pulled me back toward the house. I didn't argue; I just let them lead me to the fireplace in the family room.

"You good, Edward?" Jasper asked through a chuckle.

I shook myself out of the daze Bella had placed me under. "Yeah, yes, I'm good. Thank you."

Emmett chuckled as he slapped me on the shoulder. "No problems, little brother. It's good to see you like this. See you later!"

I waved as they walked back outside before grabbing a small handful of floo powder and stepping into the fireplace. With a "Ministry of Magic", I was hurtling toward my destination.

Stepping into the atrium of the Ministry was always an awe-inducing experience. The atrium was a long, splendid hall with gleaming, dark wood floors polished to such a sheen that you could almost see yourself. The ceiling was painted a brilliant peacock blue but was also inlaid with gold symbols that moved and changed as they felt like.

Each side of the atrium was paneled in dark wood, almost the same as the floor. Among the panels were many, many gilded fireplaces. The left-hand side was where the witches and wizards were arriving for work, some looking like they would rather be anywhere else, others like they couldn't find anyplace better. The ones who were dedicated to their jobs. And then there were others like the harried one just stepping out of the fireplace in front of me. Percy was so distracted by the long to-do list in his thoughts that he didn't even hear me call out a hello. He just hurried through the atrium, dodging others left and right. On the opposite side, there were also fireplaces that had lines of witches and wizards excited to leave for the day. Their thoughts full of family and weekend plans, most of which included lounging around, shopping, or visiting their parents.

But with all of that, it's what was in the center that made the whole atrium seem very small in comparison. The large fountain—made of gold, I think—was comprised of several golden statues. Standing in the center, the tallest of them all, was a noble-looking wizard dressed in his finest and pointing his wand into the air. Grouped around him, though, was a beautiful witch, a majestic centaur, a goblin—like those in the bank—and a house elf. Each of the magical creatures were gazing up at the witch and wizard adoringly. Like they were beloved leaders of the magical world.

What made it a true fountain was the water being spouted out of various parts of the statue. Places like the ends of the wands for the witch and wizard. The tip of the arrow that the centaur was holding. The very tip of the hat the goblin was wearing, as well as both ears of the house elf.

It wasn't a description I agreed with at all. Because all magical creatures should be considered equal, especially if they were able to talk, and think, or create magic. It also irked me because I could almost guarantee that they would have me in the same subservient position if they could.

After walking past the fountain, I made my way to the security desk where a bored, badly shaven wizard named Eric, who was wearing robes the same color as the ceiling, was weighing and measuring the wands of all the visiting witches and wizards. Every witch or wizard who is visiting the Ministry must have their wands weighed and measured.

"Hey, Edward," Eric said as he stepped up to me. "Back again?"

"Last day, hopefully." I hand over my wand like I've done every morning since I started coming for my lessons.

"I'll ask Merlin for his help for you today."

I chuckled as Eric ran his wand over me, much like a security wand at the airport, before he deemed me safe to enter. "Thank you. I'd appreciate it."

"Good luck! And let me know what happens on your way out." Eric handed me back my wand but kept the reading the weighing machine spat out.

"Thanks, Eric. See you later." I waved and walked past the desk toward the golden gates that lay at the end of the atrium. Beyond the gates are twenty lifts with wrought golden grilles that take you anywhere you want to go in the Ministry. And I'm not talking just up and down. No, that would be too simple. The magical community has made it so the elevators can also go backward and forward.

From the atrium, though, I rode up. Past the seventh level that held the Department for Magical Games and Sports to the sixth level and the Department of Magical Transportation. Which included the Floo Network Authority, the Broom Regulatory Control, the Portkey Office, as well as the Apparition Test Centre, which was where I was headed.

The whole Ministry of Magic was fascinating to me. The fact that after I'd finished school, I could get a job, have a family, and be able to support them was more than I ever thought I'd be able to have. I mean … as a vampire, having a family was never something that was feasible. At least, until I met Bella and moved into the wizarding world. I still felt the niggling anger when I thought about the fact that Carlisle had kept us from having all of this.

"Edward!" Fred called as I stepped into the testing room. "How goes it, mate?"

The smile that bloomed on my face was involuntary. The latest change in Bella's and my relationship made me happy. We were moving along at a pace that my gentleman side was comfortable with. My vampire was absent. He was patiently waiting for our mate to come of age, then I had a feeling all bets were going to be off.

Fred and George laughed at the look on my face, bringing me back to the present. I couldn't help but chuckle with them because I'm sure it was a sight. "I'm good, boys. Think you're going to pass today?"

They both nodded like bobble-head dolls before George answered, "Yeah. We've been waiting for this since we started showing magic. Apparition is a goal that we'll be completing."

"Then I'll be in good company." I sat down next to them, and we chatted about things until the last of the students, as well as the instructor, filtered in and closed the door.

