Under Her Spell - Book Five - Edward Masen in: Growing Pains

by Bubbleybear

Minister Fudge has buried, not only his head in the sand, but the entire ministry. Meanwhile someone at the Ministry for Magic is playing a dangerous game with the entire wizarding world. What happens when the ministry infiltrates Hogwarts and they come up against the only ones that can save the wizarding world from themselves?

17. Chapter Sixteen- Training to be the Best

For those of you in our facebook group - Bubbleybear & Pienuniek's Story Nook - this news will come as no surprise. But I recently lost a very dear friend to cancer who was also an unofficial Pre-Reader for the Under Her Spell Series. Leonie Price, I miss you, so very much but I hope that you are free from pain, wherever you are.

In her honour, I am dedicating this entire book to her. Her enthusiasm helped me continue to write on many days where I felt ... lost. In fact, one of the last emails she sent me was that she wished that these books had been on the big screen; that they were better than the originals. I know it will never happen, but the thought was enough to encourage me. Please keep her in your thoughts as we continue with this story. Cheers.

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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 ...

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Chapter Sixteen ~ Training to be The Best …

Setting foot on the pitch after a short break, thanks to Umbridge, was nothing short of amazing. Bella and I had only been able to train that one time with the team before the season had been placed in jeopardy.

But now we were back, and we were going to train harder and be better than ever. What surprised me though was that Jasper was sitting on the side of the pitch, waiting for us.

Bella waved to him as she ran forward with Harry, Ginny, and Neville. She was less concerned with Jasper being there and happier to be out on the pitch than she had been previously. It was obvious that I wasn't the only one who had missed this.

"What are you doing here, Jasper?" I asked as I followed behind.

I wanted to talk to you about Harry, Jasper thought, smiling at Bella. "I want you to take me flying, Edward. I wanna know how it feels."

I chuckled. I had expected this sooner, but from Emmett, not Jasper. "What about Harry?"

I was hoping you could tell me how much his scar has been bothering him. If he'd had any further visions since the one the other night. Has he been able to keep Voldemort out? Jasper watched as we all made it to the center of the pitch. He may have been here to talk about Harry, but he was ever so excited to see us train for quidditch too.

"The dream the other night has been the only one so far. But he was utterly exhausted from Umbridge. We need to figure out a way for that not to happen," I said as I sat down on the pitch, waiting for Angelina to begin.

Let me think on it. Jasper looked around at the entirety of the stadium. We're gonna have to be careful. I watched through him as he scanned the other side and stopped on an alcove where Umbridge was standing. She was watching our practice.

"Welcome back to training!" Angelina stated as we all sat down on the pitch. "I'm hoping we can get through a full training session before this weather hits." She indicated the dark clouds rolling in. They looked ominous, and I hoped we weren't going to get hit with a storm. "For now, let's get started."

Angelina had the team run drills. Everything from speed runs, to shooting goals, to belting bludgers with the bats. She even had Harry, Ginny, and Bella chasing down the snitch. Well, Harry was chasing it while Bella and Ginny were chasing him, trying to stop him from catching it.

It was interesting. Ginny had been brought on board the team so she could be keeper, but it seemed that Angelina was training her in the position of seeker as well. I wasn't sure what her line of thinking was, but I could hazard a guess that she was preparing for a time when Harry may not be able to play. Because we all knew Umbridge was just that vindictive.

As we continued our training, Jasper and I continued to talk about Harry and how he was faring with his Occlumency.

"How are we going to stop it slipping when he's exhausted or emotionally overwhelmed?" I asked as I snatched the quaffle out of the air and zoomed off down the pitch toward Neville at the other end. We were practicing our goal shooting and goal keeping.

I had a thought about that, Jasper thought as he watched me fly with anticipation. He really wanted to be able to do that himself. But I'm going to need your help to accomplish it.

I shot a goal, smirking at Neville, before scooting back down the pitch. "Not a problem, you know that. But what are you thinking?"

I'll let you know if Harry has another dream from exhaustion or emotional upheaval. Come and see me if it happens, Jasper said. Go, go, go!

"It's just training, Jasper!" I laughed, but I caught a runaway quaffle from Katie Bell and passed it to Bella, laughing as she took off toward Neville. The fact that he was more afraid of her than of me was hilarious.

"All right, guys, I want you all to get in your positions. It will be our team versus Edward, Bella, and reserves. Let's play!" Angelina called from her spot on the pitch. She spun around to face Jasper. "I know you can't fly, Professor Whitlock, but have you read up on the rules of quidditch? Could you referee for us?"

The last time I had seen a smile that big on Jasper's face was when he was remembering his first wedding day to Alice. He didn't even bother to take the stairs down, he just bounded over the railing and landed two stories down on the pitch. He was as excited as a young child on Christmas morning. "I can manage to referee," Jasper said excitedly.

"Good." Angelina beamed. She handed over a whistle, mounted her broom, and flew into the air. "When you're ready, Professor Whitlock."

Flashing us one last smile that caused Bella to giggle, Jasper raised the whistle and our practice match began. Jasper kicked the box on the ground next to him, releasing the bludgers and the golden snitch. He picked up the quaffle before looking back up at us. "Just remember, Bella and Edward, you are not to use your full speed."

"I want them to," Angelina interrupted. "Except, Bella, can you change places with the chaser? I don't want …"

"Me to use my speed chasing down the snitch. Got it!" Bella swapped places with the chaser so she could play with me.

The game began in earnest, but it also began to pour down with rain. Not that it seemed to deter anyone in the slightest. The only one who seemed to be bothered by the rain was our lovely spectator down in the bowels of the stands. Bella snickered when Umbridge almost jumped back in fright when the first drops reached her.

