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.

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 Twenty-One – Christmas

I knew Christmas would be a somber affair this year, what with Arthur in the hospital. I also knew we would be visiting him there later that afternoon. But I couldn't help but want the best Christmas that I could for Bella, Hermione, Neville, Fleur, and Gabrielle. So while they were sleeping, I enlisted the help of Carlisle and Esme to help decorate the back yard—as the house was already decorated—and prepare a feast for breakfast.

I wanted to spoil my girl and give her the best Christmas, given the circumstances.

Once we were finished, I made my way back to our room for a shower. Bella would be waking soon, and I wanted her to hear me play my love for her on the piano as she awoke.

It was something I did every now and again while we were home for the summer. The first time Bella awoke to me playing, she relaxed in bed, her head on the pillows, and just listened to me play. When her stomach growled, she giggled and stood from the bed.

"That was a beautiful way to wake up. Thank you," she said as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders. With a kiss to my cheek, she went for a shower. I kept playing, but decided then and there that I would play her awake more often.

I stepped out of the shower, listening to make sure Bella hadn't awoken, before drying quickly and dressing. I could see that her dreams were becoming foggier, fading out, as dreams tend to do when people are beginning to wake up. I dressed quickly and made my way to my piano. I sat and started to play her lullaby softly as she began to wake further.

Hmm … I love waking up to you playing. Bella sighed as she rolled over. She kept her eyes closed, smiling slightly. I continued to play even as she laid there, listening with her eyes closed. We should put one of these in the trunk so you can play to me at school.

"A small upright would work. That would keep the trunk cozy. We wouldn't have to expand it."

Really? Bella's head popped up from the bed. A sweetly hopeful look on her face.

"Anything you want, Bella, you know that."

A serene smile appeared on my girl's face as she lowered her head back onto her pillow. She watched as I continued to play. "I know, Edward. But I'll never tire of you telling me that. Love doesn't even come close to what I feel."

"Ditto, baby girl." I continued to play as she woke, made her way to the shower, and while she dressed. I played right up until she stood behind me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "Ready to go down for breakfast? Emmett, Rosalie, and Neville arrived while you were in the shower."

Bella nodded, releasing my shoulders as I stood but wrapping herself around my arm as we walked down the stairs. "Are we visiting the hospital today?"

"We are. After breakfast. Is that okay?"

"Yeah. The Weasleys are going to need us. It's gonna be hard for them today."

I kissed the top of her head, smiling as I guided her out the back door to where Esme, Carlisle, and I had set up breakfast.

"Merry Christmas!" everyone shouted as Bella stepped out in front of me, causing her to jump nearly clean out of her skin.

"Merlin!" Bella laughed, her hands on her heart. "Merry Christmas!"

Bella and I joined the large table after grabbing plates of food and enjoyed a lively breakfast. Once we were finished, Christmas presents were given out. Bella pouted up at me when she realized there was no gift in her pile from me. There were snickers at her mock put-out face, including my own.

"What, Bella?"

"You not giving me a gift this year?"

"Have I ever not given you a Christmas gift?"

Bella opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again with a snap. "Uh … no … not that I can recall."

"So why would this year be any different?"

"Because it's not here!" Bella waved her hand over the pile of gifts in front of her but couldn't help laughing.

"Maybe I just want to give it to you in private." I placed my finger over her mouth when she opened it to playfully argue some more. "Before we go see Arthur and the other Weasleys, you will have your present."

"In that case, you can wait too!" Bella reached over to my stack of presents and yanked her present for me from the pile.

"Hey! Give me back my gift!" I shouted good naturedly, reaching for my present as our entire family laughed at our antics. Bella and I playfully fought for a few minutes before she managed to hide my gift under her top and giving me a little smirk. "Hmph."

"What's wrong, Edward? Haven't crossed that boundary yet?" Emmett asked in his usual boisterous manner, earning him a slap from Rosalie.

I opened my mouth to answer, only to have Bella slap her hand over my mouth instead. Little ears, Edward. Gabrielle is here, remember. Plus, I'm not sure Mum and Dad want an answer to that question.

Jasper laughed at me as my eyes shot up, first to Gabrielle—who was currently involved in opening her presents—to Carlisle, who had his eyebrows raised in surprise that I was even going to attempt to answer, to Esme who was shocked at the fact that I was going to give Emmett ammunition; her words not mine. Though, Bella was right, neither Esme or Carlisle wanted to know if Bella and I were exploring our more physical side just yet. It seemed that they weren't ready to admit Bella was nearing that age either. Carlisle more so than Esme.

I looked back down at Bella to see that she was just as shocked as our parents. She couldn't believe that I was going to answer that question either. I could also see the hurt that flickered through her thoughts at the same thing. She thought that what we did was just for us, and not to become fodder for Emmett and his teasing. She knew that Emmett didn't mean any harm by it, but she didn't want our privacy to be invaded all the time.

I reached up and gently removed her hand from my mouth. "I'm sorry, Bella. You're right in thinking that what we do is just for us. It shouldn't be spoken about in such a crass manor, and it shouldn't be used as ammunition for Emmett to tease us. I apologize if what I was about to do upset you at all or made you feel as if you're not important to me. I love you, and I would never want you to feel belittled at all."

"Thank you, Edward, and I love you, too." Bella looked around at everyone before waving her wand arm and levitating both hers and my present to our room. Now that I have sufficiently dulled the mood, can we go to our meadow?

