I'm so glad that I can finally give you the next in the series. Just know I've already read Book Six and have taken my notes. Now ... I can say that I've started to write!

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. No copyright infringement is intended.

See you at the bottom ...

Chapter Seven ~ Change in Status

Bella went upstairs to change, and to send out notes to the misfits, when we arrived home from the ministry. I was about to follow when Harry's thoughts caught my attention. When I turned to face him, his eyes were pleading with me.

"Please, Edward?"

I nodded before I looked at Neville. "Can you wait in the dining room for the others to arrive?"

"Sure," Neville agreed before he ambled off.

I nodded toward the library before leading that way. I took a seat in one of the chairs and waited for Harry to begin.

"There's a lot riding on my shoulders." Harry sighed as he took the other seat.

"There is," I agreed, tenting my fingers. "But you're not alone."

"No. No, I'm not alone. I have friends; I have family …" Harry trailed off, thinking. "Though I don't have someone I can rely on like you do Bella."

"You could …"

"But is that fair?"

I frowned. Harry was hiding his thought process from me. He had become quite good at thinking about one thing, to really cover up what he was thinking about. "I'm not sure what you mean, Harry."

"I'm going to have to die. To beat Voldemort, to stop him forever, I'm going to have to die. It's what's stated in the prophecy."

"So?"

"If I know I'm going to die, is that fair to put someone through the pain of losing me?"

"Oh, Harry." I shook my head. It seemed that I'd had this conversation before, just with another person in our immediate family. "Is it fair for that person to never know that you want to be with them? Isn't it their choice to be with you?"

"It's still not fair to them if I leave them. When I die."

"We're going to do everything possible. Research every possible way to stop you from having to die. And if we do that, we're giving you the best chance at living beyond this upcoming war. Is it still fair not to even try, to not give this person a choice to love you, if you have the best chance at living?"

Harry went quiet. His thoughts becoming clearer the more he pondered my questions. I stayed quiet and let him think. Eventually, he shrugged. "I don't know, Edward. My head is a mess, and it has been since I figured out what I'm going to have to do. Can I think on this?"

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "Of course, Harry," I urged. "You don't have to have all the answers today … or even tomorrow. Think on it. Just remember that we're all here for you. We're going to fight for you, with you, and we're going to give Voldemort everything we have."

"Thank you." Harry stood just as the fireplace in the family room flared. The thoughts that came through surprised me.

I walked with Harry through to the hallway. One way leading to the family room, the other to the dining room.

"The others should start arriving soon," Bella said as she stepped off the last of the stairs with Hermione at her side. "I sent out the notes before I changed."

I smiled as Draco came into my sight. "It seems the first one is already here. Draco, how are you?" I reached out, shaking his hand.

"Bella, Hermione." Draco nodded in their direction before shaking my hand. "I'm good, my friend. Can we talk? I have something I wish to discuss privately."

I snickered and gave Bella a kiss. "Sure, Draco. We'll come in there shortly, baby."

"Okay, Edward." Bella smiled and followed Hermione. The four of them started chatting quietly.

"Come on, Draco. Let's go into the library."

He was quiet as we made our short trip back into the library. I hoped this conversation was going to be much better than the last two I'd had in here.

"What can I help you with?" I asked as I sat back into my chair.

Draco sighed. "After years of living with what my father wants, I want something for myself."

"What do you want?"

"Ginny." Draco's answer was quick, simple, and to the point. I'd heard in his thoughts that his thoughts had begun to change. "I want to be able to date Ginny."

I smiled. "Then what's this plan of yours?"

"I'm thinking that I tell my dad I'm spying …"

Draco shared the full scope of his plan, discussing the intricacies. He had really thought this through, and I had to agree that it was a fantastic idea.

"When are you going to put this plan into motion? And more importantly, are you going to let Ginny know that while you're serious, you have to pretend sometimes?" I asked when he was finished explaining.

Draco sighed before tipping his head back. He closed his eyes, then rolled his head to look at me. "I'm not sure yet, but I'm thinking I'll start on our way to Hogwarts. On the Hogwarts Express, and yes, I plan to tell Ginny because there may be times when I have to behave like an arse. I don't want to, but I may not have a choice. If she can react to those appropriately, it would make it all the better."

"I think Ginny could do that." I snickered. "She's had to have picked up some things from her brothers or used those emotions to her advantage."

The fireplace flared again as Draco laughed. "Of that I have no doubt."

"Come. She's arrived with the twins. The rest aren't far behind." I stood and started for the dining room. But a thought crossed my mind. "How did you end up here anyway. Your dad should have been home."

Draco snickered. "My mother is brilliant. She was able to connect the fireplace in my bedroom to the floo network without my father knowing. So, while you were at the ministry for Harry, I sent through a message to your fireplace. Bella must have seen it."

I nodded. "Smart."

I couldn't help but snicker when Draco stopped in front of me. Even though I had forewarned him that Ginny was here, he seemed to be stunned into a stupor at the sight of her. Not that I could blame him; I was often stunned stupid by my beautiful girl. I nudged Draco out of the doorway so I could pass by.

Draco eventually said hello to the twins and Ginny. Ginny being last, and his attention stayed on her, which didn't go unnoticed by her brothers. For now, they ignored it, wondering what was going to happen, if anything. And how he would go about it, considering his father.

Eventually, Fleur and Gabrielle joined us from their shopping expedition to Diagon Alley, with Luna in tow. She had run into them after she left The Truth. Luna had been helping her dad write and set up the next edition of the Quibbler before printing.