I couldn't help laughing, and Jasper was no better when I shot down the pitch, quaffle in hand, shouting, "I'm melting!" at the top of my lungs. I even managed to get a chuckle out of Hermione and Harry, who had seen The Wizard of Oz, even if they were unsure why I was yelling it. Except for the fact that we were playing in the rain.

Bella was giving me a strange look as I zoomed past her, waiting for the quaffle to be thrown. "It's a movie, Bella. I'll show you over Christmas break!"

"Okay!" she laughed. "Get back to playing!"

We continued playing and playing hard. But the harder we played, the more it seemed to rain. Not that it stopped us. In fact, the weather seemed to spur us on.

The connection that Bella and I had made us a formidable team, and it made us almost impossible to catch. Fred and George pelted bludgers at us, but with our speed, we were able to dodge them fairly easily. We were able to score many goals, but what even surprised us was that Ginny was able to deflect a couple of them. One of mine and one of Bella's.

If Ginny pursues a career in quidditch after school, no one will be able to stop her, Bella thought as she intercepted the quaffle being passed from Alicia to Katie. Bella's and my speed, plus our accuracy, made us almost impossible to beat, but Ginny had done it twice.

Bella and I had just scored our fifteenth goal between us while our regular team had scored just one when Jasper blew his whistle. "End game! The snitch has been caught. Harry wins the game!"

"Damn," I said with a chuckle. My head dropped back as I shook it and looked over at Bella.

Bella laughed as she pulled her broom to a stop next to me. "We were so damn close. Are we that bad or is Harry that good?"

I laughed again. "We're not that bad. If it wasn't for Ginny blocking those two goals of ours, we would have won that." I leaned over from my broom, with her meeting me in the middle, and gave Bella a brief kiss. "We'll get them next time."

We landed on the ground and made our way off the pitch to one of the preparation rooms. One that was used by the teams to meet before a game. We all followed Angelina in, including Jasper, who wanted to see what happened behind closed doors.

"I want to thank you all for coming out tonight for an impromptu practice. I'll be making a new schedule as soon as possible," Angelina spoke as she took place in front of the room. "Edward, Bella, I cannot thank you enough for helping us out. But"—she laughed—"even though I suggested you go all out with your speed, maybe next time you can take it a little easier on us. The whole point is for us to learn from you."

Bella and I smiled without shame, causing everyone to laugh. "We'll try," we said together, cracking ourselves up.

Angelina chuckled at the pair of us. "Please do. Now, go, all of you. Get dried off and warmed up before you all get sick. The first game is in three weeks. Check the notice board for our training schedule!"

We all stood. Replacing brooms and trying to shake off some of the water, all while making our way up to the castle. Not that it helped because the minute we got outside, we were drenched again. Most of our teammates made a mad dash for the castle, but Bella and I walked the distance hand in hand. We were in no hurry, and the fact that neither of us could get sick was probably an incentive.

It seemed that Umbridge had made it back to the castle before us because she was standing in the entryway, glaring at us as we walked through the doors. She sneered as she spoke down to us. "Mr. Masen and Miss Swan, there is to be an eight-inch gap between all boys and girls, at all times."

Both of us stopped to look at her before we both smirked. "Make us," we said together. We moved closer together as we waited to see what she would do. As a small crowd started to gather, Umbridge whipped out her wand and silently fired a spell at us. I assume that the spell was made to split us apart, separate us by the eight inches she seemed to require. Unfortunately for her, that didn't happen.

"Didn't even feel that," Bella sighed. "Is that all you've got?"

"Bella, there's no need to be rude. We should respect her as a teacher." Everyone could hear the infliction in my tone. We all knew I didn't mean it in the slightest.

"And she should respect that just because there are different species out in the magical world who are smarter, better, stronger, and impervious to the weaker magic of witches and wizards such as her"—Bella lifted her head and almost looked down her nose at Umbridge—"we …" Bella indicated to me and her "… are stronger than your magic. You won't be able to affect us."

"Sorry, Professor." I shrugged, pulling on Bella's hand and moving off to the staircase.

"I think you should both meet me in detention tomorrow night!" Umbridge huffed, crossing her arms over her pink-covered chest.

"For what, pray tell?" Professor Dumbledore asked as he stepped out of the Great Hall. It seemed he had been watching what had happened. "For asking you to follow up on your rules, for asking you to prove your worth as a witch, for telling the truth about the fact that they are superior to you—magically—or for being impervious to your magic? None of which is actually cause for detention. We always ask the children to voice their opinions, even if they are not what someone wants to hear."

Umbridge spun to face him. A scowl deepening the lines on her face. "How about the rudeness and sarcasm with which the opinion was delivered."

Professor Dumbledore raised an eyebrow over the rim of his half-moon glasses. I could tell from his thoughts that he knew what was happening in his school. He also knew that there wasn't much he could do about it … for now. "It was no less than the attitude you gave them when they walked in the door, Professor Umbridge. Shall we call this one even?" Umbridge went to open her mouth to argue, but Dumbledore held up a finger to stop her. "Shall we ask the witnesses we have here?"

Umbridge closed her mouth as she looked around at the children standing there watching. Instead of answering, she huffed and moved off toward the staircase leading to her class and office.

I turned back to Dumbledore. "We would have taken the detention, Professor. We were out of line."

Dumbledore waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "You will have to face her eventually. At least, for this time, I was able to step in and help. But, please, try not to antagonize her."

I looked down at Bella. "We'll do our best, but we can't promise anything."

Dumbledore smirked before nodding his head and moved off toward the corridor that would lead to his office.

"Come on, Bella. Let's get to Gryffindor Tower and out of these wet clothes," I said as I tugged her along. Just because we couldn't get sick didn't mean that these clothes were comfortable.

