Chapter 29: Williamson

When Harry, wide awake and worried, and Jasper, anxious about what was to come, arrived in the living room, they found a man in a suit sipping a cup of tea and chatting with Carlisle. He stood up when they arrived and shook their hands, introducing himself as Auror Williamson. He explained that he was there to explain the next steps in the current procedure before asking Jasper if he preferred a private interview or with his family.

"I have nothing to hide from them."

They all sat down and Williamson took the floor. He explained that he was going back with Jasper so that Master Kangae could collect his memories and informed them that only one person was allowed to accompany him.

"Who is the telepath among you?" asked the auror.

Edward raised his hand silently, frustrated at not being able to read the man's thoughts.

"Very well, you may not accompany Monsieur Hale, nor may you go to the investigation site."

"What?" exclaimed the man concerned, but they had all understood the reason for this measure.

"Mr. Potter, you can't come either."

"What?" protested Jasper", closing his hand on the wizard's.

"I can join you there without being seen," Harry tried to negotiate.

"No, Mr. Potter, this stage must go ahead without you."

The closed tone cut short all discussion. No one was happy about this news, but they also realized that they had no choice but to bow to the Auror's constraints.

Jasper tensed his free hand on his thigh, having difficulty managing the emotions around him.

"All right, Carlisle?"

The doctor nodded as did the auror.

"I need to hunt before I follow you," declared the empath, who rose and left the room without another word.

Carlisle followed him, as did Rosalie and Emmett. They ran through the forest until they came upon a herd of winged horses, Aethonans according to what Harry had once told him. Jasper bit one before they even noticed the predators. Carlisle did the same, aware that he might not like what he was about to discover in the next few hours. Emmett and Rosalie didn't feed, as they had done the day before. The rest of the herd fled and the forest fell silent.

Jasper dropped down beside his bloodless prey. Rosalie came to take him in her arms, Carlisle laid his hand on his shoulder, while Emmett stood back.

Their support was good for him, even if he knew it would be useless when he had to dive back into his memories. Just thinking about it made him shudder; at that moment he was no longer a 154-year-old vampire, but a nineteen-year-old young man, frightened at the thought of returning to a nightmare from which he wasn't sure he could escape. He relied on Emmett's calm and confidence to pull himself together, and eventually got to his feet. The group of vampires returned to the manor in silence, walking fast but not running. They found Harry and Edward waiting for them a few yards ahead of the building. Jasper took his soulmate in his arms, while the other vampires went inside.

The couple hugged a little tighter; Harry didn't need to be an empath to know that the one he was falling in love with was stressed, and all the more so because he knew Jasper could feel his own stress.

"Percy, Ron's brother should be here, he's been busting his ass from the start to help you and get these scumbags convicted. He'll make sure everything goes smoothly."

"Don't you trust them?"

"I trust Kingsley and Percy. I think I can trust Master Kangae and Williamson, but I'm not sure and I don't know who else there will be."

Jasper nodded and took hold of the young man's face to kiss him tenderly. He hoped all would go well, that he wouldn't be overtaken by his vampire and that he'd soon be back in his wizard's arms.

They parted, aware that they were expected, and entered the mansion. The tension was high and Jasper was doing his best not to let it get the better of him, but he was on the verge of turning back when he spotted the handcuffs in Williamson's hands.

"Let's get out of here," Edward ordered his family.

None of them asked any questions; it was obvious that the telepath had heard the urgency in his brother's thoughts. One by one, they passed by to hug him or squeeze his shoulder in a gesture of support and headed out. When only Harry, Carlisle and Williamson remained with him in the room, Jasper breathed a little easier and felt more in control.

"Shall we proceed?" asked the auror, presenting the handcuffs.

Jasper swallowed, but nodded; he hoped Harry's lack of reaction to the fact that he was once again restricted in his movements was a sign that everything was normal, if the situation could be considered normal.

Williamson approached him without sudden gesture, as if he were an animal on the defensive, but he wasn't wrong, Jasper knew he was close to losing control.

"You'll be hearing from us by owl, Mr. Potter," the auror informed him once the handcuffs had been closed around the empath's wrists.

He could hardly wait for this bad moment to be over and for him to come back here to find Harry. Harry was trying to contain his stress at the thought of not being able to stay by Jasper's side, and the unease he felt at seeing Jasper unjustly handcuffed.

Williamson presented the two vampires with a wallet, indicating that it was a portkey. The two men didn't hesitate; they didn't like this way of transport, but had used it before and knew it was safe. They placed their hands on it, the auror spoke the activation word, and they disappeared.

Harry felt useless in this large, empty room; he himself felt empty. He dropped to the floor, his thoughts turned to Jasper. It was hard for him to realize that he had fallen in love with the vampire so quickly and that he could no longer see his life without him, a thought that increased his anxiety about the vampire's absence. He feared that he wouldn't be able to keep the Major under control and that the aurors would decide to put him back in a cell for fear of what he might do.

A hand on his back snapped him out of his thoughts. He gasped before recognizing Hermione and giving her a hug. He was glad to see his best friend accompanied by Ron in the room.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Percy warned us about Jasper, we thought you might want some company", replied the young woman.

"Gladly."

"We picked up some bottles and games, your in-laws can't be well either!"

"Ron! You're going faster than me!" protested Harry, but laughter covered his words.

"Don't worry, bro! You're already family to us!" exclaimed Emmett as he entered.

The Cullens sat down on the floor with them and Hermione chose a game, explaining the rules while Ron brought out the drinks. They played for several hours, keeping their thoughts away from Jasper and Carlisle, but Harry couldn't help watching the minutes tick by. When night fell, he began to lose control of his stress and could no longer keep up with the game, and neither could Edward, who sat next to him.

"Your friend Percy would have warned us if something was wrong, wouldn't he?" asked the telepath.

"Yes, I think he would have."

"Percy promised to make sure everything would be all right. Don't worry," informed Ron without looking up from the game.

"I can't control it," replied Harry, before turning back to the vampire. "Alice should have a vision if he was in danger, shouldn't she?"

"It doesn't work like that, but it's a possibility."

They were silent for a moment, their eyes on the game, before Edward asked the question that had been on his mind since the auror's arrival.

"Why did they forbid me to come?"

"So you couldn't read the list of names in their minds," Hermione replied. "And to prevent you from losing control, seeing his memories had been difficult for you the other time."

Edward nodded, offended by this answer, but mostly preoccupied by his fears. Harry plunged into his thoughts, unable to help fearing the worst.