I was about to bring the meeting to order when Bella told me to wait, that we were waiting on one more. I frowned, looking around at all our friends and family. I couldn't work out who on earth Bella could have invited. I looked over at her to see that she had a faux innocent look on her face. Not that she was holding it really well. Her lip was twitching, and she was watching my reaction from the corner of her eye.

The fireplace flared one more time, causing everyone to stop talking. They all turned to look at me. My mouth dropped open when the thoughts filtered through my mind.

"How, Bella?"

She smiled. "I just asked. He was the one who had the time."

"Where is everyone?" a voice asked from the family room.

There were gasps of shock as Krum's voice filtered through. All the girls got up and rushed into the family room. All of them with a variation of "what are you doing here?" spilling from their mouth.

Krum laughed as they tried to dog pile him. It was nice to see him smile. All the photo's that had been in The Daily Prophet lately showed him back to his scowling expression. After giving all the girls a hug, Viktor plopped down in one of the chairs.

"So, what's been happening?" he asked with a smile.

Oh, the floodgates opened. We'd kept in contact with Viktor over the summer, but we only told him bits and pieces. As he was here in front of us, we were able to give him and in-depth retelling.

He listened patiently as everyone gave their own opinions from over the summer. But his mouth dropped open when I spoke until he couldn't help but ask a question. "So, wait!" Viktor held his hands up with a laugh. "You not only passed your apparating exam, but you did it, saved a man's life, and passed the side-by-side apparition all at the same time?"

"Over achiever!" the twins yelled good-naturedly, causing everyone to laugh.

I sighed, looking around at my friends, those I considered family. "Yes, Viktor. I did it all at once. What else was I supposed to do? Let him die?"

"No!" Viktor laughed again. "I wouldn't have expected anything less. It's you. So, what happened to him afterward?"

Bella snorted. "We recruited him! What else?"

Raucous laughter broke out from around the table. It did seem that we managed to make friends with people who could be recruited.

"No!" I chuckled. "We didn't just recruit him. He became my friend first. Bella and I visited him in St. Mungo's. We found he had a hard life, so we helped him. He came to stay here for a while where we found we had some things in common."

"Oh, yeah, like what?" Viktor was fascinated by the story. He was leaning forward, his arms on the table.

"Potions, for one." I went on to explain everything that had happened after that and how he became part of the Order.

"Sounds like you guys have been busy," Viktor said, noting that with those words the atmosphere in the room shifted. "What happened today? Why the meeting?"

"Ugh." Harry groaned. "It was a cluster from start to finish."

I couldn't help but chuckle. Harry had been hanging around Emmett a lot during this summer, and you could tell through his expanding vocabulary.

Harry smirked at me. "I honestly think if Fudge could have gotten away with it, I would have been expelled without any sort of defense at all."

"What? Why? How?" Viktor's mouth fell open. He was shocked at Harry's accusation.

It took us almost an hour to explain everything that happened, including giving Viktor a show of the memovisum to show him the more pertinent parts.

"Huh. That was really something. But who was Fudge talking to at the end there?"

"That was my father," Draco growled. "And also, a former, and current, Death Eater to Lord Voldemort."

"Ohhhh," Viktor groaned. "From the graveyard, right?"

"Right." I nodded. "But we called this meeting to let everyone know what was happening and to discuss our next steps."

"Wait!" Viktor held up his hands. "Did you hear anything from him?"

I shook my head. "Not a damn thing. All he was thinking about was what Fudge was telling him and what he was going to do when he got home." I grimaced, as did Draco, who rubbed his shoulder.

Ginny reached over to hold Draco's fisted hand that had stayed resting on the table. His hand immediately relaxed, and he laced his fingers with Ginny's. The squeal from Bella caused me to wince.

Sorry, Edward, Bella thought. I heard your conversation with both Harry and Draco. It seems Draco is going to go forward with his plan. Do you think Harry will make a move?

I shrugged. I hoped so, but he really didn't know what to think yet.

There were sighs around the room, but this time, it was Fred who spoke. "Okay, so what do we do now?"

The silence that descended was oppressive. We had already survived so much. We also knew there would be so much more we had to survive. Harry most of all.

"We do what we always do." Bella leaned forward, placing her finger on the table. "We plan. We research everything we need to research, and we keep each other informed. And in the spirit of information, Edward and I have something to share."

Bella waved her wand and several folders flew down the stairs and landed in front of each and every person sitting at that table. "In these folders are the seven items we believe are the horcruxes Voldemort created. One of the seven being a complete accident."

Those around the table pulled the folders closer and flipped them open. There were murmurings about the items we had identified would be possible since Voldemort came into power fifty plus years ago.

The first being the diary that Bella and I had destroyed in our second year at Hogwarts. We had also picked Salazar Slytherin's ring and necklace. Helga Hufflepuff's cup, Ravenclaw's lost diadem, Voldemort's snake Nagini and …

"Harry?" Hermione shrieked loudly. She wasn't the only one surprised by the deduction we had come up with. "You think Voldemort turned Harry into a horcrux?" Hermione spun around to face Harry. She took in the lack of surprise on Harry's face and pointed directly at him. "You knew! You knew they thought this, and you didn't tell any of us?"

"We're telling you now!" Harry stood from the table, pushing her hand away gently. "Yes!" He threw his hands in the air. "Yes, I knew. It was me who proposed the idea to them. When I figured out that I would have to die to be able to kill Voldemort."

"What?" Hermione whispered painfully. "No … no, that can't be right."

"It sure as hell can't!" George thundered, standing from his chair as well. "You can't be serious."