"Welcome, students, and congratulations on making it this far," the instructor, Wilkie Twycross, said, taking her place at the head of the classroom. "Today is the final day, and the day of your exam. To pass your exam, you must apparate from the front of this class to a location that I will show you, and then return without splinching yourselves or leaving any part of yourself behind.

"If you want to be passed for side-by-side apparition, we will be testing for those after you have passed the singles exam. Are there any questions?"

The class of about twenty students all shook their heads. They were all excited to be able to apparate.

"Good. Then I want you all to come and stand in a line along the front of the classroom. I will walk down the line showing you the picture of the place you are to apparate to, then the exam will begin." Wilkie waited a beat. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

There was a mad scramble as everyone stood from their seats and made their way to the front of the class. Fred, George, and I all stood together in the center of the group with another gentleman, a little older than the twins, standing next to me. He was a nervous fellow who'd had to build up his courage over the last few years before coming to try to get his apparition license.

Wilkie started at the end of the line on the twins' side and silently showed the picture to each of the students. I managed to see a beautiful seaside town where a wizard was waiting for us. As each of the students apparated out of the class, she moved onto the next.

Fred looked down at the photo. "See you on the other side!" he said before he circled out of sight.

George just smiled before he did the same.

Wilkie stood in front of me. She was a petite thing who thought I was handsome. But she'd heard all about Bella on our first day, thanks to Fred and George. They had noticed her preoccupation with me when we walked in, so they'd made it their mission to let her know I was happily taken—by a Veela, no less. This knowledge didn't stop her blush however.

"Ready, Mr. Masen?"

"Yes, Instructor."

"I've asked you to call me Wilkie."

I smiled, just a small quirk of my lips. "It wouldn't be appropriate, considering you're our teacher for apparition."

She sighed before nodding. "Here, take a look at the picture."

I looked down at the seaside picture I'd seen in everyone's thoughts and picked up on the minor details they hadn't seen. Such as the waves crashing in the background, the red shirt the other wizard had on—it was subtle because of the way the sun was positioned—and the pier in the distance.

When I was done, I handed it back to Wilkie. "Thank you; see you in a few minutes." With the picture of the beach in my mind, I spun on the spot before being sucked into the tight tube that meant I was apparating. A few seconds later, I stopped right in front of the wizard in the picture, almost scaring him to death because the others hadn't managed to land that close to him.

"Congratulations!" he cheered. "You have passed the first step in your ex …"

Before he could finish congratulating me, there was another pop. We spun, expecting to find another wizard had successfully apparated, but a painful scream rent the air instead. I could smell blood, which meant that the poor soul may have apparated, but he had also splinched himself. Instead of standing around, I ran over, pulling the extendable first aid kit out of my pocket, to where the person lay, only to find the nervous fellow who had stood next to me in the classroom.

"Izeldor, can you hear me?" I asked as I knelt beside him. Izeldor's eyes rolled open and looked at me. He grimaced but nodded ever so slightly. "I'm going to help you as much as I can before I take you to St. Mungo's. Okay?"

Izeldor nodded again but cried out in pain when I ripped open his shirt to assess the situation. It seemed that he had splinched the shoulder joint when he apparated. The problem was the injury had torn open most of his shoulder and came very close to his carotid artery. It was so bad that he was losing a lot of blood.

"Fred, George, come here and help me." I threw the first aid kit to them. "I need the dittany and any other items you can find to help staunch the flow of blood. Instructor, can you please come here and press your hands to his wound to help slow his blood loss?"

Fred and George threw themselves into the task. Almost tipping the kit upside down until they realized it had an extendable extension charm on it. After that they both dug inside it, pulling out the dittany, bandages, and other things they had learned over the years.

The instructor, who I had learned was named Ilius, knelt beside me and placed his hands over as much of Izeldor's shoulder as he could. The action, of course, caused Izeldor to shout out in pain. But Ilius held on. Ilius knew that Izeldor could die if he lost too much blood.

"What can we do?" Ilius asked.

Moving at vampire speed, I collected several of the things the twins had pulled out. "In the muggle world, I have several medical degrees, and since coming to the wizarding world, I've learned a lot about potions and taking care of magical maladies. I'll do what I can, but we need to get him back to St. Mungo's as soon as possible."

"How are we going to do that? You haven't learned to side-by-side apparate yet. I can't do it, and we're supposed to go back to the ministry," Ilius argued.

I shook my head. "I'll do it because I must. And if we swing by the ministry first, he'll die. Which would you prefer?"

"Fred and I will inform Wilkie at the ministry, Edward. You just take care of Izeldor," George interrupted before Ilius could answer.

I nodded but kept working on stabilizing Izeldor. It didn't take me but a few minutes to, at least, get the blood to stop, but I couldn't heal him completely.

"Ilius, I'm going to need you to hold these two sides together, and I'm going to have to apparate us all to St. Mungo's."

Ilius's mouth dropped but nodded frantically and did as I asked.