"You haven't dulled the mood, Bella," I said, causing the others to agree with me. "But if you want to leave"—At her nod, I summoned our brooms to us—"then we can go." We stepped out onto the lawn, catching our brooms as they arrived to us. Carlisle and Esme continuing to protest our leaving. "Mum, Dad, we'll be back before you leave for St. Mungo's." Seeing that we weren't going to stay, Carlisle and Esme both nodded their heads.

"Take care of your girl," Carlisle said softly as Bella and I mounted our brooms.

I looked over at Emmett, who was being chastised by Rosalie. I would have said something, but she was right for tearing him a new one. I loved our brother, but sometimes, he spoke without thinking. And to think, I nearly did the same thing.

With a couple swift kicks, Bella and I lifted off the ground and flew off in the direction of our meadow. Earlier when we'd set up breakfast, I'd spoken to Kreacher to organize a blanket and hot chocolate for our meadow. I'd hoped that he had time to set it up as we had left earlier than I had planned.

I let Bella lead, giving her time to calm down. I shook my head. I couldn't believe I'd just about stepped in Emmett's landmine. Over the years, I'd become accustomed to Emmett and his casual referencing of sex and all that it entails. He'd been better in recent years, especially considering we had younger children, girls, living in our house. I wonder why things had changed now? But better yet, why had I stooped to his level? I had no idea and none that I could hope to give to Bella to excuse it.

We both were quiet until we had landed in our meadow and seated on the blanket that Kreacher had managed to get there for us.

"I'm sorry …"

I began only to get interrupted by Bella, shaking her head with a soft "don't be." She sighed, looking up at me. "I don't want you to stop being seventeen, Edward. I've never wanted that. I'm so glad that you're able to act your age, as well as being the wonderful man you've grown to be. But … I don't want you to broadcast our intimate moments for everyone to hear."

I reached over for Bella's hands and tugged just enough to get her to spin and face me. We sat, both of us with our legs crossed, and our knees touching each other's. "I honestly don't know what got into me. I always thought I would keep those things to myself."

"Emmett goaded you …"

"He did; you're right. But I've never taken the bait from him before. I'm not sure why I want to now."

Bella shook her head and climbed onto my lap. "It doesn't matter. I know you didn't mean for it to happen, and I know you'll make a conscious effort not to do it again."

"Thank you," I breathed, leaning forward to kiss her. To know that I had her forgiveness lifted a weight off my shoulders.

We kissed softly, gently, for a few minutes until Bella pulled back and rested her forehead against my own. I watched as a small smirk appeared on her lips. "Where's my present?"

I burst out laughing because it was just so Bella. Instead of answering her, I knelt down in front of her and pulled the small box out of my pocket. I heard her breath hitch and a hand raised to her mouth.

"Are you?" she asked so, so quietly.

"Not yet, no," I answered just as softly. "Would you have been opposed to that?" Bella shook her head. I could hear in her thoughts that she would have loved it if I'd proposed but that she was just as happy with whatever I was about to do. "But what I want to give to you is a step in that direction."

I flipped open the ring box that held the ring I'd had commissioned for Bella.

"Oh, it's so beautiful," Bella breathed. "That's from Ireland, right?"

"Right you are, beautiful girl. It's called a Claddagh ring, and it's something from my Irish heritage. There are different ways to wear one that have different meanings. For instance, if you wear this on your right ring finger with the heart pointing toward the tip, it means you're single."

Bella smiled. "But I'm not single. I haven't been for a very long time. Is there a way to say that I'm deeply in love with my mate?"

I chuckled. "No. But if you wear it on the same finger but with the heart pointing toward your knuckle, it means you're in a relationship. On the other hand," I said, tapping her left ring finger, "pointing out means you're engaged and pointing in means you're married."

"So where am I wearing this then?" she asked with a smile. Her mouth dropped open in shock when I slightly twisted the band. "You … you broke my present?"

"I did not!" I couldn't help but laugh at her. "A true Claddagh ring comes in two parts. The first part, this part …" I held up one piece with one hand and the heart with the crown, "is worn first." I lifted her right hand and slid the ring on, the heart facing toward her body. "This is my promise to you that when we're both ready, I will propose …"

"It's also a visual representation that I'm taken."

"Don't interrupt when I'm declaring my love for you."

Bella laughed as her thoughts invaded my head. You do that every day, in many different ways. This one is just more visible.

I continued explaining, ignoring her little—but very accurate—statement. "When I ask you to marry me, and you say yes …"

Maybe I'll say no.

I snorted out loud at that statement. "When you say yes, I'll then move this part of the ring from your right to your left hand, spinning it around." I kissed the ring once it was in place and lowered her hand. "What's with the face?" I knew Bella loved the ring; the proof was in her eyes as she looked down at it.

"When do I get the rest of it? It looks incomplete without the other little hand."

"Both pieces will be joined back together when our hearts are combined as one."

Tears welled up in Bella's eyes as she looked up at me. I reached up to wipe one that fell while she thought, When we get married? I nodded leaning forward to kiss her forehead. That's beautiful. I look forward to the day we can get married.

"Me too, my love, me too." I pulled her onto my lap because she wasn't the only one with emotions that were becoming overwhelming. Just the thought of Bella becoming my wife … I had no words. "Now"—I smirked—"where's my present?"

The giggle that Bella let loose was comforting; it meant that she had relaxed, that we were going to be okay. She sat back and pulled a small package out of her jacket. "You mean this?"

"Yes!" I reached for it, showing my enthusiasm for what she had gotten me.

