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 Eight ~ Celebrating Success

For several hours we ate, we drank, and we celebrated the fact that three of our extended family have been given the honor of being prefects this year. Ginny and Neville for Gryffindor, and Draco for Slytherin.

For the most part, the night was just about catching up with friends and family and having a good time. During the night, I would look over "at the adults" periodically and find that Narcissa, Sirius, and Little Tonks—as they would call her—would have their heads together. It was the first time in a long while that they could spend time together and talk about all the things they missed. But as the night wore on, their conversation was less and less about the past and more and more about what the future would hold for them. I was so glad we were able to reunite the three of them.

Things were relaxed and happy even when Rose, Molly, and Narcissa all stood up from their seats.

Rose was the first one to speak. "Coming here to the wizarding world was a scary step for all of us, but I know we've never been happier. Carlisle can openly use his vampiric nature to heal others. Esme uses her mothering nature to educate the minds around her, but she can nurture them in both mind and spirit. Alice … what can I say. You're doing what you should have been able to do all along … creating beautiful things to help clothe people. Plus, you're no longer poking into everyone's business with those pesky visions." Laughter broke out around the yard. Alice just smiled and shrugged when we all looked in her direction. "Jasper, what we did was always harder on you, but that might have been because you felt all of us as well. You now nurture the minds of children as well, and I can see that you're flourishing.

"Edward." Here Rose paused to look at me with Bella sitting on my lap. She was remembering what I was like before Bella came into my life. I nodded in her direction. "Now that I look back, I can see how unhappy you were. You went through the motions because there really wasn't much there for you. The only thing that kept you going was us. You could have left at any time …" She gave a pointed look. We all knew what she meant. "But you hung around, and now look at you. Happily mated. You smile more, you laugh more, and you're a better person because of Bella."

Damn right, Bella thought as I said aloud, "Damn straight," causing us both to point and laugh at the other.

Then Rose's gaze fell on Emmett, who was sitting next to Neville. "But it's Emmett and I who are the happiest. Emmett has always lamented the fact that he couldn't give me all that I wanted, especially children. But thanks to this move, he's now able to do just that." Rose's eyes swung to meet Neville's shocked ones. "Neville, I know your arrival with us wasn't without its difficulties. But you will be, and always will be, the first of my children. Today's get together was a celebration of how far you've come. Today, you became prefect for Gryffindor, and in honor of that, we wanted to give you something."

Emmett stood from his place and went over to the owlery, coming back with a cage. Inside this cage was a new owl. It seemed that they wanted to give him something of his very own. The owl was beautiful. With black, brown, and tan-colored feathers, as well as large yellow eyes.

Emmett brought the cage over to the table and placed it in front of Neville and smiled down at him. "This beautiful girl is all yours, Neville. She was chosen specifically with you in mind. She's a Short-Eared Owl or an Asio flammeus. We haven't named her; we've left that for you."

Neville was looking up at Emmett, then at Rose, with a sense of awe. Thanks to what he had gone through previously, he had a hard time accepting that people wanted him around, that they wanted to celebrate who he was. Those times were getting fewer and fewer, but occasionally, they crept in. "I don't know what to say. Thank you doesn't seem big enough," Neville whispered. "You and Rose saved me; I'm sure of that." Neville looked down on the owl that was peering up at him from inside the cage. He opened the door and the little owl climbed out onto his arm before manoeuvring up onto his shoulder. "What about Trevor?"

"We have an expanse of land between Swan Manor and McCarty Manse, so we thought we'd put in a bit of a swampy marsh." Emmett grinned. "It'll become part of the menagerie that I'm sure Bella will end up building. I mean, she's already brought home house elves and unicorns, as well as being given flying puppies and an owl of her own. Maybe one day, we'll have a dragon!"

"Don't encourage her!" I shouted out, which made everyone chuckle.

"But we need one!" Bella whined playfully. "Imagine the security with a dragon."

"Vampires, Bella. Vampires burn up in fire, and what do dragons breathe?"

There was more laughter at the argument Bella and I seemed to have every time a dragon was brought into a conversation.

Once it died down, Neville turned back to Emmett. "How are you gonna build a swamp?"

"Never you mind. I have my ways." As everyone turned back to the three women standing at the front, Bella and I caught Emmett as he turned and gave a subtle wink to Fred and George. It seemed that Emmett had recruited our favorite troublemakers, and they were only too happy to help him.

"Wonder what they've got up their sleeves," Bella murmured softly.

"Could be anything. We'll have to wait and see."

Neville stood and gave both Emmett and Rose a hug, thanking them for everything. Once he was sitting down, Molly stepped forward. "The Weasleys have been a lucky group when it comes to their children and what they've accomplished …" She looked over at the twins. "Well, most of the time." Fred and George snorted at their mother's words. It was nothing they hadn't heard before.

Still … That would be hard to hear. I know Molly doesn't mean it nastily, but surely, the boys feel the disconnect. I heard Bella's thoughts as she frowned in Molly's direction. Bella looked up at me. All I could do was shrug because the twins weren't thinking about it, and I wasn't going to go fishing for the information.

"My children have always strived for excellence, but being the only girl, I know sometimes my Ginny felt like she had more to prove. You don't, baby, but I couldn't be prouder of you than I am today." Molly beamed at Ginny, causing her cheeks to flush. Ginny blushing wasn't something you got to see very often. "In our family, we have a tradition. When someone is made prefect, we give them a gift." Molly waved her wand and a broom-shaped present landed in front of Ginny. "As you can see, it's a broom. Why don't you open it?"