Bella just huffed at me and pulled me to a stop. "Why, when we can use the drying spell?" Bella flicked out her wand and cast the spell, only for her clothes to dry on the spot, leaving them toasty warm and feeling cleaner than when she dressed in them this morning.

I smirked. "Because I forget them sometimes, Bella. Thank you," I said to her with a kiss as she dried my clothes too. Once she was done, I tugged her to get her moving once more. We were quiet as we made our way up the moving staircase. Both lost in our own thoughts of what Umbridge could possibly do to us should she gain the power she so desperately wanted. Would she banish us from school? Would she try to have us evicted from the magical world? I would hope not. If I were her, I would look at keeping my friends close but my enemies closer.

Bella curled into my side as we stood on the last staircase, waiting for it to slot into place. She was as concerned with Umbridge as I was. But she knew we had to face her both head on, as well as in subterfuge.

"Mimbulus Mimbletonia," I murmured to the Fat Lady before kissing Bella's head.

"Welcome back, Edward and Bella. I hear training went well," the Fat Lady said as she opened for us.

Bella beamed at her. "It was really fun, and I hope we can help the team become better."

"I have no doubt that you will!" the Fat Lady called as we entered through the portrait, causing us to snicker.

The Gryffindor Common Room was alive with chatter when we entered. It seemed that word had spread about our team being able to continue to play throughout the season and that we'd had training tonight. Everyone was excited to be able to get out and watch Gryffindor kick some quidditch ass.

Bella and I made our way up to the bathrooms to get washed up and changed before heading back to the common room. Talk was still happening as we sat down in my space. Fred and George being the loudest. They were excited. They felt that Bella and I had made training that much better. That we would make them a better team. It would only take some time and lots more practice.

The chatter around the common room lasted for a long time. Umbridge had unwittingly given the Gryffindors a boost of confidence, giving them their quidditch team back. Essentially, she may have given all of us the boost we need to continue fighting her and her oppressive regime.

Eventually, the students started to drift off to bed. One by one, slowly, then faster as time went on. The only ones still boisterous were the quidditch team and their reserve players, as well as Hermione, Bella, and myself.

Bella and Hermione were mid-conversation about trying to combine muggle and wizarding technology when Harry let out a massive yawn. It seemed that the day's emotions and exertions had finally caught up with him.

I looked over to see if Bella and Hermione had noticed, but they were deep in conversation. "I think the girls are going to be at it for a while, Harry. Why don't you just go to bed?"

Instead of answering, Harry just nodded and stood. The girls barely noticed as he walked around the edge of the lounge and made his way toward the stairs. It wasn't until his foot hit the bottom step that Hermione stood from the lounge. "Harry?"

He heaved a bit of a sigh because he really was tired but turned to face her anyway. By the time he did, she was right there with him. "Yes?"

Instead of saying anything more, Hermione reached out and snagged Harry's robes. She pulled on them, bringing his face to her level before she kissed him right on his mouth. Harry was so surprised that he didn't even respond … at first. It took him a few seconds, but eventually, he started to kiss her back. Hermione kissed him for a few more seconds before she pulled back. She smiled shyly. "Goodnight, Harry," she said, and with that, she turned around and walked back to Bella, who was trying to hide her smirk.

"You had something to do with that," I whispered so only Bella could hear me.

Bella giggled with Hermione as she sat down next to her, but Bella's thoughts were directed to me. I have no idea what you are talking about. When did I have time to encourage her?

I snorted quietly, picking up Charlie's potions book. There were still potions in there that I hadn't read through and analyzed. "Oh, I have no doubt you've made time, my naughty girl. We should let them figure it out on their own. Like we did."

I still have no idea what you mean. Besides, human males can be stubborn. Sometimes, they need a push. Bella smirked at me before she flicked her eyes over to Harry, who was still frozen on the stairs.

"I know that." I chuckled silently. "But should we be overwhelming him?" I asked as Harry shook his head, breaking out of his stunned stupor, before giving Hermione one last look and making his way up the stairs.

Bella and Hermione giggled one more time before Hermione made her way up to bed also. Bella pinned me to my chair with a look before she made her way over to me. At fifteen, Bella was absolutely deadly. "How else will Harry learn to maintain control under such conditions if we don't test him?"

I pulled her onto my lap, gliding my nose up her neck. I smiled when I felt her shiver with anticipation. "Is that the only reason you encouraged Hermione to kiss him?" I whispered, my voice dropping to a lower register than I had used before. It took me a moment—and Bella's low throaty moan—to realize that this was the voice I would use when trying to seduce my mate.

I should have felt guilty for using it when she was only fifteen. But then, I wondered why? Kids her age, and younger, were already experimenting with sex. Especially in the muggle world. But we were mated. There was no danger to us. Her especially. So why should I feel guilty for wanting to make her feel good.

Bella wriggled on my lap, trying to work out how to answer my question. And she was just about to when she shifted once more, causing me to growl, long and low. I knew the mating instinct wouldn't kick in until Bella's seventeenth birthday, but it seemed that we could still turn each other on. Because the reason she moved on my lap was because I had begun to stir against her very fine bottom.

"Bella," I growled again, freezing her wriggling. "Please stop. We shouldn't be doing this," I said, starting to feel that guilt I had expected earlier.

Instead of stopping like I thought she would, Bella flew up off my lap and spun to face me. Hand on her hips, hair flowing around her, and eyes glowing from within as she glared down at me. "No, you stop," she said forcefully. "Don't, just don't, Edward. I don't want to hear it."

"Hear what?" I asked her. The growl was gone, but even I could hear the guilt creeping in. I didn't want to manhandle her. She deserved all the love and respect I could give her.

Bella pointed at me. "That! The guilt."