"Just wait!" Bella slapped my hands away, laughing. "I have to enlarge it back to size." She flipped her wand arm, springing it loose. "Engorgio." The package Bella had in her hand went from the size of a small wallet to the size of a couple spell books. "Here, baby, Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." I took the present from her and started unwrapping with gusto, causing Bella to giggle again. I smiled at her as I finished opening the present. Inside, there were a couple stunning leather notebooks. I looked at the covers—each different from the other—but the same. Brown leather in two different shades, thick parchment, and latchable covers. But the most stunning part was on the covers. "This is beautiful," I said as I ran my hand over the top.

"Thank you. I put a lot of thought into these. Opi helped me." Bella tapped the top of one of the books. "I know you're starting to create your own potions and spells, and I thought you could use these. One for each."

"What's this?" I tapped on the decoration added to the front.

Bella smiled. "Opi helped me with these. We drew out both the Swan and Masen crests and figured out a way to merge them together, taking all of the best bits, to make this. While the leather of the notebooks is made of old dragon skin, these crests, are made of scales donated by the dragon we helped during the Triwizard tournament."

I thought back to the Triwizard tournament. During the first task, the four champions were up against dragons that were protecting a golden egg, a clue to the second task. Each of us had collected our egg successfully, completing the task. But during his turn, Viktor Krum had cast a spell that hit his dragon in the eye, causing her to stumble and crush her own eggs. After the task had been completed and a celebratory meal had been had, Bella and I met with the Weasleys' older brother Charlie—who had brought the dragons over from Romania—to see if Bella could help the Chinese Fireball with her grief. While Bella hadn't been able to take away all of the dragon's grief, she had been able to help her deal with what happened and not be crushed under the weight of it. She'd even thanked us and vowed to help us should we ever need it.

I looked back down at the crest design on the front with new admiration. The red scales made a beautiful addition to the brown leather. "We should thank her for that. And I should thank you. This present, the idea, is … I have no words but thank you."

You're very welcome, Bella thought, blushing. It had been a long time since I'd made her blush that I couldn't help but reach out and touch her cheek. But that's not all. Look inside the front cover of one of the notebooks.

I lifted the cover of the one on top to see a slip of paper inside. I read through the words written on the page. I could see that it was a set of spells, but I wasn't sure what they did.

"These are spells that Opi came up with to protect your work. The different spells do different things from fireproofing your notebooks, to casting a spell on the books to make sure that only certain people can read them. There're a couple others in there, but Opi would be better explaining them to you."

I couldn't help my reaction to her gift. It was so thoughtful, so utterly Bella, that the only response I could give was a hard kiss to her delectable lips. I pulled back just as quickly and placed my forehead against hers. "Thank you, Bella. I don't know how you do it, but you always seem to know what I need before I do. This is a beautiful gift, and one I have no doubt I'll be using a lot. The last thing I wanted was for someone to get ahold of my spells or potions before they're ready and hurting themselves or others. This makes it impossible for that to happen. I really don't know how to thank you."

You're welcome. And kissing me like that is more than thanks enough.

I growled into her neck, kissing her there. "That's thanks I can give anytime."

~*~UHS~*~

This trip to visit St. Mungo's was a much more somber affair than it had been in the past. For the most part when we visited, we visited Carlisle. I'd only visited someone injured once before, and that was my good friend Izeldor. He'd managed to splinch himself during our final exam for apparating. After he recovered at Swan Manor, he moved to Potter Mansion to give Moody company, to build up a stockpile of potions for the upcoming war, and to prepare large batches of my potion that reversed lycanthropy. All of that and helping me to create my own potions. Izeldor was a busy but very happy man these days.

It was something I was extremely proud of.

Quietly, Carlisle guided us through the lower floors of St. Mungo's, saying hello to others he'd worked with. I could sense that he found something funny about the ward we were walking toward, but I couldn't see what. I also didn't know what he could personally find funny about it. This ward was for serious bites.

Carlisle pulled open the door to the Dai Llewellyn Ward and held it open as all twelve of us filed through. "Arthur is down this way. We'll have to be quiet, even though he's got his own large private room, because there are other patients in this ward." We all just nodded as Carlisle continued to guide us through the hallways until we reached a desk about halfway down where an older gentleman was standing.

"Carlisle? What are you doing here?" he asked, stepping forward to shake Dad's hand.

"We've come to visit Arthur for Christmas," Carlisle replied. He turned to look at me with a smile on his face. "Hippocrates, let me introduce you to my rather large family."

Both Rose's and my mouth dropped open at the name for this doctor. There was no way, surely no way, that this man was the one responsible for the Hippocratic Oath. The one all doctors in the muggle world had to swear to uphold. The doctor let out a snicker at our faces but turned back to Carlisle.

Carlisle also laughed softly but began the introductions. "First, my wonderful wife Esme. How she puts up with me, I'll never know." Esme smacked Carlisle's arm before stepping forward to shake the doctor's hand. "And these are all of my children. Emmett, Rose, Alice, Jasper, and Edward are all the one's we brought with us from the muggle world." We waved to the doctor as Carlisle called our names before snickering at him. "We've also managed to adopt some others since we arrived. First, Isabella Swan, whom I'm sure you know …"

"Is Charlie Swan's daughter." Hippocrates stepped forward and shook Bella's hand. "I'm truly sorry for your loss, my dear. He was a great man and an even greater Auror."

Bella bowed her head solemnly. "Thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you though."