Viktor, Bella, Fleur, and I all sat and watched as pandemonium broke out around the table. Gabrielle wasn't arguing, but she was concerned about what was happening. Harry was arguing with Hermione. Fred and George were up against Draco and Ginny. This … this was why Bella and I had kept the horcrux secret for so long. But after last year, we knew we couldn't keep secrets from our friends any longer.

We let them argue for a short while longer before I used my fingers to let out a whistle that was loud enough to wake the dead. I looked them over before I stated, "And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives."

"Doesn't that mean Harry needs to kill Voldemort?" Gabrielle asked. I could see she was confused by the way the prophecy was worded.

Viktor looked at me. "What is that from?"

"You've heard of prophecies, yes?" I asked him instead. He nodded. "Before Voldemort fell the first time a prophecy was recorded about his fall. It stated: the one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches … born to those that have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies … and the dark lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the dark lord knows not … and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives … the one with the power to vanquish the dark lord will be born as the seventh month dies …"

Fleur frowned. She had heard the prophecy at the last Order meeting, but she hadn't asked questions then. She wanted to observe everyone, well that, and she was distracted by Bill. "Surely, zere were plenty of children born at ze end of July?"

"Of course, there were, but only two were born to parents within the month of July who had defied him three times. James and Lily Potter and Frank and Alice Longbottom." I nodded in the direction where Harry and Neville sat. "Voldemort personally sought out James and Lily …"

"While that bastard sent a contingent of death eaters to my parents, who tortured them until they became nothing but vegetables," Neville growled. "They're still there to this day."

Hermione couldn't stand it anymore; she wanted answers. "So, what does that line mean? Why does Harry have to die?"

"To destroy the part of the soul that resides inside him," Bella answered, her voice quiet. "What we can't figure out is if he will, indeed, stay dead, or if he will be able to come back from it. The only thing we know for sure is that Voldemort has to be the one to do it. If any of us try, it won't kill the accidental horcrux inside him."

The room silenced as if Bella had shouted those words, but they were even more compelling because she had almost whispered them. The thoughts around the room were almost as silent. They couldn't believe that this is what would have to happen. I hated that it had to happen at all.

It was all quiet until Luna spoke. I didn't even hear the thought enter her mind before she was speaking it. "If vampire venom, like basilisk venom, has no cure and can defeat a horcrux, couldn't you change Harry into a vampire and kill that piece of soul inside him?"

All heads swiveled in my direction. Some with hope, others unsure. I thought about the ramifications of what Luna was suggesting before I answered. "While that could be a solution, there are a lot of drawbacks to that suggestion. There would need to be a ton of research done into whether or not it would work. There would be a lot of things Harry would have to give up to become a vampire, and not all of them would be easy to give up." I sighed. "Believe me, they were thoughts I had to wrestle with my entire existence before meeting Bella."

I reached my hand out for my girl. Smiling slightly when she entwined her fingers with mine.

"But ultimately, Harry has to decide for himself. Becoming a vampire will always be his choice."

~*~UHS~*~

The meeting didn't last long after Bella's thoughts and Luna's question. Hermione went up to her room. She had to reconcile what she had learned and what she knew needed to be done. It was messing with her in a big way. Not only because Harry had to die, but because her feelings for him had exploded out of her control.

Viktor had returned home, as had Neville to Rose and Emmett's. Draco had sat in the dining room with Fred, George, and Ginny for a while, just to soak up what he could get of her before he had to head home. Harry knew that we had an Order meeting later on but opted to stay with us, laying down on the couch for a short snooze. It had been a trying day.

Once everyone was settled for the afternoon, Bella pulled me up the stairs to our suite. She wanted to forget everything that had happened, all the things we had discussed, and just lose herself in us. We situated ourselves on the couch in our room. Her straddling my lap and just made out like … well, the teenagers we were.

What had started out as one kiss the night I came home to dance with her under the stars had turned into an art form. Whenever we had some spare time to just be ourselves, when we weren't working on one thing or another, we became selfish. Spending that time being together.

Well, maybe selfish wasn't the right word. But we became absorbed in us and our growing bond. There had been moments where I let my thoughts get away from me, and sometimes my hands, and the guilt would creep in. Bella was still—technically—fourteen, and she should be treated as such. But then my wonderful mate would interrupt my thou …

Edward … you're thinking too much. Let go, baby. Be with me in this moment. Enjoy this moment.

And I'd lose the guilt … and my train of thought. Until …

Harry's dreams finally caught my attention. They were dark, cold. I could feel him flinching from something that was in the dark. Something I couldn't quite grasp.

The fireplace in the family room flared just as Bella leaned back to look at me. "What's going on?"

Jasper's gift kicked in the second he stepped through the fireplace. Whoa. What the?

"Edward?" Bella asked softly.

"Harry's dreaming. But it's different from his normal. Even different from your precognitive ones. It's almost like it isn't him."

Jasper, and now Alice, were listening to my observations from downstairs. Jasper was leaning over the back of the couch, trying to get a read on Harry's emotions. Something was different. Something was—dare I say it—wrong with what he was reading.

Bella wasn't the only one to ask the glaring questions. "What do you mean? How can Harry be having a dream that isn't his?"

"I'm not sure … just …" I started to ask for a minute when Jasper's thoughts caught my attention once more.

There's more than one set of feelings coming from Harry. That's why I'm having such a hard time reading him. Give me a sec, Edward … Hmm, I've felt something like this before … it's similar to what I felt when I was around Quirrell. Does this mean that Harry's possessed, like Quirrell was?

By the time Jasper had sent that thought to me, I'd carried Bella down the stairs. I'd shaken my head when we reached the bottom of the staircase.

"Nice hair, Bella." Alice smirked in our direction.

"Thanks," Bella answered. "I call it my 'Just been kissed to distraction' look. Think it'll catch on?"