Ginny didn't need to be told twice. She leaned forward and started ripping into the paper with gusto. "Merlin, Momma! This is the new Nimbus 2003! This is really for me?"

Arthur smiled over at his daughter. "It is, Ginny. This is your very own broom."

Ginny couldn't contain her happy squeal as she launched at her parents to hug them. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Laughter broke out as Ginny jumped around in circles, doing a ridiculous happy dance when she had finished hugging her mother and father. When she finished, Arthur and Molly sat down, leaving just Narcissa standing in front of our rag-tag group.

Narcissa smiled around at everyone, letting a thought slip out. This. This is what Draco should have had growing up. Family … and a large one at that. Thanks to his father, this is what he's missed out on. She looked over at me then, knowing I had heard. And he has that, thanks to you.

I nodded to her, acknowledging her thought. She gave me a slightly larger smile before turning back to her son.

"Draco." Narcissa sighed. "In your short life, you've been through more than any one person should have to. I know your father gave you something for becoming a prefect." I could see through her mind, and Draco's, that Senior had given Draco some new Slytherin robes. Instead of the usual robes, however, the stitching was all done in a beautiful emerald green. But it wasn't the detail that they both hated. It was the pretentious "P" embroidered over the Slytherin symbol—larger than normal—which they hated. It was tacky. It was overdone, and it was ridiculous. Narcissa continued. "But as your mother, I wanted to give you something I know you've been wanting."

Narcissa walked over to the side of the house—somewhere I'd seen Sirius walk to earlier—and retrieved another cage. Inside this one was a barn owl. I could see what Narcissa was going for. She wanted to give Draco an owl that wouldn't stand out. He would be able to send messages to whomever he wanted without arousing suspicion.

Narcissa placed the cage down in front of her son. "Now you can send messages without your dad monitoring them. This is your owl, to do with as you please. He can't corral this bird to his thinking."

"Thank you, Mum." Draco stood and hugged his mother before sitting himself back down next to Ginny. He released the owl and smiled as it took an instant liking to Ginny. That owl was going to come in handy when it came to communicating with her. It seemed Draco was wasting no time getting to know the object of his affection more.

I pulled Bella closer as I looked around the back yard and spied Harry. He was sitting between Neville and Fred. And although he hadn't made up his mind about pursuing a relationship with Hermione, everyone could see the longing on his face … except maybe Hermione herself.

After the gift giving, Kreacher brought out dessert—a chocolate lava cake with real moving chocolate lava—and served it to us. Those of us who go to school naturally gravitated toward each other with conversations ranging from the only two new books that we needed this year, to what careers we could possibly have when school was over.

During this conversation, I had another one of my epiphany moments. It hit me all over again that I didn't have to repeat high school over and over again. After I finished with school this time, I would be able to move into the greater magical world and gain access to employment. Or get extra training, depending on the job I decided to work toward.

I was brought out of my thoughts as Moody took a seat at the table. "Ev'ning, everyone."

Everyone sitting at the table gave Moody a different welcome from "hello" to "Professor" with a nod.

"What can we help you with, sir?" Harry asked after we'd all said hello.

"It's actually me who can help you, son." Moody reached into his big overcoat and searched around in one of the pockets. He must have had an undetectable extension charm on the pocket because his arm almost disappeared up to his elbow inside it. "Aha! There it is." Slowly, Moody pulled his arm back out, likely not to damage whatever it was he wanted to show Harry.

I heard the distinct rub of photo paper against material as Moody's hand appeared. It was, indeed, a photo. This one appeared to be slightly larger than normal. Probably a five by seven photograph. Moody laid it flat on the table in front of Harry but so that everyone could see it. Most of us leaned forward to get a better look regardless.

"This here was a picture of the first Order of the Phoenix. I thought you might like to have it." Moody slid the picture farther to Harry when he made no move to pick it up. I could see a rather large group of people moving slightly around on the page. I smiled to myself. I loved wizard pictures.

"I'm not sure I want it," Harry said softly.

Moody sat back and looked at Harry's countenance. "Why ever not?"

I could see what Harry was thinking, but he needed to voice his thoughts, and he did after a moment's hesitation. "I'm not sure I can look at that every day, knowing she's no longer here."

Hermione reached over and placed her hand on Harry's shoulder, trying to offer him comfort. "But wouldn't you like photo of your mum?"

We waited patiently as Harry thought it over. All of us were feeling for Harry. This was a hard position for him to be in. He'd never know his mother, not on the level those of us around him had. Slowly, he reached forward and touched the photo, his fingers hovering over his mother. "Who are all of these people?" he asked softly.

"Most of these people you know, well you should, but seeing as they're a lot younger, maybe you don't recognize them. There's me, of course …" Moody pointed to his younger self. "Me, with all of my nose." He chuckled. As he spoke, he moved his finger across the photo. "Professor Dumbledore, Dedalus Diggle, and Marlene McKinnon. She was, unfortunately, killed just two weeks after this photo was taken."

Moody paused with a contemplative look on his face. I didn't read his memories. Those were his and his alone. His finger slid over to the next person. "These are Neville's parents, Frank and Alice, before … just before." Moody waved away the rest of what he was saying. "This is Emmaline Vance and Remus Lupin when he was younger." Moody paused on Remus. Back then, he was skinnier, a little stragglier, and a whole lot more depressed. His countenance was just dark. "This was Benji Fenwick—he's gone—and this is Edgar Bones. He's the brother to Amelia Bones, but his whole family was wiped out by Voldemort."

Geez, Bella thought. So many people murdered because of one madman's want of power. It's just so damn sad … So sad.

