A/N

Okay, back to London and Bella. A few more chapters 'setting it up' and then we have some time skips to get us in the time-frame of the first Thor movie. I think spending thousands of words having Bella learn how to use her abilities would be boring…

So! Onwards to chap 6 and back to London we go. For those who've reviewed, thanks! It's nice to know at least a few people are reading!

Previously:

Fury drummed his fingers for a few moments, before speaking. "I'd like our own background check run on the girl first. We should have went deeper last time. I want to know everything she did from the moment she set foot in Forks to the moment she left for college. Something happened there to bring her to the attention of those Enhanced. I want to know what it was."

He turned to Hill. "I want you to find out what happened in London. How did she meet Potter, what did they do, and what is she doing while she's over there. The works. And if we can get eyes on Potter, let's find out if she is meeting or speaking with him outside of the Wizarding World."

Finally stepping from the table, he looked at Coulson. "If we find something fishy, then we go with your idea and we institute protocol F."

And with that, nick Fury turned, hit the buttons in the wall, and walked away, thinking about the mystery named Isabella Swan.

Chapter 6

Hampstead, London

Laying in her bed that night in Sophie's house, and reflecting on the things happening to her, it was no surprise that Bella was far too keyed up to sleep. The entire day - heck, the entire week - just seemed like something straight out of a fantasy novel.

I am a witch, she thought to herself, biting the back of her hand as she tried to keep from laughing and waking Sophie in the next room.

I am a witch...

Holy Crow!

Still fighting the giggles and resisting the urge to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming, Bella took several calming breaths, willing herself to relax. And all the while, in her hand, a dark, polished piece of cherry-wood felt warm and comforting like it was part of her: like it was alive, pulsing with a warm glow.

Glancing down, she raised her fist, staring in wonder at her wand.

Her wand.

Her Magic Wand.

And then she needed to start her relaxation regimen again, as her thoughts spun out in a crazy direction and the giggles started right back up.

What a life!

No matter how many times she repeated it to herself, it didn't seem real. She'd broken out into laughing fits on at least three occasions tonight already, and was barely able to sit through dinner with Sophie and her mom, finally begging-off that she had a headache and headed up to bed early. She had spent the last half of dinner ignoring the very strange looks Sophie's mom was giving her, which culminated in her mom motioning towards Bella with a head nod and making the universal 'cuckoo clock' spinning finger to the side of her head when she thought Bella wasn't looking.

Sophie's chuckles and Bella's own in-attention were the final straw, and off she went, up to 'bed.'

However, Bella was quite aware now that Sophie was more than a little suspicious of her behavior: she was going to have to tell her friend something to head her off. Sophie knew well-enough that Bella was keeping a secret, and Bella could see her friend's patience was wearing thin, despite her laughing at her mom's silly innuendo.

Of course, telling Sophie anything at all about magic was out of the question. That had been hammered home to her repeatedly: she was never to reveal magic to a muggle unless they already knew, were a spouse, or were their legal guardian (which didn't apply to Bella as she was not a minor).

This did not bother Bella; after all, she was used to keeping secrets, had done it for years for the Cullen's. This was just another one to add to the tally, really.

When her eyes finally fluttered and closed, she thought about what the near future held. She was meeting Harry again on Saturday - his day off from work, and Bella's next to last day in London - and Bella knew that Sophie already had plans for them to spend the day in SoHo. To get out of at least part of that trip, Bella was going to have to appease her friend and tell her something...

I am a witch!

Nope, not that, she thought, giggling again as her eyes snapped back open in the darkness, her hand tightening around her wand, unable to put it down, holding on to it as if it was the proof she needed that everything she'd been experiencing was real and not the delusions of a 'cuckoo' nutcase.

Chewing her lip while thinking about the problem of what to tell Sophie, she discarded dozens of ideas until finally hitting on one that might work. Maybe she could tell Sophie she met a boy that she liked? Would that dissuade, or encourage Sophie? Would it get her off her back?