"But you're only fif …"

"Yes, and? I'm fifteen, so what? You're seventeen. We're teenagers; it's what we do. We just have the added benefit of being completely and utterly perfect for one another. I love you. You love me. Are we supposed to be complete newbies at our physical relationship until we're either married or have the mating instinct kick in? Is that what you want?" She threw question after question at me without giving me a chance to answer. "Did you smell how you affected me?"

I looked up at her, hoping she wasn't going to force me to answer. Bella ignored my pleading look, crossed her arms, and raised an eyebrow at me. Her anger and her magic swirling a little bit more.

"Yes, of course I did. That's why I knew we shouldn't be …"

"Be what? Experimenting? Learning how we react to things? Being teenagers in love? Being in love?" Bella tilted her head at me. The anger fading, and a sadness replacing it. "Oh, I see. You're still seeing me as ten-year-old Bella, even though I'm far from it." She nodded as if she expected that much. But it was the look of heartbreaking devastation as she looked down that made me reach out to comfort her. Bella took a step back, shaking her head at me. "For now, I think it's best if I leave. I can't have you comforting me when it's you who have made me feel this way. We'll talk soon, but right now, I need to be alone."

Bella gave me one more look before walking to the portrait opening. She changed into her snow leopard animagus before bounding out of the hole.

I groaned, dropping my head into my hands. I was such an asshole. The first time I had ever felt something physical for Bella, and she had felt for me, and I screw it all up. I had been looking forward to being able to feel these things for my girl. To knowing that she had grown up and we could start to show our love more physically. And I FUCKED it up.

"Handled that well, did you?" A voice sounded from the portrait hole. My head shot up to see Jasper standing there.

"What are you doing here?"

Jasper smirked. "Alice had a vision a little while ago. She explained as little as possible but said I had to get back here to Gryffindor Tower. Told me the password and everything. I knew something was going to happen to cause a fight between you and Bella, but I wasn't sure what it was until I got about three flights down, and I felt the emotions you both were spilling out."

"Did you see Bella as she left?"

"No. She didn't come down the staircase, if that's what you're asking." Jasper sauntered in as he looked around the common room. He stopped at the edge of my area, unable to come any farther. Jasper raised an eyebrow at me. "Do you want my help or not?"

I sighed. "Come on in. And I do need your help."

"So, what happened?" Jasper asked as he took a seat at my desk. "Nice setup you have here."

"Thanks. And instead of answering, what can you feel from me?"

Jasper snorted but focused his attention on me. "Well …" he drew out. "There's happiness. That's always there. Love, that's always there too, although now it's different. Deeper, just more. Feels like the emotion that you have for one's mate. Deep, all-encompassing love." He paused for a moment. No doubt sorting through what else I was feeling. "Frustration. Something I haven't sensed from you in a while. But the overtone, that's an emotion I've never felt from you before. Lust. Not an uncontrollable urge but definitely a vampire-sized bite."

"What did you feel from Bella?"

"Oh, where to begin." Jasper laughed before he caught a look on my face. He sighed. "Do you really want to know?"

I nodded. I'm sure I looked pathetic, but I needed to know.

Jasper stared down at me, no doubt testing the emotional climate around me. He nodded just once. "She's feeling all that you're feeling, but she's also feeling a little bit of anger, as well as a huge amount of hurt. Whatever happened really hurt her. I caught snippets, but will you tell me?"

I hung my head, looking at the floor as I explained everything that happened. From her guiding Hermione into kissing Harry, to her stalking me like a lioness, to the kisses and how her smell wrecked me. I even admitted to what my body had finally felt for the first time in her presence. That was when a shudder ran through me that felt bone deep. I wasn't even sure what it meant.

"Hmm," Jasper hummed when I finished talking. I waited, but he didn't say anything else.

He stayed quiet so long that I started to get frustrated with him and just blurted out, "What? What does that mean?"

"Sorry. I was just feeling what you were feeling just then. Do you know what it was?"

I shook my head. The confusion must have been plain as day on my face because Jasper smirked just a little.

"You stopped because you feel guilty. I believe some of the last words Bella said to you before she ran out of this room as a leopard was 'You're still seeing me as ten-year-old Bella.' Right?"

"She did."

"Then what you're feeling, right now, what you were feeling then, is guilt. You feel guilty because you're feeling lust for Bella and you still see her as your ten-year-old mate and not the beautiful woman she is becoming."

I opened my mouth to counter Jasper's argument because I knew she was now fifteen. In fact, Emmett's prediction about Bella's uniform—way back when we went shopping for the first time in Diagon Alley—had come true. Before school this year, Esme had done the annual shopping trip to Diagon Alley. Only this time, she'd had to add new robes to the list. Bella had shot up, and she was growing out of all of hers, as was Hermione and Neville. But they weren't the only ones. I may not be growing, but the hems of my pants had all begun to fray. And now, thanks to that shopping trip, Bella—and her damn uniform that made her look like every teenager's wet dream—drove me to distraction most days.

But my mouth snapped shut when I realized that with the rose-colored glasses I had been wearing, I was refusing to acknowledge what was in front of me. I always painted her in the same light I had when I first met her. Not how I should be seeing her now. She was almost fully grown. I had plans for her for the summer after next. And that wouldn't be coming true if I couldn't start seeing her as the nearly fully grown woman she was right now. Bella wouldn't actually be growing much more. She had filled out in all the right places. The only changes that may come about would be minor physical ones. Maybe a couple more inches in height. Or a little more roundness to her figure. Or even a little slimming to her face.

Essentially, how she looked right now would be what I would look at—and love—for the rest of eternity. Should we survive the upcoming war with Voldemort.

I groaned, my head dropping into my hands. "What do I do?"