I pulled Bella close and kissed her forehead, nodding as I did so. I would have to tell her about Adolf Hitler and how he created chaos, killing hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people, and ruining the lives of many, many more.

Another drag of Moody's finger. "This is Sturgis Pudmore—you should recognize him." A sigh this time. "This was Caradoc Dearborn—disappeared. He was never found." A chuckle. "This one you should also recognize."

"Hagrid!" Ginny laughed. "Wow, he doesn't look like he's aged a day."

Moody snorted. "That might be the giant in him. Gives them extraordinary staying power."

"Who is that in the stupid hat?" Neville asked, pointing to someone in the photo.

Laughter burst out of all of us at his question, including Moody. "That would be Elphias Doge. He was always a little out there when it came to what he wore, even for a wizard."

"And I've seen some pretty outrageous outfits since I came into the wizarding world," I said drily. "I don't know how you think you fit in when you're in the muggle world. Most of you stand out."

Moody shrugged. "I have no idea. I dress the same way wherever I go."

"Touché."

A tap of a finger brought us back to the photo. "These two were Gideon and Fabian Prewett. Brothers. Death eaters killed both of them." A sigh. "So much death. This one is …"

"Aberforth Dumbledore," Bella finished. "We've met him. He owns the Hog's Head Pub in Hogsmeade."

"Good man, that Aberforth." A strange look crossed Moody's face as he looked at the next person in the photo. It was akin to respect, awe, and possibly love. Maybe this was the reason Moody never married. "This … this was Dorcas Meadows. She … he … she … Voldemort killed her personally." With that declaration, Moody stood from the seat he had been in and moved off over to the side, away from everyone.

"What was that about?" Hermione asked quietly.

Bella was looking after Moody. "I think … I think she was the reason Moody lived for. I think she was murdered by Voldemort because he was looking for information on Moody."

"Oh," the girls all cooed sadly. The boys were sympathetic.

"Does he regret it?" Harry asked, looking at me.

"Regret loving someone, only to lose them?" I asked to clarify only for Harry to nod at me. "No." I shook my head. "Loving someone is nothing that should be regretted. Do you think your dad regrets loving your mom?" I asked, tapping on the photo where James stood with Lily and Sirius—who had much shorter hair, by the way—and of course, the ever-present Wormtail.

Harry looked down at the photo. Just about everyone in our group did also. For a few minutes, Harry looked at the photo before he looked over at his father. He looked down at the photo again, seeing how happy his parents were. He then shook his head. "No. I don't think he regrets a thing. He wouldn't have been happy if he'd never loved my mum."

"And you wouldn't be here," Hermione whispered, wrapping her arm around Harry's and hugging him. "That would be a shame. I know we're all better for knowing you."

"And that's the truth," Bella agreed. "Because if you weren't, then none of us would be where we are right now. For that, we have to be grateful."

~*~UHS~*~

Bella and I were having a quiet day at home after the excitement last week, what with our letters from Hogwarts, and our trip to Diagon Alley a couple days later. Fleur and Gabrielle were here, as well as Hermione and Esme.

When we were in Diagon Alley, we visited Paula and Lulu in Floo2U where Bella discovered they'd found some two-way mirrors. After talking to Lulu, Bella was able to purchase not only those but secured a shipment of at least a dozen more. When we returned home, Bella had me shifting things around in her laboratory so she could work with the two-way mirrors to turn them into something that we could use differently. She wasn't sure what, yet, but she had ideas.

I was sitting at my piano just tinkering. A new song had been stuck in my thoughts, and I knew if I didn't get it out before we left, it would haunt me all year. It wasn't like I could sit at a piano at Hogwarts. Unless … the Room of Requirement could provide one for me.

"Edward!" I heard Bella call. Her voice, while it wasn't panicked, sounded off. Different. So much so that I bolted up from my seat and ran as fast as I could down the stairs, forgoing the elevator, and landing at the bottom of the shaft in her laboratory with a body roll.

I looked up to find Bella staring at me, her mouth wide open. She wasn't the only one. Charlie was also there in the mirror from the new place, but he had a smirk on his face. I scanned the room, looking for any threats, only to find nothing out of place. "Bella? What's going on?"

"What are you doing, Edward? There's nothing down here."

"In my defense, you did yell out for me."

"Yell, yes. Scream in terror, no."

I shrugged. Anything that made my Bella call out for me, that made her sound off, had me preparing for battle. I stood from my crouched position. "What did you call me down here for?"

Bella waved her hand at the mirror. "Hello, Edward," sounded from the other side of it, causing my mouth to drop open. The last time we'd heard Charlie speak aloud, he'd been furious because Bella's hair had had silver streaks from having to use her siren powers during the second task last year.

"What? How?"

"Come stand here; tell me what you feel." Bella indicated the spot she was standing in. It was right near the mirror.

I took a step forward. Then a few more, feeling a difference in the energy that surrounded the area. By the time I stood next to Bella, I could almost feel it vibrating through me. "What is that?"

"I think that when we moved the laboratory around, we accidentally placed the mirror onto the lay lines. The ones we uncovered when we pulled up the geode in the backyard."

"Is it just Charlie?" I whispered, looking at the man in question.

Bella smiled. "Well, that's why I needed you here. I couldn't get your parents to show without you here." Bella reached out for my hand, pulling me close. "Are you ready?"

I took a deep breath. "I'm nervous. I'd give anything to hear them again."

"Well, maybe you should look at the mirror then, son. You won't know if you don't look," Charlie spoke up, scaring me. I'd almost forgotten he was here.