"You too, my dear."

Carlisle stepped forward and squeezed Bella's shoulder. We all knew how hard it was for Bella to talk about her father; even though she had some semblance of him back through the mirror, it was still hard to acknowledge that he was technically dead to the rest of the world. "And over here we have Bella's cousins Fleur and Gabrielle, and I'm sure you've heard of Neville Longbottom."

"Indeed, I have. It's so nice to meet you all." We all nodded, noting that he'd become distracted when he heard the footsteps of the young man who was coming up behind him. Hippocrates turned to face the young man, automatically tensing at the look on his face. "What's happening?"

"The wounds don't seem to be healing, sir. Even knowing what we know, we just can't seem to heal them."

Hippocrates took a deep breath and looked around at all of us before stopping on Carlisle. "Actually, Carlisle, I'm glad you're here. First, let me introduce my protégé and trainee healer, Augustus Pye. He's just come from Arthur's room. Why don't the rest of you go on ahead while I talk to Carlisle?"

"Sure, go on ahead, guys; I'll catch up." Carlisle nodded down the hall toward Arthur's room.

As we made our way down the hallway, I kept an eye on the conversation between Carlisle, Hippocrates, and Augustus. It seemed that they were stumped as to how to help Arthur.

"Why can't you heal the wounds?" Carlisle asked once they'd explained how they couldn't remove the bandages without causing more harm.

Hippocrates sighed in an almost defeated manor. "Thanks to something in the venom of the maledictus, the wounds just won't heal. When we remove the bandages, they just keep bleeding. So, if we left them uncovered, he would bleed out."

"Nothing magical has worked?" Carlisle asked, to which both the healers shook their head. "Have you tried using muggle stitches to close the wounds?"

Augustus nodded quite vigorously. "Hippocrates is quite well versed in muggle healing," he said, causing me to snicker. I had a feeling he was more than "well versed" in muggle healing. "When we realized that the wounds weren't healing and nothing magical worked, he suggested that. It was interesting to watch, learning how the muggles closed their wounds, but unfortunately, the venom just ate through the stitches, and he kept bleeding."

Sounds almost like vampire venom. Potent stuff. "How did you counteract the blood loss when he was brought in or when you change the bandages?"

"Arthur has to replenish himself with Blood Replenishing potions. We've gone through more than I can count since he was brought into us." Hippocrates sighed once more. "I'm not sure what else we can do for him."

By this stage, we'd made it to Arthur's room. The girls gasped upon entering the room. Arthur really was in bad shape. He had bandages covering every part of his body that we could see.

"Molly," Esme breathed, scooted around Rose and Alice, and stepped forward to embrace her friend. "How are you holding up? How's Arthur?"

"As good as can be expected," Molly answered, looking around at all of us as the family took seats around the room. "What are you all doing here? It's Christmas."

Esme kept one arm around Molly. "And we're where we should be. With part of our family. Where are the children?"

Molly shook her head. "I couldn't let them see Arthur like this, so they're with Harry, Shane, and Sirius at Potter Mansion, celebrating Christmas there."

Bella rolled her eyes. She's still trying to keep them from seeing the realities that this war will bring.

Edward, can you come here, please? Carlisle reached out for me.

"Carlisle is asking for me. I'll be back." I kissed Bella on the forehead. "I know you aren't happy about how Molly handles things, but this is her family business."

And this might be the last time they speak to their father. They should have the opportunity to say goodbye. The one that I never got. Tears welled up in Bella's eyes as she looked up at me. I pulled Bella to my chest to hide the fact that she was about to cry. Can I come with you please? I love Arthur, but I don't want to stay in this room without you.

I nodded. I could never leave her when she needed me so. "Mom, we'll be right back. Dad needs us."

"Of course, Edward." Esme nodded in our direction.

I reached for Bella's hand, and we stepped back out into the hallway. Carlisle was still standing in the hallway with Hippocrates and Augustus. They stood waiting for us as we walked toward them.

"Edward, your father tells me that you're a wonder with potions." I nodded at Hippocrates statement. "Do you think there is anything that you can do for Arthur?"

I thought about it and listened to Carlisle's thoughts. He wondered whether it would be possible for venom, or at least a diluted amount, could help Arthur. If it would be strong enough to fight off the effects of the Maledictus venom long enough to heal the cuts and wounds he was sporting.

"It's possible." I thought out loud. This is one part of what I wanted to do after I finished my schooling. I could help people. A lot of people. "I could make something. But what I need is a FIPRA, some of Arthur's blood, and some blood potions. Plus, a place to work."

"When could you start?" Augustus asked. He would take any help he could get. The fact that I would test my potion through a FIPRA showed that I wasn't one to mess around with the health of others.

"Now, if you like. I have a few ideas. I could potentially have something ready as soon as possible. Hopefully, it could help any others as well."

"Thank you, Edward," Hippocrates said as he stood from the leaning position he had on the table. "If you want to follow me, we have a lab set up on this floor. Some of our best potion masters are there creating more potions, they should have everything you need. Augustus, please go collect some blood from Arthur."

"Yes, sir." Augustus left without another word, veering off and turning toward Arthur's room.

Carlisle, Bella, and I followed Hippocrates down the hallway and through a special set of double doors that had "Staff Only" emblazoned on it. Once we stepped through the doors, the aesthetics changed. Out in the hospital, while sterilized, was homier. Behind these doors, however, was the cleanest, most sterilized lab I had ever seen. Everyone looked up as we walked in the door until Hippocrates nodded his head.