Jasper's hand landed on my shoulder. "First, you accept that your mate is almost a woman. That she is going to want to do things that teenagers are doing, but that she is also going to want to do things that mates are supposed to be doing. Just because her scent hasn't changed doesn't mean that she doesn't feel aroused. That she won't want to show you physically how much she loves you. And the same can be said in reverse. "I've done research into the scent change, and Dumbledore wasn't really forthcoming with the details."

I snorted before muttering a "what else is new."

"The scent change is for your mating—that all-consuming first time between mates—where it isn't sex. It's all out carnal fucking. Claiming one another. So that means you'll feel lust for each other now. You can explore those feelings now. You can make love to the love of your life if you feel so inclined."

"No." I shook my head. "Not yet. There are things that I want before that."

Jasper nodded. He had assumed as much. "But you don't need to feel guilty for wanting Bella, Edward. It's normal."

I thought about all Jasper had said. He was right. Bella was fifteen. In the muggle world, she probably would have done a lot more than we had. She deserved to be shown how much I loved her, physically, even if I didn't want to go all the way. But she also deserved to have that conversation. I could feel the acceptance settle into my being. And as my body, mind, and soul accepted that I could touch her how I wanted too, the guilt that I'd been feeling—even if I hadn't recognized it at the time—left. It flew out the damn window, making me feel lighter than I had in some time. I hadn't realized that I'd been weighed down with it.

I looked up at Jasper. "How do I fix this?"

"You know your mate best. An apology would be a great way to start. Then just follow your heart. You'll know how to make the situation better."

With those words, Jasper stood, and I followed, shaking his hand. "I don't know how to thank you."

"You just did. Go make my sister happy."

Jasper was about to make his way home when a shot of adrenaline hit him at the same time that Harry's mind opened up. It seemed that what had happened today was too much for him, and his occlumency had slipped.

"What's he dreaming?" Jasper asked.

"It's that hallway again. The one from the Ministry."

"Any other hints?"

I shook my head. "But it's not his thoughts. He's not actually dreaming it."

"Just experiencing it. I guess I have some more research to do. I'll see if I can get something to help Harry when he's overwhelmed or tired. He may just have to do some meditation before bed."

"We may want to see if we can find a way for him to spy on Voldemort without Voldemort noticing. Because eventually, he'll figure out that Harry can see into his head, and I don't think that will be a good thing."

Jasper locked eyes with me. "No. I can't imagine that would be." He smirked. "That would be a boon to our effort though. To have access to his inner most thoughts and feelings. Could you imagine what that would do for us?"

"Only if we can do it safely for Harry. Otherwise, he's just going to have to block it out altogether."

"That's fair," Jasper murmured as Harry's emotions and his dreams teetered off. "It's finished?"

"Yeah," I said. "Thank you, again, for your help, Jasper. Can you send me the research on the mating bond that you've found?"

"Not a problem for both. I'll see you in class!" Jasper laughed as he made his way to the portrait.

I watched as Jasper made his way out of the common room before I jumped into my trunk to rearrange a few things. All the while keeping an ear out for Bella. She had closed her mind to me, the first since she had learned how to open it, so I respected her need for privacy and alone time. I just hoped she didn't stay out all night. I knew she was inside the castle because I would feel it if she wasn't.

It took me several hours to prepare one of the rooms inside my trunk. I wanted to be able to give us privacy that we might not be able to get unless we left the common room. But Bella hadn't returned by midnight, and I was starting to worry. I was just about to get up and go look for her when I heard some rather large paw prints approaching the Fat Lady.

"Bella, are you feeling better now?" the Fat Lady asked after I had felt Bella shift forms. She must have shrugged because the Fat Lady spoke again. "Does it make you feel better to know that Edward had a visit from Professor Whitlock?"

"Really?" Bella asked quietly.

"Mmhmm, they had a nice chat." The Fat Lady paused again. "Would you like to go in?"

"Yes, thank you. Mimbulus Mimbletonia," Bella answered quietly.

I stood up from my chair and waited until Bella walked through the portrait. She looked miserable and that caused a huge spike of guilt in me but not for my lust. No, this guilt was for hurting the one person in my life who I should protect above all others.

"Bella … baby … sweet girl, I cannot tell you how sorry I am. You were right. I was seeing you as the mate I first met when I should have let what I was feeling guide what I was seeing. I'm so sorry I hurt you …" I was going to continue to babble my apology, but I was interrupted as my arms were filled with warm, soft, sweet, but absolutely delectable Bella. She'd climbed me like a tree and wrapped her arms and legs around me so tight that I wasn't sure where she ended and I began as I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face into her neck. I started kissing her neck on my way to her mouth, and as I did, I whispered another apology into her skin between kisses. "I really can't apologize enough, Bella. You mean the world to me. I am so, so sorry."

"Stop, Edward," she whispered as she kissed my mouth. "Please, stop. I know you didn't mean too. But it hurt so much that your idea of me hadn't grown as I had. I knew you enjoyed kissing me, but it made me feel undesirable when I didn't feel anything more from you."

"I'm so …"

Bella placed her finger over my mouth to stop my apology. "Stop. It wasn't until tonight that I realized you were feeling desire and lust for me, but you felt it wrong because of how you saw me." She pulled back to look at me. I let her see everything that I was currently feeling. There was a spark in her eyes as she looked me over. "What happened after I left?"

"Jasper came to see me. But you know that." Bella nodded. I took a seat on my chair, keeping her wrapped around me, as close as we could get. "He helped me see what I was doing. He helped me realize that I needed to change how I viewed you if my plans"—here I smirked because Bella gave me a sniffly giggle—"for our future were to come to fruition." I sighed. "He also told me that it was okay to feel lust, desire, and deep-abiding love for you because you're no longer ten-year-old Bella but a fifteen-year-old beautiful—stunning really—young woman. And that it's completely normal for me to desire my mate even before the scent change."