I couldn't help but let out a snort at Bella's sarcasm. Nor the eye roll I sent in her direction. If Jasper hadn't been concentrating so hard on Harry, he would have laughed. But Alice's reaction was priceless because she doubled over laughing. She was laughing so hard she had to leave the room in order not to wake up Harry. I hadn't seen my sister laugh that hard at anything in a long time.

Harry's dream shifted. Not just in what he was seeing but also what he was feeling. This time, I was able to make out where he was and only because he ended up at a familiar looking door. A black one. Located at the bottom of the ministry. Down a long, dark corridor that has no windows or doors. With a silver knob in the middle. But it wasn't until a bony skeletal-type hand reached out for the knob that I was sure who was sending this dream to Harry. His feelings, however, were frustrated. Like whatever he wanted was through that door, but he had absolutely no idea how to get it.

"Voldemort," we both said together. Mine in a growl, and Harry's breathlessly as he had been awoken from his dream by the feelings of frustration he'd been feeling.

"Where?" Alice and Bella asked together as Alice stepped back into the room.

"How is that possible?" Harry looked up at Jasper, and then to me. He was still breathless and more than a little freaked out by what we thought had just happened.

I faced Jasper. "You said there were two sets of feelings coming from him while he was asleep?"

"Yeah. What was he dreaming?"

"It wasn't exact, at first. Just the feeling of cold, damp. But as you came through the fireplace it changed to the corridor we were in for the trial earlier today," I answered before Harry could. "Sorry, Harry. I should have let you answer for yourself."

Harry waved me away. "All good," he grunted. "I wasn't sure what I had been dreaming to start with anyway."

I looked over at Jasper again. "What did you feel?"

Bella, Alice, Harry, and I waited patiently as Jasper sorted through what he felt come from Harry. "There was weariness and fear. As well as frustration but glee. It was an odd combination, which is what made me stop to study Harry as he slept. I couldn't understand what would make him feel those types of feelings … especially all together."

I nodded in agreement, but started pacing around the family room. Things were starting to connect. Little dots that I had previously overlooked started to release strings, reaching out to other dots.

"Have you had other dreams like that, Harry?" I asked as I paced.

Harry frowned as he thought over dreams he'd had previously. He started to shake his head before he replied. "No. No, I don't think so."

"What about that dream last year?" Bella jumped in. She was starting to see a pattern too. "The one that you came tearing over here to show Edward?"

"Which one?"

"The one that woke you up because your scar was hurting," Bella thought out loud. "Wasn't that from down low? Um … I think you said it was like looking through heat sensors?"

"Oh!" Harry pointed to Bella. "Yeah, at the beginning of last summer. We saw Voldemort talking to Wormtail and Crouch Junior before killing Frank Bryce."

I stopped pacing and looked at the two of them. "We determined that we were looking through a snake. Through Nagini … Voldemort's pet."

"The only living thing that Voldemort keeps near him." Bella nodded.

"It's why we determined that she was a horcr…" My voice trailed off as the last bit of information I had been missing slipped into place. "Oh. Oh, no. Oh, Merlin." I groaned.

Alice, Jasper, and Harry had been watching me pace. They had seen the exact moment the light bulb had gone off over the top of my head but hadn't put it together themselves yet.

But Bella had. I could see the moment it had come to her as well. She had been looking at the floor, thinking over all the information as we had spoken about it, only to snap her head up and look in my direction. Horror filled her features as what we had both put together took shape in our minds.

Really? That's so not fair to Harry.

"Yet totally understandable, if you think about it." I started pacing again.

Bella nodded, watching as I passed by. "True. Nobody has done that much research into horcruxes. How would they know that was the result?"

"Most would have placed a horcrux inside an inanimate object. Much like all the other items Voldemort has used. Nobody would have put them inside a living thing."

Bella and I kept bouncing ideas off each other as I paced. The others watched until it became too much for Harry to stand.

"What are you two yammering about?" Harry asked, his voice full of the frustration he was feeling.

Bella and I looked at each other to build courage. Harry wasn't going to like this. I had a feeling Jasper would want to report this finding to the Order, and I didn't think it was a good idea.

I took a deep breath before facing Harry. I bobbed down so that I could be at his level, looking him in the eye when I told him. "I think the reason you have two sets of emotions and can see things through Nagini and Voldemort is because the horcrux is a living connection to Voldemort."

The silence that surrounded us was deafening. Not a word. Not a thought for three whole seconds.

"What did you say?" Harry asked quietly.

I sighed and sat back on the coffee table in front of Harry. "It would seem that the horcruxes provide not just a link between the maker and the horcrux itself but a mental link between the maker and the other horcruxes placed in other living things. As well as a connection between the horcruxes."

"It's how you're able to see not only Voldemort's thoughts, actions, and experience his emotions but those of Nagini," Bella explained as she sat next to me.

I could see Harry working through everything we had proposed. His mind was working as fast as any human's I had ever read. But it was Jasper's thoughts that had me spinning around with a small growl. "No, Jasper."

"But the others should know! This is information the Order should have."

"No." I growled, louder than before. "If this information gets back to Voldemort—and he figures out how to gain access to Harry—he could use it against us. The more people who know, the more likely it is to get back to him. This needs to be kept between us."

Jasper's face was shocked. The good soldier in him wanting to report to his superior officers. "Edward …"

"Edward is right," Alice said, reaching out to place her hand on his arm. "We must keep this secret …"

"No … Alice," Jasper stumbled over his words. "How can we be prepared for what the future is bringing us if those who are planning to end it don't know everything?"