"This way." We followed Hippocrates over to a table that was in the corner. It had everything I requested, and some things that I didn't, but it would work. "Will this do?"

"Absolutely. Except … do you have any microscopes?"

Hippocrates frowned. "I'm not sure what that is."

I opened my mouth to answer but Carlisle beat me to it. "A microscope is a muggle device that allows us to see what's happening to blood, or a potion, on a molecular level. They are quite handy. Edward, I have one in my bag. I'll need you to enlarge it. There's only one problem."

"What's that?" I asked as I started rummaging through Carlisle's bag. "Oh …"

"It's electric," Carlisle finished.

Bella swiped the microscope out of my hands. "Give me that." I watched in awe as she quickly dismantled the electric cable and light, after enlarging it, and set it on the table in front of me. She then lifted my wand and pulled it from my sleeve—without giving away the brace on my arm—before sliding the tip of it into the slot where the bulb had once been. "Now, Lumos." Thanks to the fact that Bella's and my wands worked for each other, the wand lit up, giving the required light I would need to see with.

I leaned over and kissed Bella, thanking her for her brilliant mind.

"That's fascinating. If I didn't have so much work to do, I'd examine it further. For now, I'll leave you to it," Hippocrates said as he took a step away. "Don't hesitate to ask Augustus, or anyone in here, if you need something else."

"Thank you. Give me a couple hours, and we should hopefully have something. Dad, Bella, wanna give me a hand?" I asked, getting a nod from both of them. I stepped forward to check the supplies. Bella, who had a bag, reached in and pulled out the special potions book she'd gotten me for Christmas, as well as a pen. Carlisle stood to the side and watched as I inspected the different potion ingredients on the shelves around the table. I pulled the microscope forward and reached for several vials of blood potions.

"What do you need me to do, Edward?" Carlisle asked as I placed a slide under the microscope. I wanted to be ready when Augustus brought me some blood.

I looked around and found that the wizarding community still used stainless steel needles on occasion. I snatched one up and handed it to Carlisle. "We're going to need some venom if you want to test out your theory."

Carlisle looked at me in surprise. "Really? It was just a passing thought."

"It has merit. In fact, I've used it in other potions with great success before." Bella had sat down on my right and started listing the ingredients needed so far. All being venom and blood-replenishing potions.

Carlisle looked surprised for a moment before his brow furrowed in thought. You're talking about the one you made for Remus, right?

"Yup, that one. We all know that venom has healing properties, in small doses, and can be used for anything from small cuts, to bruises, to a sprain. But I've found that with the right dosage added to different potions, we can create something new, something that can change the world. So … open up, Carlisle, and give me some venom. Let's experiment."

With a nod, Carlisle got to work, harvesting some of his venom. Once he had a syringe full, he sat down next to me to see what my process was for creating new potions. He knew how to make ready-made ones—the ones that didn't require any magical ability—but he wanted to see how one was created from the beginning.

"This may not be that," I warned. "If I can swing it, I'm going to add a concoction to the blood potions that Arthur has been drinking. It would be the fastest way to get the right dosage into his bloodstream."

"Still, the process has to be fascinating." Carlisle was going to say more, but it was at that moment that Augustus burst through the door. He was huffing and puffing like he had run a marathon to get what we needed.

Augustus strode over in our direction and held out his hand with three syringes of Arthur's blood.

"You didn't have to run," I said as I took the syringes from him.

Augustus puffed for a few more seconds. "I figured …" He let out a breath with a whoosh. "The sooner you got them, the better. I'm not sure how we can keep maintaining the level of blood loss Arthur has." Augustus looked around at what I had set up. "Can I stay to watch?"

Bella giggled, causing me to elbow her playfully. "Hush you." I waved a hand at a spare stool. "Pull up a seat. Let's see what I can do."

I pulled out a slide and started to drop some of Arthur's blood onto it. I could see Augustus frown in my peripheral vision. "What's he doing?"

Carlisle explained the process of seeing things on a molecular level as I looked through the ocular—or eyepiece—of the microscope and adjusting the turrets for the best look at what the venom was doing to Arthur's blood.

"That's fascinating. That might be helpful in this kind of work. But I can't see what Edward is seeing." There was a short pause before I heard, "Oculus Magnificant."

I looked back in time to see a large holographic screen pop up above the microscope, and on it was what I had seen when looking through the Oculus. "Whoa, that's cool."

I looked over at Bella, only to see that her mouth had dropped open. I couldn't fathom what her reaction was about. I was about to ask when her mouth snapped closed before she launched out of her chair and around to Augustus. "How did you do that? I couldn't get that spell to work for me last time. Not that it was very descriptive."

I shook my head with a chuckle as Bella peppered Augustus with questions. Carlisle came and sat in Bella's empty seat and looked up at the screen. "Sometimes, I think the magical community needs to catch up to some of the technology of the muggle world. It would make their lives so much easier in some respects."

"Me too." I nodded slightly, watching as the maledictus venom moved around in the blood drop. We watched as a clot tried to form, the molecules joining together, only to have the venom slither its way over and attack the molecules, preventing it from happening. "It's a long-term goal of Bella's to at least update the wizarding world a little, tech wise. But they have to be careful because magic interrupts anything electrical or digital. Although, earth magic interrupts that less so."

"Mmm." Carlisle and I sat quietly as we watched the goings on in the blood. "This looks like it might be complicated."

I shrugged. "Possibly, but let's see what we can come up with."