"Fred, can you go to the ministry, and, George, I need you to go ahead and warn St. Mungo's, okay?" They both nodded and spun on the spot, disappearing from sight. "You ready, Ilius?"

"As I'll ever be."

I stood from the ground, lifting Izeldor in my arms. "Hold on tight," I said right before I pulled them both into a turn. Without much thought on my part, I apparated all three of us to the lobby of St. Mungo's.

"Edward! Over here!" I heard Carlisle call the second we landed. "Put him down here."

I strode over to Carlisle and the stretcher he had in front of him and several nurses, pulling Ilius along with me. I placed Izeldor onto the stretcher and stepped back, giving them all room to work. I watched for a few minutes before I realized that Ilius was silently panicking next to me.

I spun to face him. "Ilius? You okay?"

"Blood … so much blood. I've never seen anything like it." Ilius's hands were shaking. He was looking at his hands but wasn't seeing them or the blood upon them. He was descending into a panic attack.

"Ilius, I need you to look at me, please?" I reached out to place my hands on his shoulders, but when I saw the blood, I thought better of it. I wasn't quite sure what to do until George's hands clamped down on Ilius's shoulders from behind. I nodded my thanks before I focussed back on the man having the panic attack in front of me. "Ilius, I need you to take some deep breaths. Focus on what I'm doing, okay?"

Ilius nodded, his eyes taking a few seconds to focus on me. But once he did, he tried to match his breathing to mine. It took a few more minutes to finally get his breathing under control, and then a few more to come back down from his panic attack.

"Thank you, Edward," Ilius breathed out. "I'm not sure I could have done that without you, or you, George."

"You're welcome, Ilius. Are you going back to the Ministry, Edward? Or are you going to wait here and see how Izeldor is?" George asked first.

"I'm gonna wait. What about you two?"

"I'm heading back to get Fred, then I'll head home and fill in the others," George replied. He gave a simple wave before disappearing from sight.

"I, too, am going to head back to the Ministry," Ilius replied. "I have a report to write, and I'm going to make sure your license is at Swan Manor before you return home. Not only did you pass your single apparition test, but you also passed the side-by-side one with flying colors. Please, will you let me know how Izeldor is?"

"I'll send word as soon as I know. Thank you, Ilius, for all your help today."

Ilius nodded his head instead of reaching out to shake my hand and twisted on the spot, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I wasn't alone in them for long. A friendly witch came along and gave me something to clean all Izeldor's blood from my hands, and another sat me down with a cup of tea, making sure I wasn't going to go into shock. But the biggest surprise of all was when my girl, my Bella, stepped out of the fireplace and strode over to me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, reaching out for her.

"Fred and George filled us in on what happened. I thought you could use some company. Someone to talk to?" she replied as she sat down on my lap. Bella reached a hand around and starting combing through my hair. Nothing—to date—was more relaxing than that.

For the next little bit while I waited for news on Izeldor, I told Bella all about what happened from my perspective. I hadn't thought about how much effect this would have on me until I was sitting here talking. I hadn't seen blood like that for a long time, but I was relieved to find that I was relatively calm. And the more I sat there talking it out, the calmer I became.

Once we were quiet for a little while, Bella leaned down and gave me a sweet, soft kiss. "Let me be the first to congratulate you on successfully gaining your apparition license, Edward. Well done. And side-by-side, too."

"Huh," I snorted. "I hadn't actually let that sink in. I did it."

Bella smiled. "You did. I'm so proud of you." Bella leaned down and kissed me again. For a few minutes that was all we did. Just soft, sweet kisses, never crossing any boundaries, and never venturing into any uncomfortable PDA, until a throat clearing pulled us apart. We both looked up to see that Carlisle had returned from wherever it was they took Izeldor.

"Sorry to interrupt ..." he started.

"No, you're not," I interrupted.

"You're right; I'm not. That's my daughter you're kissing," Carlisle challenged.

"And she was my mate first."

Carlisle opened his mouth to argue but thought better of it. He knew I was right, so he conceded with a nod. "I thought you would like to know that Izeldor is going to make a full recovery. The healers and nurses are both surprised and grateful at the wonderful job you did in securing him. Well done, son. You saved Izeldor's life today."

"I don't care about that; I'm just glad he's going to be okay. Thank you, Dad."

"You're welcome. You can see him in about half an hour. They're just transferring him to a ward and contacting his family." Carlisle clapped me on the shoulder before he walked away to check on the patient.

"Will you come see him with me?" I turned back to Bella.

"You never have to ask. I'll go with you anywhere."

~*~UHS~*~

Ah ... Bella. She can't help herself can she? I wonder how many critters they'll end up with by the time they graduate?

For those of you who are wondering, Pienuniek and I still have our group on Facebook where I post the teasers. If you haven't joined, you should do so. Bubbleybear & Pienuniek's Story Nook. Come and visit!