"Because they aren't the ones who are going to have to give up their life to stop Voldemort." Harry stood from the lounge behind me. "I'm the one this is coming down on, and I don't want them to know. But, Jasper, I'm going to need your help."

Jasper frowned. He was reading the determination from each of us. "Apart from keeping this secret, what else could you possibly need?"

"I need help learning how to tell the difference between my own feelings and those of Voldemort. I want to be able to control my reactions to them so that he doesn't know I'm experiencing them."

Jasper nodded as he was thinking about ways he could help Harry. But my beautiful girl spoke up before Jasper could voice any of them. "I think it might be a good idea to learn Occlumency as well, Harry."

"What for?" I frowned, looking up at Bella when she stood behind me.

"An extra layer of protection to stop Voldemort from getting into Harry's mind."

"Who's going to teach me that?" Harry spoke up.

Harry was looking around at each of us until a voice spoke up from the doorway. "I'll be the one to teach you how to shield your mind." Opi had managed to sneak up on all of us. I hadn't heard him approach—at all—meaning he had his Occlumency firmly in place. But that also meant he had deliberately snuck up on us. Deliberately popped in a fair distance away and walked here or flew. "And in the process, you will also learn how to be a legilimens."

"Why?" Harry asked, echoing the question running through the minds around him.

"Because the best way to learn how to shield your mind from someone else is to first learn how to get into one." Opi stepped into the room. "Jasper, I heard what you wanted to do, but I think it's premature. This needs to be kept as close to the vest as possible. Harry will need your help, and Edward's, to learn how to shield his mind and to read that piece of soul inside him."

Both Jasper and I nodded. There was no question that we would help Harry to shield himself from Voldemort's intrusion. And if Harry could master legilimency, then he might be able to read Voldemort better and get a better insight on the man and his plans.

The plus side to Opi knowing was that Jasper relaxed,—one of his superiors knew, and that was all he needed.

~*~UHS~*~

For Jasper and me, the following week was all about helping Harry to learn how to master legilimency and occlumency. Bella dove headfirst into helping Hermione continue her research into SPEW and how to help the house elves. It had seemed to be pushed aside with everything we'd had going on during the summer. And when Bella wasn't helping Hermione, she was creating in her laboratory. This time, it was something to help with instant communication between people, no matter the distance.

We were all so busy that the day our letters arrived from Hogwarts it was a complete surprise.

Harry, Jasper, Opi, and I were in the family room. Harry had picked up legilimency relatively easily. He was able to read Opi's thoughts—when Opi would let him in—without thought. But shielding his thoughts from me was that much harder. Throughout the process of Harry learning, he found that grounding himself in Earth magic helped with the legilimency but not so much with occlumency. It seemed that was much harder.

"All right, Harry, stop for a moment." Opi walked over to the library doors. "Bella, can you come out here for a minute?"

"Sure, Opi." We waited in silence for my girl to come up from the laboratory. She skipped happily into the room. She smiled at me before turning to face our friend and mentor. "What can I do to help?"

"Harry is having trouble with learning occlumency," Opi said, looking at Bella. "I want you to explain what using your shield feels like before wrapping it around Harry so he can feel it. I think it will help."

"No problem." Bella nodded. "Think of a bubble, or a balloon, wrapped around you. It blocks everything out. Gives you peace of mind from those who can hear everything." Bella nodded my way with a giggle. "Edward has told me that you can keep him out some of the time, effectively I might add; all you need to do is expand on that. Ready to feel what I mean?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, thank you, Bella."

With an easy-going smile, Bella spread out her shield. Not that any of us could see it. I had felt Bella's shield wrap around me on many occasions. I knew what it felt like.

"How does it feel, Harry?" Opi asked.

"It's hard to explain. I'm not sure how to," Harry murmured.

Opi thought for a moment before he turned to Bella. "Bella, can you wrap your shield around me, please?" With a nod, Bella pulled her shield back from Harry and wrapped it around Opi instead. I couldn't read Opi once he was under the shield—not like I had been able to before that—but I could see that he was getting a feel for what it felt like. "Hmm … it's a wonderful sensation, being wrapped up in this bubble of yours, Bella."

"Thank you, Opi."

"I think the best comparison I can come up with is shrink wrap." Opi seemed to be thinking aloud. That was until he pinned Harry with a look. "You've experienced shrink wrap in the muggle world, yes?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, when Dad, Sirius, Remus, and I lived with the Cullens in the muggle world, the muggles would use it for all sorts of things but especially wrapping presents. They'd wrap it around things, then heat it up to make it shrink to the right size."

"Good. Then imagine your occlumency working like that. You want to wrap it around that extra piece inside your mind, and then shrink it around it so that nothing comes from within it. Okay, Bella, you can release me now." Opi quickly looked at Bella before going back to Harry. "Think you can work that, Harry?"

"I think so."

"Try closing your eyes, Harry," Bella thought. "When I was learning to let down my occlumency that worked for me, remember?"

Harry nodded, doing just as Bella suggested, and closed his eyes. I watched through him as he felt around inside his mind for some of the elusive shrink wrap. It seemed that he was on to something when a noise startled him from his concentration; in fact, it startled all of us. We had been so busy focusing on Harry that we'd blocked out everything else.

I blinked, looking at Bella, before another—what I now knew was an owl—hoot sounded from behind me. We spun to look, only to find three owls from Hogwarts staring at us.

Bella squealed before skipping over to the owls. "Our Hogwarts letters are here!"

"We haven't finished Harry's training yet," Opi stated, trying to wrangle back our attention. But he was fighting a losing battle.

"Do you think we'll have another ball?" Bella asked, reaching for the letter with her name on it.