Over the next couple of hours, I mixed and matched Carlisle's venom with all manner of ingredients from simple saline solution, to an anesthetic, to several different magical components. Carlisle and Augustus watched very closely as I mixed and stirred ,and once I had created a viable mixture and tested it with the FIPRA, I would then use the microscope to see if the concoction would work against the maledictus venom in Arthur's blood.

I sat back, watching the last test, and frowned. Nothing we had done had worked so far. I had no idea why it wasn't working. Vampire venom is stronger than any other substance out there, or it had been when tested in the muggle world. Maybe that was the issue. We were no longer in the muggle world.

Maybe we shouldn't dilute the venom, Bella thought to me. I looked over at her to continue her thought. Maybe the reason the vampire venom isn't fighting the maledictus venom is because it's not strong enough when it's been diluted with all these other ingredients.

"You think we should use straight vampire venom in the blood potion?"

Bella shrugged. "Why not? It's a blood potion to rejuvenate the blood already in a person's system, not actually blood itself, so it can't change the solution in the vial …"

"I'm not sure we should do that, Edward," Carlisle interrupted. "We don't want to change Arthur."

Augustus was watching our discussion. "Your venom is that potent?"

I nodded and spoke before Carlisle. "It is that potent. It can turn a person with as little as a mouthful. Of course, the act of turning is much longer because there isn't a lot of venom in their system." I turned back to Carlisle. "I think Bella might be right. When I created that other potion, I didn't dilute my venom."

"But that had something to fight against," Carlisle argued.

"As does it this time." Bella pointed to the screen in front of us where the maledictus venom was still winning. "The fact is that maledictus venom is the most potent venom to date in the wizarding world. If vampire venom is the anthesis of that, then the potential for vampire venom to be used as a healing option gets that much better. Sure, there will be other cases where the venom will need to be diluted so as not to cause someone to turn, but we haven't even tried to use venom on its own, and look where it's gotten us. What's the harm in trying it here, in a controlled environment?"

I nodded in agreement. "We only need to start with a drop, Carlisle. One solitary drop on a drop of blood to see if it fights the venom. If it does, and it doesn't change the blood, then we experiment with dosage."

Carlisle nodded as he listened to our argument. He couldn't deny that it was a good one. "How do we know it will be safe?"

I smiled and patted the FIPRA. "That's where this baby comes in handy. Once we get the correct ratio of blood to venom, then we run it through here, like we have all morning. While not as snarky as my one at home, it will tell us if the potion is safe for human consumption." I leaned forward and spoke earnestly. "I know you don't want to change Arthur. That's the last thing I want. We'll make it safe for him. I promise."

"Then let's get to it."

With a quick smile, I pulled a clean slide toward me and put several drops of Arthur's blood on it. I went to reach for the syringe that had Carlisle's venom in it only to have Bella place it in my hand instead. I believe you can do it, Edward. I really think this is the way to go, just like with the Wolfsbane potion.

I leaned over and kissed the side of Bella's head, right above her ear. "Thank you, sweet girl."

The tip of the syringe hovered over the drop of blood as I looked up at Carlisle and Augustus. "Any last objections?" When both of them shook their heads, I gently pushed down on the plunger and released the smallest drop of venom to spill from the hole of the needle.

As soon as Carlisle's venom hit Arthur's blood, the reaction was instantaneous. Both venoms fought for dominance over the other one. The white, almost translucent vampire venom attacked the yellow, murky venom of the maledictus. We watched in fascination. It was as disturbing as it was interesting, like when watching a car accident about to happen. The vampire venom seemed to use a divide and conquer method. It split itself into several large but different molecules and waged war on the smaller but valiantly fighting molecules of maledictus venom.

Slowly, but surely, the vampire venom began to win out.

Bella smirked as she looked at me. "Guess maledictus isn't going to be the most potent anymore."

"Let's not get too excited," Carlisle warned. "We don't know if this is even going to just stop at defeating the venom, or whether it will turn the blood."

I shrugged. "So, we wait and watch." And while Carlisle was frustrated with that answer, he knew there was nothing else to do. As Bella said, the vampire venom won out over the maledictus venom. Once it had, the vampire venom changed from the translucent white I was used to seeing, to a pale, almost pastel version of the yellow maledictus venom, but it didn't seem to be turning into the venom we had running through our veins. Had I found the correct amount already?

"It's almost like it's gone dormant," Carlisle said aloud after about thirty seconds of waiting. "I wonder what would happen if you introduced either venom to the mix. Would it turn one way or the other depending on the venom?"

"Or would a little more vampire venom rid Arthur's blood of both venoms all together," I mused. "Only one way to find out. Augustus, do you have some maledictus venom here at the hospital I can test with?"

Augustus looked around, thinking, before he spied something on a shelf over in the corner. "Yeah, I think so. Hang on a minute." He stood from the stool he'd been sitting on and made his way to the shelves he'd been looking at. He reached for a jar that was the yellow liquid from a maledictus. "Much like your snake handlers milk snakes in the muggle world, we are able to collect all sorts of venom from creatures around the world." Augustus smirked. "I do believe that Newt Scamander provided many a vial of venom over the years."

"Of that, I have no doubt," Bella and I muttered together as Augustus handed me the vial. Both Carlisle and Augustus laughed at the pair of us.

Before creating more samples for us to test with, I lifted the venom-filled syringe and let a larger drop fall into Arthur's blood. Once more, the reaction was instantaneous, only this was a lot more devastating. The drop didn't just destroy what seemed to be a dormant venom concoction, but it seemed it was too much, and Arthur's blood crystalized in two seconds flat.