Bella's eyes roamed all over my face. "That's what was holding you back, wasn't it? The scent change?"

"For the most part, yes. I didn't think I was supposed to feel anything like that until your change. But there were those pesky rose-colored glasses too. And Jasper has done some research into the scent change. It seems there was more information about that than Dumbledore let on."

Bella rolled her eyes at that last piece of information. "Can I ask a question?"

"You just did," I pointed out, causing Bella to roll her eyes again. "Of course, Bella. Anything. You know that."

"With these plans that you have …" Bella smirked sexily, causing my body to pulse. Her smirk widened when she saw the look on my face "… how were we going to complete them if you couldn't look at me as a woman?"

"I don't know," I whined. "I honestly hadn't thought that far ahead. I thought it would change when we got to that point."

Bella nodded, leaning her forehead on mine. "You hadn't been prepared for this to happen."

I shook my head softly while keeping my eyes on hers. "I hadn't. But had Dumbledore shared all he had known; I might have been."

"What else did he know?" she asked just as softly as I had spoken.

I took the next few moments to explain to her what Jasper had told me. She asked a few questions but didn't actually comment on it until I was finished. She was quiet but looked up at me when I said, "Jasper is going to send me the research he's done and where I can find more so that we can learn about our connection. Because I have a feeling that Gabrielle, and whoever she is dreaming about, is going to need this information."

"That might be a good idea. But what about us? About what happens now?"

I smiled at her. "Come. I have something to show you." Instead of putting Bella down, I stood with her still all wrapped around me and made my way to my trunk.

"Edward." Bella giggled. "I know what's in your trunk."

"Ah, but do you?" I chuckled as I jumped down into the trunk. Instead of going into my portable potions room, which led to Bella's laboratory, I landed in a previously unopened room. When I landed, I let Bella slide down the front of me before turning her around.

"Oh, Edward, what have you done?"

I looked around as Bella walked through the room. I had managed to gather some large comfy cushions, as well as blankets, and some soft lighting. I had made a pallet for us and decorated the room as best I could to make the atmosphere romantic and relaxing. When Bella turned back to me, I shrugged. "I wanted somewhere we could have privacy without leaving the common room. I know we can go to the Room of Requirement at any time, but with all that's happening, I thought it might be good to have one here too."

"This is a really sweet idea. Come, join me?" Bella reached out for my hand, and I was powerless to stop her. Not that I wanted to. She towed me over to the cushions where I followed her direction and laid down next to her.

As soon as I was laying on my side next to Bella, she kissed me. Tentative little pecks at first, like she thought I was going to push her away again. Instead of letting her continue thinking that because her mind was now wide open, I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulled her tight to my body, and deepened the kiss. I swiped my tongue along her lips, and when they parted, I delved in and stroked her tongue with mine. It was wet. It was warm, and it was healing after our fight earlier.

This time, when Bella wound her leg over my hip, and I smelled her arousal, I pulled her closer and let out a loud groan. Now that I could fully appreciate that scent, I let it consume me. Instead of pushing her away, I grabbed a handful of her ass and squeezed, causing her to buck up into me. And by doing that, I showed her what she was doing to me. If I hadn't found that sexy, then the moan she let loose was nearly my undoing.

"God, Bella," I growled, kissing down her neck and giving her a moment to breath. "Your scent. It's wrecking me."

"Oh ahh," she moaned. "Is that a good thing?"

"Mmm, definitely a good thing," I said before pulling her mouth to mine once more.

We kissed for quite some time. Groping and grinding each other, touching places that had previously been forbidden. At one point, I even had my hand up Bella's top, massaging her glorious breasts and teasing her nipples. When I realized what I was doing, I slowed down our kisses and brought my hand out from under Bella's top.

"Nooo," she whined. "Don't stop touching me. I like your hands where they were."

I chuckled at Bella. "Believe me, sweet girl, I don't want to stop."

"Then why are you?"

"Because there are things we need to talk about."

Bella turned her head away but looked at me out of the corner of her eye. "What kind of things?"

"Things that will make us seem like responsible adults."

"To who?" Bella snorted, looking at me head on.

I shrugged while still holding onto her ass. "To the universe. Regardless, we do need to talk about them."

"What things do you have in mind?" Bella asked as she laid back down next to me.

I pulled her closer, to both comfort her and to feel her there with me, and talked more about my upbringing. When I first started talking, Bella was a little confused about the topic. That was until I started talking about the morals I was brought up with and what they meant to me.

It was Bella's turn to hug me closer. She ran her fingers through my hair as I began to ramble. She was trying to soothe me, as well as get me to shut up. But it seemed that once I started talking, my mouth seemed to run away from me. Eventually, she kissed me soundly on the mouth to get me to stop.

"Thank you," I breathed.

Bella snickered. "You're welcome. So, what I can gather from that rambling explanation is that you would like to wait until we're married before consummating our relationship. Is that right?"

I nodded rather dumbly because a flash of Bella in a white dress flew through my mind. "Yeah, yeah. That's what all that meant."

"Okay, I'm glad I understood. And, Edward, you didn't need to explain your history quite so detailed." Here Bella blushed. "When I learned what era you were born in, I asked Alice and Rosalie to tell me what it was like. I also did some research on the computer at Rose's house."

"Really?" I asked surprised. "Why?"

Bella shrugged while her blush deepened. "I wanted to know what it was like then. What happened during the time you were human and what you lived through before becoming a vampire."

I couldn't help kissing her. To find out that she had researched my time period, to learn about me, made me love her more today than before.