As Bella thought about it, she realized that it might be the best bet. Yes, she'd have to pretend that something was going on between her and Harry, but it would definitely get Sophie to back off; heck, she'd probably be thrilled! Sophie had tried to set Bella up with several guys since they'd been in London, not to mention the double dates she dragged Bella on during their freshman year. In fact, earlier this evening they'd gone to Kenwood House near Sophie's home, and her friend made it seem like the whole point of the night was to introduce Bella to all the single guys that Sophie knew.

When Bella finally asked her to please lay off, Sophie just huffed at her, shaking her head. "Bella, I'm just trying to find out what type of guy you like! I know you like men, I've seen your eyes checking-out some of the campus hotties, but when they flirt with you or ask you out you shut them down!"

Yes, Bella would tell Sophie that she liked someone, paving the way to clear her calendar for Harry.

There was a slight wrinkle with this plan, however: Sophie might insist on meeting him for at least a 'meet-n-greet' - to make sure he was 'worthy' of her best friend and to subtly make sure Bella wasn't in over her head with some strange guy she'd just suddenly met.

I crossed that 'strange guy' bridge long ago, Bella thought, wanting to laugh again. She found it hysterical that, of the three guys she had thought most attractive of all she'd met, not one of them was actually a normal human.

A vampire, a wolf, and a wizard!

What were the odds of that, and what did that say about Bella herself?

And suddenly, Bella's face flushed - even with no one there in her room she could be embarrassed, she thought with some pathetic resentment - she had just admitted to herself she found Harry attractive.

Huffing with frustration and trying to settle herself down, it took a while but Bella finally began to relax, thoughts about her afternoon drifting through her head. Her mind wandered to the time spent after leaving the ministry...walking into the fascinating bookstore she'd finally dragged Harry to, or the eccentric wand-maker who seemed to enjoy creeping out his customers; Madame Malkin's, where she ordered a set of robes, or Gringott's where she converted the last of her summer spending money to Galleons...her mind wandered, closer and closer to sleep.

Finally, just before slipping into the nether world of dreams, her defenses came down and her subconscious mind dredged up and replayed those last few crazy minutes in Hermione's office, when they tested her mind-block...

Earlier that day, in the Department of Mysteries

Harry and Hermione quietly laughed at Bella's gleeful expression when Harry joyfully welcomed her to the Wizarding World. They were both feeling nostalgic as they remembered their own feelings of wonder when they had first learned that magic was real; and despite the darkness of the war years and the trying times leading up to it, they still sometimes felt themselves awed by magic and its wonderful possibilities and watching someone getting to learn about it for the first time was always enjoyable.

Bella's cheeks flashed pink, but she joined Harry and Hermione in laughing. She met Harry's smile with one of her own, her eyes bright and full of wonder; and Hermione's eyes twinkled in response.

When Bella saw Hermione's expression, her cheeks flushed again until Hermione gently squeezed her shoulder. "Don't be embarrassed, Bella. I had almost the same reaction when Professor McGonagall - the current Headmistress of Hogwarts - showed up on my doorstep 13 years ago and told me I was a Witch. And then, to prove magic was real, she turned herself into a cat."

Bella looked up at Hermione with surprise, wondering if her friends in the Pack had magic too.

Misunderstanding the widening of her eyes for disbelief, Harry nodded. "It's true, she could turn into a cat. It's called the 'animagus' transformation."

Bella thought about that for a moment. "Can anyone do that? And can they become other animals as well?" she asked, intrigued.

Hermione shook her head. "It's very difficult to do, and there are not many who take the time to learn it. But yes, each person has their own animal that they can change into, though you don't get to pick what form you'll take..."

They were silent for a moment before Bella shook her head. "It's certainly a lot to take in," she finally said, thinking of something else Hermione mentioned earlier, about the trace venom in her. "Why am I not a vampire if there is some venom still inside me?" Bella asked the older girl, her eyes moving back to Harry's even as she spoke to Hermione.

"Well," Hermione said slowly, "I think the obvious - perhaps the only answer - is that there simply was far too little venom left to do the job. We might be talking about micrograms here, truly tiny amounts. I don't think a study has ever been done on how much venom is required to change a person, and maybe it varies by individuals. Luckily for you, whatever it is, you are below the threshold, and the likelihood of it ever activating now is probably miniscule. It's just been too long, I should think."