Bella and I turned to face the mirror, still holding hands, only to see that my parents had joined Charlie. For a moment, all we did was stand there and look at each other.

"Cat got your tongue?" Charlie asked with a snicker.

My mom swatted at Charlie. "That's not very nice, Charlie," she admonished, not realizing I had to lock my knees to stop me from sinking to the floor.

"Oh." I breathed. I hadn't heard my mother's voice in over a hundred years, but just the sound of it brought me right back to the last time I heard. "Mom? Dad?"

My dad had been looking at my mother, but at the sound of my voice, he turned to me. "Edward? What is it? What's wrong?"

My mother and Charlie looked at me as Bella Accio'd a chair for me to sit on. "I … I heard you," I whispered. "Not just Charlie." My head snapped up to Bella. "I heard my parents, Bella."

My girl, she didn't say anything; she just reached out and hugged me. When she pulled back, it was with a whispered thought of, I'm so happy for you, baby. I'm so glad you can have them back.

"My parents, Bella."

"I know, baby." She smoothed the hair back from my forehead, placing a gentle kiss there. "Now, why don't you talk to them. I'll let you …"

"No, no." I reached out for her hand as she went to step away. "I want you here, please. You know we don't keep secrets."

Bella squeezed my hand. "I know that. But I thought you would want to talk to them by yourself first. It's been a long time since you've heard them."

"Please, stay," I whispered.

Then my mother spoke up. "Bella, please. It's fine. He needs you for this moment. Stay."

Bella nodded and stepped behind me to place her hands on my shoulders. I'll be right here.

I looked back at the mirror to see that Charlie had taken a back seat—quite literally—he was sitting in a chair behind my parents. My eyes roamed over my mother and father. We had spoken to them a hundred times, I had wished with everything in me that I could hear them again, and now that I was faced with the reality, I could think of nothing to say.

"Oh, Edward. You are so handsome," my mother gushed. "I know I've said that before, but now that I know you can hear me … oh, you do a mother's heart proud. And, Bella, you are just beautiful."

I looked above me to see that Bella was blushing. "Thank you, Mrs. Masen."

My mother waved her hand. "Elizabeth, please. And this is Ed. You know this, Bella."

"It's different now. We can hear you," Bella answered. Yet I hadn't said a word.

"Edward? Have you nothing to say?" my father asked.

"More than I could possibly tell you," I finally said aloud. "Can you just …" I sighed. "Talk to me, please?"

"Absolutely," they both said together. For the next little while, that's what they did. Bella and I sat and listened to my parents as they spoke. They told Bella stories of me as a child. Things I used to do, mischief I would get up to. Then they spoke to me about how much they loved me, how they would have loved to have been there while I was getting to know Bella. Although, if they had lived through the Spanish Influenza outbreak, we would have died at an older age. I wouldn't have lived—or been turned, then lived—long enough to meet my Bella, and I couldn't wish for that.

"So, what have you been up to since 1918?" my father finally asked after we sat staring at each other. "I want to know what you've seen of the world, the changes."

I smiled. He had always enjoyed the newest of technologies when they had been released. Even though they weren't coming as fast as they did in the modern world, the industrial revolution brought quite a few innovations to the early twentieth century. I opened my mouth to start telling them all about what I had experienced, but we were interrupted by loud exclamations coming from the ladies upstairs. Bella and I looked up at the ceiling before looking at each other with frowns on our faces.

"You need to go?" Mother asked, standing as close as she could to the glass.

I nodded as I looked back at them. "We do need to find out what's going on."

Mother smiled. "It's fine, Edward. You have a life to live. We'll be here when you have time."

I nodded and stood as Bella waved at Charlie. We both turned and headed over to the door of the storeroom of Bella's laboratory. I took one last look over my shoulder at the mirror, only to see my parents waving at me. I gave a short wave back before Bella closed the door.

It didn't take us long to make our way out to the family room to find Esme. As we stepped through the doorway, both Bella and I noted that something was different, something off, but neither of us could put our fingers on the difference.

"What's going on, Mum?" Bella asked, walking over to her.

"Can't you see?" Esme asked instead.

"See wh …" I began trying to understand, but I was interrupted by Hermione rushing down the stairs. "Oh, my God; oh, my God; oh, my God!"

Bella reached out to grab Hermione's shoulders before she fell into my girl. "Hermione? What? What is it?"

"How can you not see? Look around you!" Hermione panted.

Bella and I looked at each other before we took another look around, still not being able to place the difference.

"What are you talking about?"

Esme and Hermione pointed at the walls as Gabrielle and Fleur stepped off the stairs. They could see the confused expressions that Bella and I were sporting. "Ze lights, Edward. Zey should not be on at zis time of day, no?"

I spun, taking in all the sconces around the family room before moving off to see the hallway, the library, and even making my way into the kitchen. "What in the hell?"

I pulled open the door to the cold box. Now, on any given day, the cold box was cold. It was kept going by a magical spell and never-melt ice. But the cold that came out of our cold box was different. Ice gives off a different cold feeling than a fridge does. This was more of the all-around coldness that an electrical fridge gives off. It would need further testing, but I had a theory that we would no longer need the never-melt ice.

"Edward! I think I know what's happened!" Bella called from the family room. She'd been investigating the other rooms.

"What's that?" I asked as I walked back into the room.

Bella turned from the fireplace as it flared green. "I think the lay lines that have charged the mirror have also charged the house. The Earth magic is powering the things we'd usually need spells for."

"Are you sure?"

Bella shook her head. "But I've asked"—the fireplace flared again—"Opi and James to come and have a look. Welcome."

James nodded his head while Opi spoke. "So good to see you all again so soon."