This time, it was Bella who pulled back. "In doing so, I learned about the morals of your time. I can understand the reasoning behind it, and why it is so important to you. I don't mind waiting, Edward, if that's what you need. But what about learning from each other? Getting acquainted with one another's bodies?" I growled at that question, causing Bella to smile. "Hmm, guess you don't have a problem with that?"

"No." I growled again. "That sounds like a pleasurable pastime to me." I leaned in to kiss Bella once more, but she pulled back with a smirk on her face. "What are you doing? I want a kiss."

"I know you do," she crooned, running her fingers through my hair. "But was there more you wanted to discuss?"

It took me a few seconds because, now that I'd accepted she was older, her touch was so very distracting. Bella giggled as I pulled her hand from my hair. "I know Esme touched on what happens as young girls grow up." Bella nodded at my statement. "Do you know what birth control is?"

"Is that how to prevent getting pregnant?"

I nodded. "In the muggle word, there are many different options for birth control. From a pill to a needle full of medicine to technology that can be inserted under the skin. Do you know what they use here?"

Bella frowned as she thought about what I was asking. She had fully opened her mind to me once more. She was sure there was something but not sure what. "I think I'll ask Fleur because even if there is something, I'm not sure it would work on me."

"Good point. Hopefully, Fleur knows something. We don't want to be having babies before this war, Bella. I couldn't imagine anything scarier."

"Me either," Bella said through a yawn. "Hmm … sleep."

"Stay right here, my girl. I'll wake you up in the morning." All I received in reply was a cute little snuffly snore.

~*~UHS~*~

The following morning, Hermione approached me a little wary. "Edward, have you seen Bella? She's not in the dorm this morning."

"She's still sleeping. I've created a space for us, and Bella's currently still there. We had an argument and spent a lot of the night talking through everything, so we went to sleep late." I smiled up at her. "What did you need her for?"

"We need a meeting to discuss where we are going to"—here she paused and checked the surroundings—"where we'll train. See if anyone has found a place for us to do so. Because I need to let the others know in time for the first session."

I nodded. "Okay. I'll go wake her up. In the meantime, send word to the others to meet in the Room of Requirement."

"Okay." Hermione walked off to tell Harry and the others.

I stood and made my way to my trunk before leaping over the edge and landing down in the room I made for Bella and me. I walked over to the bed of pillows and found Bella still asleep, curled up into a little ball, much like her leopard form does. I sat down on the edge and rubbed Bella's shoulder. "Sweet girl, time to wake up."

"Mmm," Bella moaned, stretching like the contented cat she was appearing to be. "Hey."

"Hey, baby. Sleep well?"

"I did. These cushions are comfier than they appear. But when we go home, we should get a bed in here."

I nodded. "We can do that. Now, for the reason I woke you. Hermione would like a meeting with those who are going to be running the lessons. She wants to know if anyone's found a meeting place yet."

Bella tilted her head at me. "Has she not thought of the Room of Requirement for training? That room provides us with any kind of room we need."

"It's why I suggested meeting there in an hour. We should get there first and ask for a room that we can train in."

"Smart boy." Bella smirked. "And we know that the room will provide what we need, as well as expand as we need it too."

"Then, sweet girl, time to get up." I leaned over and kissed her, just once, before I walked back to the mouth of the trunk and leaped up to the opening.

It didn't take long for Bella to join me. "Let's go," she said as she reached for my hand. "Hermione, we'll meet you there!"

"Okay, Bella!"

Kreacher was waiting for us outside the portrait hole. We hadn't seen much of him so far this year.

"Kreacher!" Bella squealed, rushing forward to hug our house elf. "How's Hogwarts been treating you this year?"

"Very well, Miss Bella, as always. Kreacher is glad that Professor Dumbledore allows him to be at Hogwarts all year round," Kreacher answered after Bella let him go. "Miss Bella and Master Masen did not come down for breakfast, so Kreacher brought some to you."

I clapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Thank you, Kreacher. You're invaluable, as always."

Kreacher nodded, bowed, and left us with a click of his fingers.

Bella smiled up at me and opened the paper bag that Kreacher had given her. She began laughing as she pulled out some hash browns. "It seems that Kreacher has been doing some research into American breakfast foods."

"It would seem so. What else is in there?" I took the bag from Bella as she held it out for me. I laughed harder when I realized that he had attempted to make breakfast muffins with eggs, bacon, and cheese. Much like I had seen in the McDonalds eateries across the globe. He had even wrapped it, but in beeswax-coated cloth instead of plastic-coated paper. I pulled one out and unwrapped it to take a bite. "I've always wanted to try these."

"Didn't you when you lived in America?" Bella asked after taking a bite of her hash brown.

I shook my head, groaning as I tasted a bite of my muffin. "Nah, for the most part we lived in small towns that didn't have junk food places built there. And even after Remus helped us to eat, it never even occurred to us to try some when we went to the bigger cities."

"Well … it seems now you can." Bella and I continued up some stairs and through the corridors until we reached a specific one on the seventh floor. "That tapestry never gets old." Bella laughed when we reached the ballet dancing trolls. "I'd love to know how he taught them and if he had any success."

"Maybe we should research it."

Bella laughed. "Maybe. Hang on; let me ask."

I watched Bella as she paced past the tapestry three times, asking for a room that would help us to train to become better. To help us pass our knowledge onto others. Essentially, to train others to prepare for war. Whether that war be with the ministry or with Voldemort. Bella smiled once the door appeared. We both stood outside it, but I let Bella open the door. I couldn't help but smile with what we found when we walked inside.

The room that the door opened was huge. Like football field huge. Both sides were lined with bookcases, but only one side had rows and rows of books. As we walked around, I ran my fingers along the spines. Compendium of Common Curses and their Counter-Curses, Dark Arts Outsmarted, Self-Defensive Spellwork, and Jinxes for the Jinxed, to name a few.