I snorted, also reaching for mine. "I doubt it highly. With the status of the wizarding world right now, anything fun could be a potential target."

"Or anybody. Do you really think Fudge is going to leave me alone since I foiled his plan to have me removed from Hogwarts?" Harry asked, opening his letter and reading his acceptance.

Opi sighed and tried one more time to convince us to continue working. "Harry really needs to learn how to use occlumency!"

Jasper laughed. "You've got no hope, Opi. They're completely distracted. I'll make sure they continue to work on it though."

"Thank you, Jas …" Opi was cut off by a rather loud but distinctly male scream from outside.

"Oh, Merlin! Edward … Bella … Come see!"

Bella and I looked at each other before racing outside to see what Neville wanted. I wasn't even able to see what it was about because his thoughts were so full of shock. All I could see was what looked like a lion with a "P" on it.

We raced out through the kitchen to the back verandah to find Neville just stepping onto it. "Oh," he puffed, coming to a stop. "Thank Merlin. Please … you have to explain this to me."

"Explain what?" Bella asked. "You haven't told us anything yet."

"This!" Neville thrust his hand out in front if him, opening his fist to show a badge that was a lion with a large P superimposed on it. Bella and I both frowned. I drew a complete blank as to what it was, and it seemed so did Bella. "How did I get picked as a prefect?"

"What?" I asked just as Bella said, "That's awesome, Neville!"

Bella and Neville both turned to look at me, both saying "what?" at the same time before Bella turned to me. "Surely, you've read about prefects in all of the research you did before coming to Hogwarts?"

I shrugged sheepishly. "I know what it is. Percy was one our first year; I just didn't connect the dots."

Neville laughed manically as Jasper and Harry caught up with us outside. I frowned, ranging out my hearing. "Where did Opi go?"

"He knew no more was getting down today, so he left, leaving me in charge of making sure Harry practices." Jasper smirked in my direction. He could feel the jealousy rolling off me, much to my surprise.

We all sat down on the patio furniture as Bella answered. "Oh, Neville, you're going to be so busy this year. With the extra responsibilities and helping to keep the house under control. You're going to be patrolling the Hogwarts Express, as well as the corridors at night, and you'll get to go to special meetings with the other prefects. You'll be able to give out punishments, like detentions, as well as taking away house points. You're getting access to the prefects' bathroom. From what I hear, it's almost as large as a swimming pool." I'd love to visit that bathroom. I wonder how different it is to ours upstairs. "You and whoever is the other Gryffindor prefect will also have to show the first-year students the way to the house common room and give them that year's password."

"Sounds like a lot of work and something I'm glad has skipped me." Harry sighed from next to me. "I have enough to worry about without adding extra responsibilities on top of it."

"But why me?" Neville whined. "I don't want it. I can't boss anybody around. Why not Edward? He's done a great job wrangling the others."

"Why not me?" I asked. I didn't understand. Neville was right. The other children listened to me, they took what I said under advisement, and I had even managed to keep Fred and George out of trouble a time or two. Shouldn't that have given me a higher probability of becoming a prefect?

Bella shrugged as she gave me a sympathetic look. "All I know is that the prefects are chosen by the heads of house, as well as the headmaster. I don't know how they choose who they do. Sorry, Edward." I waved her apology away. It's not like she was picked either. "But I think they chose well, Neville," Bella continued. "You've come a long way since we met you in first year. You've become stronger in yourself, and your confidence in your abilities has improved. I can see why you may have been chosen."

My arms crossed as Bella told Neville why he may have been chosen. My inner vampire wasn't happy that she was openly admiring attributes in another man even though we knew we had nothing to worry about. But still. "Bella, please don't say another thing about Neville right now."

"What? Why?" She frowned, looking over at me. She became startled when she saw the look that must have been all over my face. "Edward, what's wrong?"

"Bella, you need to comfort him," Jasper spoke before I could. "His vampire is having a moment. It started with a little—okay a lot—of jealousy of Neville being given something that Edward discovered he wanted. But once you started listing the nice things about Neville, his vampire's possessiveness flared. Go to him."

Without another thought, Bella stood. She came and straddled my lap, reaching out for my face. Her hands cradled my cheeks as she leaned in. My arms were still crossed over my chest. My vampire was angry. Angry at her for noticing things about another man. Until she appeased him, I'm not sure I could reach out to pull her to me.

"Edward," she crooned. "My mate, my love, there is no one more suited, more attractive, or better for me than you. Your strength, your virility, your sexiness is all for me. You're mine, Edward. Nothing will take you from me. But does your vampire know what else?"

"What, Bella?" I growled, low and dangerous.

"You might be mine, but that makes me all yours!"

With those words, the bonds on my hands let go. They shot up from my chest and dove straight into Bella's hair. I grabbed fistfuls—gently—and pulled her mouth to mine. I tilted her head, slanting her mouth over mine, my tongue diving in as soon as Bella's mouth opened. With every dip of my tongue, every caress of my lips, and every kiss planted on Bella's mouth, my vampire and I claimed our mate in the only way available to us right now.

Eventually, I gentled my mouth, as well as my hands, and let Bella pull back from my mouth. I didn't let her go far, just enough that she could rest her forehead against mine. Bella panted, gaining her breath back, as we rested there, staring at each other.

"You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. But, Bella, you … are … mine. My love. My girl. My mate!" I growled and once more pulled her into a kiss. It wasn't as long as the one beforehand, but it was just as intense.

"Yours, Edward. Now and forever." Bella sighed as she pulled back. "There will never be anyone else for me."

"Nor me. Love you, Bella."

"I love you too, Edward."