Bella nodded, averting her eyes, feeling the guilt there when she remembered not too long ago wishing she was a vampire to remain with Edward and his family for eternity.

Hermione continued speaking, not noticing Bella's sudden change in demeanor. "I'd like to get a sample of blood and perhaps two tissue samples - one from midway down your arm and the other from your other arm. In six months you can come back and I can compare, to see if the concentration of venom has changed. It might be prudent to see if there are any long-term effects; if we can track any changes, maybe we can head it off."

Bella blanched, thinking both about the possibility of long term effects and the phrase 'blood sample.' "I hate needles," she finally muttered.

Both Harry and Hermione chuckled at her admission. "No needles, Bella. We use magic. You'll feel a tiny sting for just a moment, and that's it."

"Okay then," Bella nodded. Hermione smiled and left to fetch her supplies, and Harry stepped over, pulling his chair to sit next to her. "You okay?" he asked leaning forward, his eyes kind. "A lot of stuff has been thrown at you today. I would totally understand if it's a bit much."

"I'm not sure," Bella answered after a moment. "Today has been crazy, and we haven't even talked about that strange ability that keeps my mind private." Shaking her head in amazement, she looked at him briefly before she got a twinkle in her eye and winked at him. "We still need to go shopping - you said you would help me pick out a wand and pointy hat!"

Harry chuckled at her, arching an eyebrow. "You have much to learn, Ms. Swan. As I've always been told, the wand chooses the Witch." And then he winked playfully back at her. "But I promise I'll help you with the hat!"

Bella giggled for a moment, then scrunched her eyebrows as she did not understand the wand reference, and asked about it.

"A wand sort of 'binds' with a certain witch or wizard," Harry explained. Still seeing confusion on her face, he smiled."You'll see. Our resident wand-maker - Mr. Olivander - likes to keep his customers guessing." Pitching his voice deeper, like something out of a Tales from the Crypt episode, he intoned: "All will soon be revealed."

Bella huffed and shook her head at his poor attempt at portraying mystery. "Come on Harry, what does it mean? And no more lousy impersonations."

Harry held his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay okay, sorry. But you'll just have to wait."

When Bella finally nodded, he looked at her carefully. "Do you want Hermione to still test your mental ability today? I know it's been a lot, but understanding how you do it could be important."

"Might as well," Bella answered right away, shrugging. "Let's get everything done while we can, right? I'm leaving in three days anyway."

Harry nodded, and Bella thought something like disappointment flashed across his features. If so, she certainly shared it; but his voice was upbeat when he answered. "Carpe Diem, and all that. Okay, hopefully we can figure it out."

When Hermione returned a few seconds later, she was carrying a large canvas bag and a wooden box filled with small glass flasks. She placed everything down, directed Bella to hold out her arms, and with a wave of her wand and a light touch to her skin, Bella felt a slight sting. A moment later she watched in amazement at tiny little droplets of her blood seemed to float into the flasks. Hermione labeled and sealed them, and floated them over to her desk, before turning to Bella with a small smile."All done."

"Wow," said Bella, looking at her arms and seeing only the faintest marks. "That had to be the easiest and fastest way to draw blood I've ever seen."

Harry stood and nodded his head towards Bella. "She agreed to let us test her ability to keep me out of her head."

Hermione suddenly seemed excited, her eyes seeming to take on an extra shine while narrowing in focus, a look of concentration on her face. Bella almost blanched at the intensity in her stare as her eyes probed into Bella's own, like she was in a lab evaluating a specimen.

It was a bit disconcerting, if Bella was honest.

Harry chuckled, and Bella turned to look at him. "Hermione can be a bit like a mad-scientist like where new knowledge is concerned," he explained. Hermione huffed, her cheeks pinking; after all, she knew that Harry was right, and she could sometimes be a bit intense with her desire to know everything.