The bookcases along the other side of the room held all sorts of fascinating artefacts. Everything from Sneak-o-scopes to Secrecy Sensors to Fake Mad Eye Moody's cracked Foe Glass from his office last year. Over in the corner of the room were piles of pillows that we could use for performing spells on one another in case the others fell over. That wasn't likely to happen to Bella and me.

"This room is huge." Bella spoke from over by the books. Her voice echoed ever so slightly. "Hey, Edward, look. We've got dummies!"

I snorted into a laugh. "Do they look like Emmett and Jasper?"

"No!" Bella laughed heartily, causing me to look over at her. I could see what she was talking about. In the corner back by the door, there were a half dozen wooden dummies on wheels. They were black and shaped like a person wearing a robe. In fact, they looked like many of the death eaters we had seen and encountered in the graveyard last year. They had the masks over their faces, as well as arms with a wand in one of their hands.

We continued looking around the room to find that the third corner of this massive area had a potions area set up. I wandered closer to see that the Room of Requirement had set it up very well. There were three mega-sized copper cauldrons, shelves upon shelves of dried ingredients, and even a few shelves of potion books. I took a closer look to see that there were several I had read, several I had not, and one that I was not expecting. Charlie's Potion Book.

"Hey, Bella?"

"Hey, Edward?"

"I thought Charlie only had the potion books he had written inside his trunk."

"He did. Why?"

I smiled as I pulled it out and flipped through it. "I believe that the room has learned from us over the years, and it has provided us a copy of the one I have used the most."

"Really?" Bella asked coming closer. "That's actually pretty cool and might explain what's over here in the last corner."

I spun to find her coming from the last corner we had yet to investigate. "What's over there?"

"Currently?" I nodded to her question. "An empty greenhouse, but I'm sure we can change that quite quickly."

I frowned as I walked toward her, then pulling her along as I reached for her hand when I passed. I wanted to have a look at this greenhouse. "Why would it be empty?"

Bella shrugged, but she was remembering everything we had learned about the room we were now standing in. She didn't think it was much until she stumbled upon a certain rule. The rule that the Room of Requirement couldn't provide us with food. She looked up at me. "Perhaps that means that the room is unable to provide us with live plants as well." Bella shrugged. "Maybe we need to bring in our own?"

I nodded thoughtfully. "That's a very good possibility. We'll have to get with Neville and decide what we should bring in here."

"Possibly something that's not readily available in the greater world? Something rarer?"

"It's a good idea." I ranged out my hearing to find out that the others were starting to approach the corridor in which the room was located. "Time to show them what this room can do."

Bella and I walked toward the doors. I made us wait until Hermione, Harry, Neville, Ginny, Fred, and George, as well as Fleur and Gabrielle, were waiting in the corridor. Bella and I smiled at each other before each reaching for a door handle and pulling the doors open.

"Welcome to our new training facility." Bella smiled. "I think you'll find everything we need right here."

Those of our group of misfits came into the training room with their mouths wide open.

"What iz zis place? Zis isn't ze room we usually meet in," Fleur asked as she walked through the door.

"Fleur, you may, or may not, know that this room can provide whatever we need. All you need to do is ask for it when looking for the door. I asked for a room large enough to train a small army," Bella explained. "What do you think?"

"This is brilliant," Fred exclaimed.

Harry had been looking around, scoping out all the nooks and crannies. "This has everything we could possibly need. Well done, Bella."

"Thank you." Bella nodded in his direction.

I silently asked for some chairs for us to sit on and taking a seat when they appeared in the center of the room. "Now, Hermione, want to explain what we're all doing here?"

Hermione smirked, shaking her head. "Well, one of those things has already been answered. This room is perfect for what we need. Now, all we have to decide is when to hold these meetings."

"What days are our lightest, class-wise?" George asked. "Mine is Thursdays."

"Mine too," Fred agreed.

Fleur shook her head. "Mine iz on Fridays, but I would be 'ere regardless of my schedule."

"Likewise," Gabrielle stated. "My slowest day is on Mondays however."

For the rest of us, considering we were all in the same year, our slowest day was on Wednesdays.

"If we're going to do this, break the rules, then I think we should make the meetings only for an hour. We don't want to overextend ourselves," Neville said as he looked around at all of us. "Of everyone, I'm one who needs the help, even though I do better now with my own wand, I don't deny that. But I don't want to be tired the following day. That's just asking Umbridge to pay more attention to us."

I nodded. It was something I had been thinking as well. "That's really smart, Neville. And something I think we can all agree on. I was thinking that we only have hour-long sessions. Enough to work on one spell at a time."

It was Ginny who spoke next. She hadn't said a lot in this meeting. "Well, I think Wednesday night meetings at seven p.m. is a good time. Most of the teachers are still eating or preparing for classes the next day …"

"And they've already had enough of our hijinks for the week and are wanting to take a break." George laughed.

"We can always do more Mondays through Wednesdays, just to make sure that they're extra tired!" Fred smirked evilly, causing us all to laugh.

"That may not be a bad idea," Bella mused. "Not enough to get you in trouble or expelled, but enough that it keeps them away from this area of the castle."

"That we can do!" The twins cheered together before bursting into laughter.

I shook my head at their excitement. I had a feeling that Professor Umbridge would be cleaning up their pranks every Wednesday night, making it hard for her to track down the rest of us. That could only work in our favor.

"How are we going to let the others know when we're meeting?" Harry asked once the laughter had died down.

"Leave that to me," Hermione answered. "I'll let you know soon.

~*~UHS~*~

---

So ... Bella and Edward ... hmm? That's going to get interesting.

See you in a fortnight.