"Gonna have to be a very delicate balance we'll have to work out," I mused as I prepared another slide with blood and vampire venom. Once we had the same results as before, I added the same amount of maledictus venom to the concoction. I must have added too much because this time, the maledictus venom won out over the vampire venom, and the blood began to leak everywhere. "I'm beginning to wonder if we'll be able to remove the venom from Arthur's blood at all."

Bella tilted her head to the side as she stared at the results on the screen. "You think we should just leave the combined venom in his system once we cure him?"

I shrugged. "We may have to until we have more time to cure it altogether. I don't think he'd be in any danger."

"And you could have as much venom from the maledictus as I could provide," Augustus commented. "These potions are the way of the future and having an expert potioneer to create them would be a boon for St. Mungo's."

"I'm not an expert …"

"Yet, Edward," Augustus argued. "But from what I've seen here, you are well on your way. Possibly the both of you. The way you talk and bounce ideas off one another. There is no stopping what the pair of you could achieve."

Bella blushed. "Another career to add to the list." Then she wrinkled her nose. "But potions aren't something I have a passion for. But helping Edward always will be."

Carlisle clapped a hand on my shoulder. His thoughts were very proud but also melancholy. He could see, now, how I would have thrived in the wizarding world, how holding me back from my true destiny was so very wrong. He felt guilty that he'd held me back. But to see me thrive in our new environment was helping to alleviate that guilt. "What's the next steps then, Edward?"

"The next step," I started as Bella pushed a blood potion in front of me, "is to see how much venom is needed to cure a body of a maledictus bite." I added one drop, one solitary drop, of venom into the blood potion, spinning the vial over and over to mix it thoroughly, before standing and making my way around to the FIPRA. "We want to start small. Test the amount of venom needed. Because we all know that if we add too much then it will turn Arthur, and that's the last thing we want."

The FIPRA that the hospital had provided me with didn't just test a small amount of the potion. In fact, we had to place the vial in a specially designed compartment at the top. It then took that vial and poured it into four different funnels along the top of it. The FIPRA then tested it rigorously. It tested effectiveness, poisonousness, the list of different ingredients, and most importantly how the potion could be changed if the results aren't what you were hoping for. I placed the vial into the FIPRA and sat back down next to Bella.

We watched in contemplative silence as the potion cycled through the machine. It didn't take long for the FIPRA to start printing out the readings. Straight away, I discarded the ingredients' part, as we already knew what was in the potion itself.

I quickly read through the results of the effectiveness of what we hoped the potion would be able to do. "Well damn, that wasn't what I was hoping for," I said just as the FIPRA began to talk through the results.

"Hmmm, interesting combination." It began. "It looks like the added vampire venom, essentially, makes the blood replenishing potion obsolete. This potion will not do anything at all. Adding venom to this potion will not deliver the effect that you are asking for."

"Oh …" Bella whispered as we continued to listen, hoping that the potion was at least not poisonous.

"This potion will no longer replenish blood, and the amount of venom added will do nothing but try to change the recipient. I would say that unless they want to be a vampire, this potion would be poisonous to any who would consume it."

Carlisle frowned. This was what he'd been afraid of. He thought that vampire venom would never be able to be used for anything more than Wolfsbane. But I had hope. Besides, the FIPRA might know how to change the potion for the better. We just had to continue listening.

"If you need a potion to administer this potent mixture to someone, try an antidote to poison. This is essentially what you are trying to create."

"Oh my god!" I blurted out, figuratively kicking myself. Why didn't I think of that? I snorted because I wasn't the only one thinking it. I started to move around the lab, trying to locate different ingredients when the FIPRA spoke one last time.

"As an aside … why don't you try adding dragon's blood to any potion with vampire venom. A one to two drop ratio should do the trick. The dragon's blood will protect any human from the most adverse effect of the venom."

Bella and I looked at each other. Before we both sprang into action. She ran for the ingredient's cupboard, looking for each of the common ingredients to make an antidote to poison potion while I made a beeline for where Augustus had gathered the maledictus venom. Dragon's blood wasn't a common ingredient, owing to the fact that it was really hard to come by unless you had a relationship with a dragon, and I started searching all the marked vials for it. "Come on, come on, where is it?" I mumbled. "Surely, they still have some."

Augustus walked up behind me. "What are you looking for?"

"Dragon's blood," I replied, listening to Carlisle's thoughts because I had been wondering what he thought about this. But he was shocked that there was something else in the magical world that might be able to counteract vampire venom. Although, he was wondering how the FIPRA knew what vampire venom was. Not a thought I was entertaining right now.

"Oh, that's not stored up here. We have fresh dragon's blood, but to get it, you'll need to come with me." Augustus indicated a door opposite where we had come in. "Bella, you're gonna want to see this. Carlisle, do you want to come too?"

Carlisle nodded as he stood as Bella stopped searching for the ingredients, placed them on the table, and joined me, slipping her hand into mine. We followed Augustus over to the door and slipped in behind him. The room we stepped into was bland. The only thing that stood out was a pile of gold and treasures on one side of the room.

"You'll need to grab something from that pile, as well as a vial from that shelf over there." Augustus smiled at our confused faces. He wasn't even thinking about where he was taking us, which was a little frustrating. "This way." Augustus led us over to the wall opposite where we had come in and just stepped through it. There was no door. Nothing that we could open. It was like an optical illusion.