"You too, Opi." I shook his hand. "What can you tell us about this?"

James went off to look around at all the things I just inspected while Opi walked over to the kitchen and out to the back verandah. "I knew the geode in the Potter's yard held some power, that it harnessed the magic of the lay lines and powered some of the things in their home. Most especially, the spells that keep the house hidden from the world, that protect everything in it. I knew when we pulled that geode out of the ground it would be powerful; I just didn't realize how powerful."

"What do you mean?" Bella asked as she stood next to Opi and looked up at him.

James came in and nodded at Opi, passing on something that I wasn't privy to. While their minds were open, they weren't giving away details. I also wasn't going to go fishing. I knew Opi would tell us when he was ready; it was the most glaring difference between Opi and Dumbledore. Opi would tell us. Dumbledore usually kept everything to himself unless he deemed it necessary.

Opi turned his back on the window. "Your house isn't just powered by the Earth magic that the geode has brought out. I believe that while the geode sits on the very center of where the lay lines join, there's a huge circle of power here. I think the house sits within that circle of power. It's why things like the sconces and the cold box are working now without the aid of magic. Nor will they need the never-melt ice or the oil for the sconces."

"But why?" Esme asked. "The house has been here all this time on the lay lines. Why now?"

"Because the owner of the house has attuned her magic to the Earth. The geode has just enhanced what was already here. It has focused it. It just took time for it to charge the house. That's why now." Opi laid his hand on Bella's shoulder.

Something Opi had said earlier sparked a memory. One from the graveyard last year. Voldemort had known a lot about our family, our home, and about us. He had been keeping an eye on us. I had come home and gone for a run to try to find where they had been watching us from but had had no luck. Now, though, we would have the means to stop that. To protect this house and those within the walls.

"Opi?"

"Yes, Edward?"

"You said the geode gave a level of protection at Potter Mansion?"

Opi shook his head. "No, I said it powered the protection at the Potter's. Why?"

"Because we need to up the protection around here. One of the few things I got out of that trip to the graveyard was that Voldemort had been keeping an eye on this place. He knew too much about us."

"Then that's what we'll do," Opi agreed. He turned to Bella. "This is your home, and you're the one who will create this protection. I think a secretkeeper is the way to go. Then only those who are told by the secretkeeper where this place is can find it. What do you think?"

Bella looked around at the people here in the room. She also thought about those who were away from home. "What about Rose and Emmett's place?"

"We can certainly add that under the protection."

"I know they want more children, and that was why they had the NSPCC lady out. Won't putting protection on their house affect that?"

Opi nodded. "It will. But they were thinking in entirely muggle concepts. They didn't need to be approved by muggle standards to adopt from the Middle House. They've already had their acceptance from there. So, there's no need to worry about that."

I watched Bella's thought process. I could see that she agreed we needed more protection here. Something to keep everyone safe even though she thought Voldemort would be a complete dumbass to attack a house full of vampires.

I couldn't help but snicker at those thoughts, causing Bella to snort and glare at me playfully. Shut up, Edward. He would be dumb, but that doesn't mean he isn't intelligent.

"Oh, I know he's intelligent, Bella. He's just not going about this in a smart way. But what could we do about that?"

"We need to protect this place. It needs to be a safe haven for all of us, and it needs to be hidden. But who do we make the secretkeeper?" Bella thought aloud. "Should I do it?"

James was shaking his head before Bella had even finished asking the question. "You would be the obvious choice, Bella, and that would make you a target for anyone trying to find this place. Someone who has ties to here is good, and someone you trust is even better."

Bella snorted. "That worked out so well for you." Bella winced after she said it, and James looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry, James. That was uncalled for."

"But also, true." He nodded. "Had I listened to that advice beforehand, I may have used someone different than Wormtail. Then again, I thought he was my friend."

"I could do it," Fleur volunteered.

Esme also piped in with, "I would, if someone could tell me what it entailed."

"Me too. What are we volunteering for?" Emmett asked as he and Rose walked in through the back door.

"We're going to hide this place off the grid. That includes your place. They need to be hidden from Voldemort and his crew," Opi answered. "And for that, we need a secretkeeper."

Rose chuckled at Emmett as he flopped down on the couch like a two-year-old, making Gabrielle bounce with the movement. "What's a secretkeeper?"

"A secretkeeper is the person who's designated to hide a secret by way of the Fidelius Charm. They're the only person able to pass on the secret, not even the person who told them the secret will be able to utter it again. The secret is embedded into the secretkeeper's soul and can only be told voluntarily," Opi explained. "It cannot be tortured or coerced out of the secretkeeper, making the position a very dangerous one. Because in the past, witches or wizards have been subjected to the Imperius and Cruciatus curses to try and get the information out of them."

The thoughts floating around sort of just stopped as Opi spoke about the role of the secretkeeper. It did sound like a dangerous job, and Bella was right—it should never have been given to Wormtail. From the memories I'd seen, he was always a squirrely character. Actually, weaselly would be a more apt description.

Bella looked at Fleur. "I thank you for your offer, Fleur, but in this case, I think someone who can't be easily influenced by spells might be a better idea." The fireplace flared as Bella spoke. "And, Emmett, while I appreciate the offer, your mouth tends to run away with you."

There were snickers all around as Carlisle walked out of the fireplace and over to Esme for a hello kiss.

"Then who do you want, Bella? We need to get this protection up and running," Opi asked.

"What protection?" Carlisle spoke before Bella could answer. We explained to Carlisle what we were planning to do to keep everyone safe. "Ahh, then I volunteer to be the secretkeeper."