But this was a particularly interesting ability Bella had, and she tried to explain to Bella the significance. "When Harry told me that you could not be obliviated and he could not use legilimancy on you either, I was eager to meet you. You've no idea how rare such an ability is, and how valuable it might be if it applies to all mind-magic's. In everything I've ever read, there have been only a few wizards that were immune from obliviation, and no one is really sure why that was."

Tapping her lip, she looked thoughtful. "Such a skill would be an amazing boon for the wizarding government if it could ever be replicated, perhaps with a charm or in an enchanted object. But, maybe it's a skill that you are not even aware of." She trailed off, her eyes unfocused, thinking about the problem.

A few seconds later, she let out a small breath and relaxed. "I don't know if Harry told you, but there is a curse called the imperious that basically allows the caster to take control of the victim." And then she explained how it was used during the war to control ministry employees and help the terrorists take over, and finished her explanation by telling her how it was one of three curses deemed 'unforgiveable.'

Bella listened, partly horrified and partly fascinated. "Why are they so much worse than other curses that earn them such a classification?"

Hermione smiled tightly. "For one, they are unblockable by any other spell. They go right through shields, and there is no counter-curse. The only way to avoid getting cursed is to either use a physical object to block the spell, or to get out of the way. There are no other magical defenses that work."

Hermione paused for a moment, looking carefully at Bella. "The obliviate spell is, in many respects, very similar to the Imperious in that it essentially allows the caster access to the target's mind, and like the imperious allows instructions to be given, though the instructions wear off in a matter of minutes, and it can be blocked with a shield."

And then Hermione looked away, glancing at Harry. "Up until now, the obliviate was considered a sure-fire spell if cast competently." And then her eyes turned back to Bella: "Until you, that is."

Bella shivered at her tone, and understanding their desire to find out about her ability. She also realized that this sort of ability should be kept quiet; she didn't want anyone else knowing about this. It might bring her the wrong sort of attention.

Hermione continued, oblivious to Bella's trepidation."Even with everything I've learned about you - your story, the vampire bite - I think your ability to stop Harry's obliviate is the most surprising."

"Really?" Bella asked skeptically.

This time it was Harry who answered. "It's true, Bella; being able to withstand strong mind magic is a very very rare talent. Mind magic can be abused to do lots of harm."

Hermione took out a different sensor and then explained what she wanted to do, and Bella nodded that she was ready. "Okay, first I am going to have Harry cast an obliviate on you again. I will be measuring any magic that you use in response, so we should be able to tell if your ability is magical or not. I'll also be recording everything to review later in that orb," - and she pointed at a small, round shaped object on one of the shelves -" like an EEG reading in a muggle hospital."

Bella nodded and turned to Harry, who raised his wand and looked into her eyes. "This won't hurt, okay?"

She nodded, and he asked if she was ready. When she nodded again, her shoulders stiff, he smiled. "Try and relax, Bella."

Like he'd done when they met, he pointed his wand at her forehead, and Bella heard him cast 'obliviate.'" Just as she remembered, a blurry yellow flash sprang from the wand tip and hit her forehead; and just like two days ago, she felt no discernible effect, at all.

Harry started speaking, giving her instructions, though his lips quirked as he realized - just from seeing the sharpness in her eyes - that the spell didn't have any effect.

Deciding to have some fun with her, Harry had to fight from grinning as he played his prank. "Bella, you have been eagerly waiting all day to tell me how sophisticated us Brits are compared to you Yanks, and you are going to offer to cook me dinner in an effort to placate my offended sensibilities. Of course, afterwards, you will dress as a French maid as you clean my house and entertain me for the evening."

For a moment, Bella sat with her mouth hanging open as she was not quite sure she had heard Harry correctly. But when she heard Hermione sigh from behind her, she realized she'd been pranked. And when Harry's lips quirked, she couldn't decide if she should be mortified or amused.

Finally, she chuckled at his attempt, and Harry laughed in response. Glancing at Hermione to see what she thought, Bella began to laugh quietly when she saw that Hermione was fighting her own smile. "Is he always like this?" Bella asked.

Hermione, still checking her sensors, smiled ruefully. "He wasn't so bad in school, but ever since he's been part owner of a joke shop, he's gotten worse."