Bella shrugged and stepped through the wall, pulling me along by the hand. What was on the other side was something to behold. It was like we had entered a different world. Like I had stepped through the doors to Hogwarts all over again.

Wow … Bella thought. This has Newt Scamander written all over it. She was the first to take a few more steps into the beautiful habitat that was now in front of us. There were trees as far as the eye could see, green grass, and there were even birds singing.

We followed Augustus through a copse of trees before stepping out into a clearing with a small hill located in the middle. It wasn't the hill that caught our attention though; it was the pile of gold and treasures located on, around, and in the rather large nest placed on—what I assumed was—the flat peak. And while that was a stunning sight all on its own …

"Merlin," Bella whispered, letting go of my hand and taking another two tentative steps toward the low hill. "That's a dragon."

Augustus nodded as we looked at the beautiful Welsh Green who had noticed our presence. He unfurled from his relaxed position lying in the nest and stood up on all four legs with his head held high and one of his wings stretched as far as it could reach. I could see from this angle that other wing was tucked against his body and braced there with some sturdy bandages.

Augustus stepped up beside me as Carlisle stood on the other side. Bella was still out in front. "This is Dewi. As you can see, he's a Welsh Green who was left behind when his family migrated. From what we can tell, he had been roughhousing with his siblings when he was thrown from the nest and. in the process, breaking the ball joint if the wing. That's why he's got that wing strapped to him; he can't use it. Thankfully for the young dragon, a good Samaritan of the wizarding community found him and brought him here for treatment."

We walked a little closer as Bella moved forward with her small piece of treasure. "What happened next? Why didn't he leave?" Bella asked quietly.

"We realized that he couldn't fly. He would never have survived the outside world with only one good wing." Augustus sighed. "So, we asked a dear friend to come and build this habitat and asked Dewi if he wanted to help make the world a better place. We'd supply him with treasure and food if he donated some of his blood to make potions."

Bella looked back at me when Dewi reached down and nuzzled his nose under her hand. "But does that mean that he's happy here?"

I knew what Bella was asking. She knew that the hospital would believe Dewi to be happy, but she wanted me to check. I cycled through the channels in my mind, listening for the one the dragons from the Triwizard Tournament had spoken to me on before. Once I had that and could hear Dewi's thoughts about the pat he was receiving from Bella, I nodded to her. "Go ahead and ask, sweet girl."

"Dewi?" Bella asked in a whisper, catching the dragon's attention immediately. "My boyfriend Edward, over there"—she pointed in my direction—"can read your thoughts. Can you answer a question for me?"

Augustus couldn't hear what Bella was saying to Dewi, so when she introduced me, I stepped forward next to her. Poor Augustus was shocked when Dewi nodded his head to Bella but looked at me.

Y-you can hear Dewi?

"I can. It's a special talent I have."

Dewi seemed to perk up at the fact that not only could I talk to him but that he could also talk to me. Tell the small one that I shall answer her question.

I chuckled at Dewi's thoughts. Bella had introduced me but not herself. "He said he'd answer, Bella."

Bella is nice. Her warmth feels so good.

"That would be her Veela powers focusing on you. I think—even though your injury might be too old—to heal your wing." I looked down at Bella. "I don't think it'll work."

Bella shrugged. "I had to try, but it doesn't seem to be." She looked back up at Dewi. "Are you happy here? Do they treat you right?"

Yes, Miss Bella. The large green dragon spoke to me, so I answered for him, exactly how he had spoken. I have been treated well. I am fed, cared for, and content with my pile of gold. I also get to help in return.

"Are you sure? You don't want to be free? Have a mate?"

Dewi nuzzled Bella once more in response before speaking. No, he said decisively. As nice as that would be, I would be rejected by potential mates because I am unable to fly, and I am free to go if I choose, but I have all that I need. Here. With the humans.

Bella nodded, giving Dewi one last pat to the side of his neck while I spoke to the dragon myself. "I'm glad you're happy, Dewi, but can you help me? I'm trying to complete a potion to help a friend of mine. He's been bitten by a maledictus, and my venom helps to fight the maledictus venom. The only problem is that when the venom is given to him, without protection, the venom turns him into a vampire."

And you don't want that to happen?

"No, and neither does he. I have learned recently that blood, specifically dragon blood, can protect the patient from the venom, meaning …"

That he can digest the vampire venom needed to fight the maledictus venom without turning him into a vampire.

I smiled. "Exactly." Bella and I reached into our back pockets where we had stashed the handful of gold we'd gathered and held it out to Dewi. "Will you help?"

To answer our question, Dewi sat back on his haunches, reached forward with his front feet and pricked the toe of one paw with the other. Immediately, blood started to drip from the cut so I held up the beaker I had brought with me and collected almost half a beaker full before Dewi let his skin heal shut.

Thank you for the gold. Promise to come back to see me? You and Bella?

Bella nodded enthusiastically while I chuckled at her. "Of course, we will, Dewi. And know that if you ever want to come and visit the outside world, Bella and I will receive you with open arms. You are our friend."

And you are mine. No gold needed next time. Dewi looked over at Augustus. Just don't tell them that. I like that they keep giving it to me.

I laughed out loud, promising Bella I'd fill her in later. "Excellent." I smiled, reaching out for Bella's hand. "Let's go create a potion to help Arthur."

~*~ UHS~*~

What can I say? I love dragons. And Dewi is special.

Let me know what you think! See you in a fortnight.