Arguments broke out among everyone. All of them giving their own reasons to be the secretkeeper. But Carlisle held up his hands, asking for everyone to quiet down. "The reason I say that I should be the secretkeeper is that every single one of you is more vulnerable than I am. Bella and Edward, you've already gone up against Voldemort and have defeated him. He's not going to forgive that easily. Emmett, you're out in the forbidden forest, in the wilds, investigating. You've probably already been noticed. Rose … you're hoping to start a family, even an adopted one; the last thing you need is to be taken from them for torturing." Rose nodded in acceptance of that. "Fleur, you and Gabrielle are just too vulnerable. While you're both immortal, you can still be hurt more than us vampires. And, Esme, my love, just no. I won't put you in the position of even thinking about you being tortured."

"But that's why I don't want you to do it either, Carlisle!" Esme reached out for his hands. "Why you?"

"Because aside from you, and the others when you guys are at Hogwarts, I have the most protection inside St. Mungo's. Although, that might be changing soon. And even still, I will have more protection than all of you."

I frowned, tilting my head to get a better lock on Carlisle's thoughts. My eyebrows shot up in surprise. It seemed that while Carlisle had a love for treating the sick and injured, he'd found a new passion. Something he had been having talks about with Izeldor and Moody.

"What do you mean?" Esme asked squeezing his hands.

Carlisle smiled. "We don't need the money, Esme; we never really have. And for that reason, I've been thinking of a career change. While being a doctor will help with the war that's coming, I think creating potions to help win the war and heal the injured will be a much better use of my talents."

"Oh," Esme breathed.

"Which means that you'll have the protection of Potter Mansion during the day, and Swan Manor when you're here at night," Opi noted. "You'll be off the grid all the time."

Carlisle nodded. "Which is why I'm the perfect one to be the secretkeeper for Swan Manor."

"Good. It's decided then?" We all nodded to Opi's question. He clapped his hands together. "Everyone in here will need to be told after the spell has been cast, but for now, all I need is Carlisle, James, Bella, and myself. You can all go back to what you were doing!"

He didn't have to tell me twice. I was out of the room and into the library before he had finished talking. By the time Bella, Opi and the others had stepped out the back door, I was sitting in front of the mirror. The only thing I knew after that was my parents. I completely immersed myself in everything about them. In fact, it wasn't until much later that I even knew how much time had passed.

My parents and I were discussing the sixties when Bella flung the door open, standing there in her pajamas, but that wasn't what caught my attention. It was the look on her face as she glared at me—at me—from the threshold of the door.

"What are you doing, Edward?"

"Um … talking to my …" I trailed off as the look on her face shifted ever so slightly.

"Yes, Edward. I'm aware." The way she said that was caustic. She was mad, and I wasn't sure why. "Do you know what the time is?"

"Uh?"

"How about how long you've been down here?"

"Hmmm?"

"How about these ones? Did you hear any of us when we called out to tell you about the protection being finished? Or when dinner was ready? Or how about when I sent a thought to you about coming to play the piano when I went to bed? That I needed it to settle me, needed you." Bella held up her wrist, the one with her mating bracelet, the one that matched mine. "How about this, huh?"

I froze. The questions ringing through my mind. I hadn't heard any of it. Not the spell being finished, not dinner being ready, and I hadn't heard when my girl needed my attention. I looked down at myself, my softly glowing bracelet, and the fact that I was still sitting in the chair in front of the mirror. "Oh, my God." I stood up in disgust. "Oh, my God," I groaned out in frustration and guilt. "It happened. The one thing Dumbledore warned us about with this mirror. I got lost in it and forgot everything else."

Bella's arms crossed over her chest, her face softening a little, but the fierce warrior was still there. She was still mad, but she was relaxing.

I flew toward her, landing on my knees with my arms wrapped around her hips and my forehead on her stomach. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I didn't even realize it was happening. Once I got back down here, everything fell away, and I lost all sense of reality." I stood and started dropping little kisses all over her face. Her eyes. Her forehead. Her nose, and the corner of her mouth. "I really have no excuses. Just know that I am sorry."

Bella stood on her tiptoes as she wrapped her arms around my neck, one hand sinking into my hair. She planted a kiss directly on my lips, mostly to shut up my ramblings. "I know you are, Edward. I wasn't really mad, but I needed to get your attention. You hadn't heard anything all day, and I was getting concerned, especially when no one could get an answer out of you."

I kissed her again, my hands beginning to wander just a little. I noted she was wearing pajamas, but I hadn't taken stock of what they were. Bella was only a couple months away from her fifteenth birthday, and she had begun to fill out in ways I couldn't have imagined when we met. And as I kissed her, as my hands wandered over new curves—hips, waist, the bottom of her breasts, and back down to her ass—I discovered that all she was wearing was a small, tight-fitting tank top, and very tiny shorts. I groaned; I couldn't help it. "What are you wearing?"

"This old thing?" Bella pulled back a little, letting me see.

That was when the guilt at what I was doing hit. It didn't happen often, but occasionally, when things were getting heavy, I would remember that she was only fourteen or still just fourteen.

"Don't, Edward. Don't think that. Don't feel that. You know I'm older than my years. That I feel things differently than people my age." She peered up at me, a cheeky little smirk on her face. "Besides, you know I like it."

I palmed her ass once more to acknowledge her point, earning a sound from her that I'd never heard before. An honest to goodness moan. One that I wanted to hear from her, every day, for the rest of our very long lives. "I know I shouldn't think that way. But sometimes, it's hard to reconcile the beautiful, but very young, mate I started out with to what you are now. There's that, and in the muggle world, you still are very much so underage. Sometimes, those rules I lived by are hard to let go of."