Turning back to the prankster, Bella archly raised an eyebrow. "Harry, I could have done much better than that," she teased. "So I think you will be cooking me dinner in recompense. And I'll insist you dress in full drag."

Harry's eyes sparkled at her, and they each smiled. Hermione, meanwhile, just shook her head at their antics before finally looking up at Bella. "Well, I can see his spell didn't work, and the sensors didn't reveal as much as I'd hoped. Did you feel anything at all?"

"No," answered Bella, still smiling. "Not to say I didn't want to follow the last bit of his instructions, though I would have skipped the French Maid outfit and made sure his dinner had a lot of spicy chili sauce in it. Would have served him right."

Hermione chuckled. "Indeed. I like the way you think, and maybe you'll be able to tame him." The two women looked at each other and shared a grin, before Hermione tapped the sensor, getting back to business. "Okay, the recording is valid, I will look at it later to see what else I can learn."

She then pulled out a few devices that Bella thought looked like electrode pads that you'd see on a heart-attack patient's chest, except there were no wires attached. "Ok, last test of the day," Hermione said, facing Bella. "For the next spell I'd like to attach these sensors to your forehead and the backs of each of your hands."

"What are they?" Bella asked, suddenly wary. They looked like little electrodes, but had no wires - just the pads with a circular copper ring in the middle.

"These are sensors that can monitor your magical output more finely than just the orb. This will gather a lot of more information, but it needs the attachments on your skin to get the most data."

Bella chewed her lip. "Are you certain my ability is magical in nature? Is it possible that my mind just works a little differently and you won't detect anything?"

Hermione opened her mouth to answer, but then really thought about it. Several times she was about to speak, but each time something else occurred to her and she would reconsider.

A full minute passed like this, until Hermione finally let out a frustrated breath. "I don't know. It's possible that it's not magical in nature and nothing I test here today will show a thing. I just don't know, like I said this is all new." She looked thoughtful again. "There are people who can beat the imperious curse - Harry here is one, for instance - but they do it through force of will. But you, you're different. You seem to be stopping the mind magic by simply having your mind be inaccessible. That's a whole different level, as if your mind can't be detected the magic could never work on you.'

Bella looked over at Harry, wondering what he thought about all this. "I personally think you might be right, Bella. The vampire didn't use magic to read minds, and you kept him out. Maybe it's just one of your quirks?" he teased.

Bella huffed at him, and moved her hair away so Hermione could attach her sensor. Once all three were in place Hermione looked at her gravely. "I need approval from you so that Harry can cast the Imperious on you. He and I are both ministry officials but we still need your consent."

Bella took a breath. She trusted them, and they'd been very helpful to her, so she had no reason to deny this. "Okay," she said, and Hermione nodded at her before gently tapping the sensor with her wand, and Bella watched as the lights on it flickered and she felt, for just a moment, the tiniest little bit of static on the 3 electrodes.

"Okay, we are recording," Hermione said, moving her wand away from the recording orb. She turned to Harry and nodded, noticing Bella's worried look.

Harry was quick to reassure her. "Don't worry, Bella. Even if it works, it's painless."

Bella let out a breath. "Okay, Harry. But if it does work, I better not end up wearing a pointy hat!"

Harry laughed. "Don't worry, I won't embarrass you too much."

Grumbling under her breath, she nodded that she was ready.

"Okay, then," he said. And then he lifted his wand. "Imperio," he intoned, his voice deeper than Bella had heard before, his eyes a deeper green too.

Bella barely noticed the red flash that hit her square in the chest, as they were staring into each other's eyes. Just like with the obliviate, she felt nothing when the spell hit. But she noticed that Harry's eyes continued to darken, and seemed to be almost backlit with a dark green glow that was leaking out of the white.

It was very disconcerting but also quite mesmerizing, and she found that she couldn't look away.

She thought he might have been speaking, but it was just noise, easily ignored. And then he lowered his wand, and his eyes returned to normal. "Nothing, right?"

Bella nodded. "Nope."