~*~UHS~*~

It didn't take long for Esme and Rose to get wind that Neville had been given the position of prefect. Nor for them to prepare a feast fit for a king. We weren't going to be the only ones celebrating. Esme had sent letters out to the Weasleys, Sirius, James, and Remus.

They both stepped into the kitchen with Kreacher and began preparing all sorts of food for the party. There were only a few hours before the others were due to start showing up. Emmett and Jasper were shanghaied into decorating the verandah even though Bella, Hermione, and I could have done it that much faster.

Instead of letting Bella and me help, Esme shooed us back to the library where Harry and Neville were hiding out. For some reason, they didn't want us helping. Esme was being very tightlipped about the whole thing; she was even managing to hide it in her thoughts. Not that I was trying hard to find out. It was nice not having to be at her beck and call.

"Why do you think Mum wants us to sit this one out?" Bella asked as she opened the bookshelf to the potions room.

I shrugged, reading through the acceptance letter we had received from Hogwarts. "Who knows. Esme and Rose had their reasons, I'm sure. Did you read any of this letter?"

Harry shook his head, but Neville said, "No. As soon as the prefect pin fell out, I ran out the door. Why?"

"We only need two books this year instead of the usual six or so."

"Nothing for magical creatures?" Bella asked, sticking her head through the open doorway.

"Nope."

"Muggle studies?"

"Uh-uh."

"Huh. Guess we didn't get all the information out of last years books. Even if some of us read them back-to-back." Bella ducked back into the potions room. I could hear her opening the trap door and dropping into her laboratory.

Harry pulled his letter from his pocket. "What books do we need, Edward?"

I looked over the letter again. "Standard Book of Spells—grade five—by Miranda Goshawk, and Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard."

Defensive Magical Theory? Harry thought. "What does that mean? Theory? Is there going to be any practical?"

"There should be. I mean, how are we supposed to learn how to perform these spells if we're only learning the theory?" I thought it over. "All of our lessons have some form of magic and learning to defend against those who would do us harm, would have to have more than just theory."

"Let's hope so," Neville murmured. "The last thing we want is to be left with only knowing the theory and not knowing how to perform it."

Unless the ministry is getting involved. A surprising thought from Bella floated into my mind. I latched onto it. She may have had something with that. We would have to wait and see what happened when we got to Hogwarts.

For the next couple hours, we read, we played board games, and Bella worked in her laboratory. Around six o'clock, Alice stepped through the fireplace with Gabrielle, Hermione, and Fleur. Alice had taken the day off from work and decided to take the three girls to a spa for some treatments. Fleur and Hermione had expressed some thoughts about changing the way they looked. Fleur was going to use magic to create the change, but Alice had talked them into coming to a spa with her.

"Oh, girls, you look wonderful." And they truly did. Hermione had little highlights added to her hair, as well as having it straightened. The look was her. The differences had made her look older, more mature, and so, so beautiful. Gabrielle'd had a simple haircut—there wasn't much she needed to do. But I could see that all three of them had had some massages, manicures, and pedicures. Alice had really gone all out.

It was Fleur, however, who had the biggest change. Since she had arrived at Swan Manor, I'd seen her staring wistfully at Bella's hair. Her brown locks were something she missed. And since she found out that she could have kept them, she wanted them back even more. With Opi's help, Fleur had been connecting the Earth magic he had shown us. The more she connected with it, the more her hair had started growing in brown. She loved it but hated that the blonde would take time to grow out. So, with that in mind, Alice had the spa treat Fleur's hair and die the blonde hair to match the brown growing in.

"Wow, Fleur, your hair!" Bella whispered from the door to the potions room. "You look stunning!"

"Zank you, Bella. I had missed them. Alice's spa did a wonderful job." Fleur fluffed her hair, making it flow like silk down her back. Along with the brown, her hair also had a few highlights added. The effect was something entirely becoming. Bill wasn't going to know what to do with himself.

"They did. You look so much happier."

Fleur smiled. "I am." Then her smile seemed to melt from her face. "Do you zink that Bill will like it?"

"Bill would be a fool not to." I snorted. I looked up to see that Fleur was unsure. It seemed that even with as confident as Fleur was, she still had moments of insecurity. "Fleur, you're stunning. You were beautiful as a blonde, but you are truly stunning as a brunette. But do you know why there's a difference?" Fleur shook her head. "It's because your happiness shines through. You love it; therefore, he'll love it."

That oh so familiar blush that I loved on Bella rose on Fleur's cheeks. "Stop, Edward." Fleur blushed harder. "But zank you. Now let's just hope you're right."

You will be. Bella smirked. We all know Bill is completely besotted with her.

I smirked back in Bella's direction. I had a feeling Bill would fall at her feet because if it's one thing I knew, and knew well, was that while blonde Veela's were beautiful, nothing beat a brunette one who looked at you like you hung the moon. That shit made you feel invincible.

~*~UHS~*~

I smiled as people started gathering on the back verandah. James and Sirius had arrived a short while ago with Remus right behind them. The surprise had been that he had brought Tonks along with him. It seemed that he had taken my advice to heart and had asked her out on a date. That was a few weeks ago. Now, they were shyly holding hands for all to see.

I wasn't the only one happy for him; I was just the one being the most discreet about it.

I made my way to the front door when I heard the pops of people arriving. I chuckled as I opened the door. "It seems we have more to celebrate."

"We do!" squealed Ginny as she jumped up and down in front of me. "I couldn't believe it when I opened the envelope! And to be a prefect with Neville, that's so cool!"