"I understand that, Edward, so I'll be here to remind you that you don't need to feel guilty for feeling the things you do." Bella kissed me as she flexed her ass in my hands, proving that she didn't just mean my feelings but the things my hands inevitably landed on.

I squeezed her ass one more time before sliding my hands up her back to cup her shoulder blades so I could pull her mouth back to mine. "I'll remember that in the future," I whispered between kisses. "But I can't promise it won't happen again."

"I know, and I will remind you." Bella smiled. "Now, come upstairs."

"Yes, ma'am."

Bella and I left her laboratory without a look back. My parents would understand; although, we didn't get very far. Standing inside the library was Carlisle. It seemed he was waiting on us to join him.

"Learned your lesson, Edward?"

"Yes, sir." I nodded.

"Good. I won't have you doing that to us again. We need you with us, okay?" I nodded again to his question. "Now, let's see about giving you the secret."

It took a few minutes. Some of which I felt totally silly about considering I knew where Swan Manor was. But I knew that if Carlisle didn't tell me, and I stepped foot outside this house, I wouldn't be able to find my way back inside.

I clapped him on the shoulder when he was done, and then took my girl upstairs for the night. As she laid down on the bed, I took a seat at the piano, and I did what she wanted me to do earlier—I played her to sleep.

~*~UHS~*~

The following day, I made a concentrated effort not to go down to Bella's laboratory. Sure, I stayed close while she was down there. In the potions room, or in the library, but I didn't go down there. I didn't want the temptation to pull me in again.

Alice and Jasper were still not home. They had been spending time in the muggle world, visiting Paris for fashion week. Alice liked to keep up to date with the fashion trends of muggles so she knew that her designs would help wizards and witches alike to blend in with the muggles. Although, with Rose and Emmett moving out and making a home for themselves, I wondered how long until Alice and Jasper did the same.

Carlisle was at St. Mungo's, handing in his resignation but talking to them about his new venture. He was hoping he could become an offsite provider for their potions. He hoped that by taking that aspect off their hands, he would be able to give them more time to work with patients if they weren't having to worry about maintaining or keeping their eyes on their potions.

Esme was preparing her teaching plan for the coming school year while Gabrielle was pacing a hole in Fleur's room. She was so nervous about starting this year even though we would all be there with her. I frowned; there was something else Gabrielle was keeping from us. It seemed she had been practicing her occlumency because she was able to keep things from me, even in her sleep.

I listened out for Hermione, only to find her in her room, reading one of her books for this year. It seemed we weren't the only ones trying to read ahead even if Bella and I were further along than most. It was so quiet in our house that the sound of Alice's yellow Porsche appearing in my range kind of startled me.

Ooooh, Alice and Jasper are home! Bella squealed happily. They haven't been told about the house yet.

I snorted as Bella appeared in the doorway to the potions room. What, Edward? Shouldn't we get Carlisle home to tell them?

I listened as their car got closer. "He'll be home soon enough. But I'm thinking of having a little fun with them first. See how long it takes them to figure it out."

"You're devious." Bella chuckled. "And that is so mean. I love it. Let's do it!"

Bella and I raced to the front door before Esme could open it. Not that it mattered because even Esme couldn't tell them where the house was if she wanted to. We pulled her back into the family room before Bella and I sat at the front window, looking out into the yard. Fleur and Gabrielle came down the stairs just as Alice pulled her Porsche into the driveway.

"What are you doing?" Gabrielle asked in excitement, squeezing in between us.

"We're about to see the Fidelius Charm at work. Alice and Jasper don't know that the house has been protected. We get to see what happens on this side of the charm for a change," I answered.

"Who are we experimenting on?" Fleur asked, joining us on the love seat.

"Alice and Jasper," Bella and I spoke at the same time. I continued with, "They haven't been home so they don't know what's been going on. Nor do they know about the fact that the house is now hidden."

Esme spoke from behind us. "Is this really necessary?"

"Yes!" the four of us spoke together. "I've never seen this side of the spell"—I paused—"maybe Hermione should see it too." Instead of waiting for anyone to say anything, I sprinted out of the family room and up the stairs, barely knocking before I threw the door open.

"What the …" Hermione started to say, only to shriek when she was picked up and thrown over my shoulder. "Edward!" She squealed again when I took off. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see," I said as I planted her next to Gabrielle in my seat before pushing them all along so I could sit back next to Bella.

"Wh …" Hermione started to say, only to be shushed by Bella and Gabrielle.

I was itching to see what was going to happen. I could hear Alice and Jasper driving up the road leading to our driveway. Bella, Fleur, Gabrielle, and I turned to peek out the window—why I don't know—to see what was going to happen.

As usual, Alice came flying round the last bend before the driveway, barely slowing down, but hit the skids the second the house should have come into view. Dust flew everywhere as the car slid to a stop. We could see that both of their mouths were wide open before Alice asked, "What the hell happened to the house?"

"It was here when we left a week ago! Where could it have gone?" Jasper spoke, his eyes darting all around. He was looking for clues or potential threats.

"I don't know!" Alice shrieked. "I haven't seen anything! You would think if someone hijacked our house I would have seen something." Alice breathed deeply before she freaked out again. "What are we going to do? How can we contact someone to find out what happened?"

Alice jumped out of the car and started pacing backward and forward. We couldn't help but snicker as Alice's hands began flailing around as she spoke. She was agitated. This was a perfect example of why Alice no longer lived in her visions, though she still relied on them.

We watched as Jasper stepped out of the car and reached out to place a hand on Alice's shoulder. "Calm, Alice. Why don't we just go over to Molly's house and use the fireplace. Okay?"

Alice took in a deep breath before releasing it slowly. Looking up at Jasper as she did so. "Okay." She nodded. "Okay. That's what we'll do."

We were quiet as they clambered back into the car and pulled out of the driveway.

"We need to follow them!" Bella giggled. "I don't know what happens when someone tries to talk about a place that's been hidden. I want to know!"

I snickered. "Let's follow them then."

"How? If we go through the fireplace, they'll know we're there."

Ideas were flying through my mind, one after the other, trying to figure out a way we could follow them when Esme stepped back in the room. I hadn't even noticed she'd gone, but she had something in her hands. Something we hadn't used in a very long time.

"Oh, my God, Mom, that's brilliant." I sped over to her and retrieved Bella's broom and mine from her. "You're absolutely diabolical."

"Well, you aren't the only ones who love a good prank." Esme smirked, then she slowly walked away. While she loved a good prank, she didn't want to be in the middle of one.

"Fleur, you wanna come with me? Gabrielle with Bella? Hermione, do you want to come?" I turned to face the girls. Hermione was shaking her head—'cause she hated flying—while the other three were nodding like bobble-headed dolls. I couldn't help but laugh. I handed Bella her broom, and we traipsed outside. I climbed on mine with Fleur jumping on the back. I looked over to see that Bella and Gabrielle were ready with large smiles on their faces. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

With a push off from the ground, Bella and I soared into the sky. We flew straight up before twisting around and back down. We used the trip over to the Burrow to show off our flying skills. It didn't take us long to find Alice's yellow Porsche. They were almost upon the Burrow.

Alice and Jasper pulled up into the yard, surprising Fred and George, who seemed to be de-gnoming the garden. Fred walked over and peered down through the driver's side window. "Alice? Jasper, what are you guys doing here?"

"We tried to go home, but home isn't there. It's like it …" Jasper trailed off. I could hear the thoughts running through his head.

"Like what?" Fred asked.

Alice looked at Jasper strangely because he stopped talking. "Like it just up and disappeared. We pulled into the driveway, and there was nothing there."

"Don't know how that's possible," George said as he looked over the roof of the car at Fred. "Houses just don't disappear. We haven't heard anything about it." George shrugged. "Why don't you come inside, and you can use the fireplace to get home. You can pick up your car later."

"Wonder if they'll be able to get home that way?" Bella mused as we dropped down from the sky. We landed far enough out that they wouldn't be aware we were there—unless they were looking for us—but close enough to see what was happening inside the kitchen.

"Alice, Jasper! So nice to see you." Molly smiled as she hugged them both. "What can we help you with today?"

Alice took a seat at the table. "We just got home from a trip to France for fashion week." I could see Alice looked up at Molly, expecting recognition. When she received none, she waved it away before she continued. "Anyway, we pulled into the driveway only to find that the house was missing! Missing! Can you believe it?"

The four of us snickered at Alice's indignant tone. She was extremely agitated because she didn't know what was happening, but I could see that Jasper might have been starting to put things together. He was the one who had figured out the Fidelius Charm on Potter Mansion, after all.

Molly frowned, taking the seat across from Alice. "That is strange. Swan Manor should be … Um … it should be … right over." Molly seemed to struggle with giving a general description of where Swan Manor was located.

"So zat's how the spell works. For zose who know, zey cannot say, and zose zat don't know, zey'd never be able to find it," Fleur thought aloud.

"The only one able to give the exact location of Swan Manor is Daddy," Bella said aloud. "Nobody will ever be able to utter its location ever again, except him. Although we may need to find a way to circumvent that in situations like this."

"Shh! They're going to try the fireplace!" Gabrielle waved her hands around trying to grab our attention.

We all turned back to the window to see that Alice had reached out for some of the floo powder. She stepped into the fireplace. "Swan Manor," she stated clearly, throwing the floo powder at her feet. It flared green for a brief moment, but it fizzled just as quickly, and Alice was still standing inside the fireplace. "What? Why didn't it work?"

The four of us broke out into laughter, quiet laughter, but laughter none-the-less. The look on Alice's face was too funny. Her mouth had dropped open, her eyes were as wide as possible, and her nose was flaring. She couldn't believe what was happening to her.

It seemed that we had been discovered because Jasper could feel the surge of amusement coming from outside. We ducked into the long grass around the Burrow as Jasper stepped up to the window. "It seems we've been had."

"What do you mean?" Alice asked as she and Molly came and stood next to Jasper.

"I've been putting the pieces together since we arrived. I can only imagine that Bella and Edward have enlisted the help of Opi to upgrade the security on Swan Manor. I believe that while we've been gone, a Fidelius Charm has been placed on our home." Jasper raised an eyebrow as he looked in the general direction he could feel where the amusement was coming from.

"We'd better go," I snickered. I could feel that Jasper was starting to understand our prank.

As we mounted our brooms, we heard Alice asking one last question. "How are we gonna get home?"

And Jasper's replied, "I'm sure Edward will send whoever the secretkeeper is over to us soon."

We laughed all the way back to Swan Manor, knowing that Jasper was right—we'd send Carlisle over there soon.

~*~UHS~*~

Gotta find the fun when times are darkest! And this was a good way to not only prank Alice and Jasper but to see the Fidelius Charm at work from the other side.

I hope you all have a safe and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year if you celebrate, or a safe and Happy Holidays even if you don't. I look forward to seeing you next year.

For the last time in 2022 ... let me know what you think!