I looked around at all the Weasleys. "It really is. They're all out back waiting. Why don't you go tell them?" Ginny didn't even wait until I had finished talking. She was in the door and through the family room when I broke out into laughter. "It seems she's happy about being a prefect."

"You have no idea," Fred groaned.

George chuckled, self-depreciatingly. "We're never going to hear the end of this."

"Oh hush, you two." Molly swatted at them on her way past. I chuckled at her but more so when she said, "Now everyone in our family has been a prefect!"

Fred frowned as George followed behind her. "What are we? Next door neighbors, Ma?"

Bill pushed Fred through the door, smirking at me on his way past, Charlie snickering as he followed as well. But it was Arthur I turned to. He shrugged his shoulders. "Molly's a proud mother. Sometimes, the wrong thing just comes out of her mouth."

"It may have been wrong, but it sure was funny." I snickered, letting Arthur come through the door.

"They are always that."

Arthur and I joined the others on the back verandah only for another couple of pops to sound out from the front of the house. I quickly made my way back to the front door. I opened it to find Opi and Moody on the other side.

"Come on in, boys. What are you doing here?"

"Thank you, Edward!" Opi smirked. "We …" Moody coughed at the word. "Okay, I heard there was a party here, and I dragged this guy along because he needs some fun."

I snorted into a laugh. "Uh-huh. I'm sure that was exactly how Moody wanted to spend his afternoon."

"Right!" Moody threw his hands in the air before he pointed to his face and circled it. "What about this face tells you that I like to attend parties?"

I couldn't help but laugh at him as Moody walked in the door. "I'm sure you'll make the most of a bad situation."

Opi laughed and followed me, shutting the door behind him. Once again, we joined everyone out on the verandah to shouts of Opi and Moody—mostly from Emmett when he saw them.

Considering all that we had fought through since coming into the wizarding world, this was a lighthearted moment that we could all enjoy. And enjoy it I would, right after I greeted the people who had just come through the fireplace. I stepped in through the back door, only to be greeted by a face we hadn't seen enough of all summer, Draco Malfoy and his mother Narcissa.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked surprised.

"Not happy to see me, mate?" Draco laughed, holding his hand out for me to shake. "Should I turn around and go home again?"

"No!" I laughed. "It's great to see you again. You as well, Narcissa. But what are you doing here?"

Narcissa smiled. "I'm glad to see you, too, Edward. We received some good news today, and Draco wanted to share it with you." Narcissa tilted her head to the side, listening to the amount of noise coming in from outside. "Seems like you guys are already celebrating."

I waved them through from the family room. "We are. Neville was given the position of prefect for Gryffindor. We organized a dinner to celebrate, only to find out that Ginny was also. She informed us when they arrived." I opened the door to the verandah, letting in more of the noise from outside. "What is it you have to share, Draco?"

Draco slipped his hand into his pocket. When he pulled his hand back out, he opened his fist to show a green badge with a silver snake on in. Superimposed over that snake was a P. It seemed that Draco had been made a prefect for Slytherin.

"Congratulations, Draco!" I pulled him into a hug. I ignored the way he stiffened at first before he hugged me back. "This is good news!"

"It is." Draco smiled. And will help me when it comes to dating Ginny. I'll be able to spend more time with her. I can ask her after the prefect meeting on the Hogwarts Express.

I laughed. "Good thinking," I whispered. "Go on out and let everyone know. They'll be so happy for you."

Draco stepped out onto the verandah. The cheering that burst out from everyone at Draco's arrival was funny. It was like they hadn't seen him since the end of the school year. For some, that was the case. For others, we'd seen Draco a couple of times. But when he held up his prefect badge for all to see, the noise level rose dramatically. Draco was clapped on the back, hugged, and told congratulations so much that I lost count.

"I want to thank you, Edward," Narcissa said quietly from beside me.

I frowned, trying to read her thoughts, but she had her occlumency firmly in place. "What for?" I asked, turning to look at her.

"For seeing through the mask my son had firmly in place before you. The one he used to keep others at arm's length. He is a much happier, confident person now than he was even a few years ago. For that, I have you and your family to thank." Narcissa looked up at me with tears in her eyes. "I don't think he, nor I, would have survived if you hadn't given us a reason to."

I wrapped my arm around Narcissa's shoulder and pulled her in gently for a hug. "He made the decision to reach out to us. If it wasn't for that decision, none of us would be here." I smirked at her. "Although, I do wish you would let us get you two out of there."

Narcissa laughed gently. "Not yet. But I'm sure you guys will figure out something before it gets too bad."

"Of that, you can be absolutely positive. We'll have you out of there before Lucius does something we can't undo. But please, promise me something?"

"What?"

"If you feel that your life, or Draco's, is in danger before we can get you out, come to us. Do not wait for us."

Narcissa looked up to see how serious I was. She stared at me for a moment before she looked over at her whole reason for being—Draco. "You have yourself a deal, Edward. Draco is more important than learning more about Voldemort. If that time comes, we'll be here before you can come for us."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. That's good." I smiled. "Now, let's go eat some food before Emmett eats it all."

Narcissa laughed as I pulled her along with me. She went off to say hello to Sirius while I sat down with my girl and my friends. At this point in time, life was just about perfect.

~*~UHS~*~

I want to apologise for not posting yesterday. If you are in our group Bubbleybear & Pienuniek's Story Nook on Facebook then you would know that I had a work function on last night - a Christmas Party for the children and families of our daycare centre. I was home late but they all had a lot of fun.

So ... neither Edward or Bella got to be Prefect, and Edward didn't seem to take that well ... at first.

Let me know what you think of this chapter and the change in Bella and Edward's relationship ... was it everything you guys have been waiting for for the last four books?

See you in a fortnight!