Glancing at Hermione, he raised his wand. "One more time, I'm going to put more power into it, okay?"

When Bella nodded, he cast again. "Imperio." And again, the red light - somehow darker now - hit her in the chest. As she watched him, Bella could have sworn she could see a vague, hazy shimmer surrounding Harry, like heat rising off the Phoenix pavement in summer.

When Harry suddenly spoke, his words seemed to be imbued with power that had an almost liquid feel to them, and Bella thought she felt the briefest pressure pushing on something inside her head. "Bella, stand up from your seat and walk to the door, knock three times, and come sit back down."

Blinking at the deep voice of command, Bella again thought she felt something... - pressing, or perhaps the right analogy was tickling - her mind. Harry's voice seemed embedded inside that tickle: deep, firm and commanding. It was the kind of voice that people obeyed without question, Bella could easily understand why someone would do what he said.

And for a brief, fleeting moment, Bella felt that tickle again, and she had an urge to listen to the voice.

Until suddenly, something seemed to press back against it. Something from inside her mind, something dark and just past the edge of her inner eye, that would retreat from view as she turned her eyes to follow it.

Even as Bella searched for whatever it was inside her head that gave her that impression, the tickle got stronger. Again, it was like some sort of mental feather tickling inside her head, trying to pass through whatever that barrier in her mind was.

It was maddening! Bella could feel something there, but she could not find it!

Bella suddenly blinked when she realized the hazy outline around Harry was more visible now, mirage-like, rippling like a sheet of disturbed air.

"Bella, walk to the door now," the voice said again, firm, unyielding, and again it hit against something in her head.

Now that Bella was even the tiniest bit aware of whatever it was that was in her head, she couldn't ignore it, and with determination turned her mind's-eye inward, seeking for it.

Searching through her mind, Bella thought she again had a brief glimpse of her barrier. For a moment, she thought she could feel it...something big...vast, even; flexible, but thick and impenetrable; akin to a curtain, but made of stainless steel links, waving and flexing in her mind, protecting her inner-most self.

She probed, trying to get an idea of its scope, to feel its edges in her mind...

She thought she could feel it now, flickering somewhere deep inside.

Bella seemed to snap out of her own head suddenly, and she blinked several times as her eyes refocused on Harry, whose clothes looked like they were being buffeted by a wind. She was surprised to see beads of sweat on his brow, little droplets that reflected the glow from his eyes, which were backlit and shining. His wand tip was glowing red with the power he was pushing, and his wand arm - extended fully - was subtly shaking.

And to her amazement it looked like his hair was also stirring from some unseen breeze that moved in time with the flicker of the haze around him, which was now much thicker than before.

The tickle in Bella's mind became heavier, the pressure slowly increasing, though her veil remained impregnable; when it pressed again, a strange emotion ran through Bella, accompanied by a liquid heat that seemed to flow from her right arm into her chest and head. She couldn't fathom the emotion, it was foreign to her; it was a feeling of arrogance, and contempt, and in its wake, Bella felt like laughing at the pitiful attempt of the spell trying to piece her veil.

Bella tried again to grasp the edges of her barrier, imagining it a long cloak with her mind hidden behind it; and it began to feel more real, more solid to her. She imagined a steel curtain, edges flapping as it moved in response to her mind. The feather against it was no more than a small annoyance, a gnat trying to get through a bank vault.

And suddenly the fabric of her veil felt imbued with power, like the ozone in the air before a lightning strike. It felt like the more power Harry was pouring into his spell, the stronger her veil was reinforcing itself; it was rippling with potential now, and that feeling of contemptuous returned, laughing at the attempt to breach its defense.

And Bella felt a surge of heat again. Like a liquid fire rushing through her body, streaming from her arm, merging with the power of Harry's spell, all of it falling into her barrier, which was stirring and moving and answering to her call.

And when the feather teased against the veil again, Bella felt the enormity of the barrier, felt it finally answering her command.

Her veil flexed under her control...

...and for the first time, Bella pushed back.

And even as her eyes blinked back to awareness and Bella tried to stop what she'd just done, she realized it was too late...

Harry was frustrated, and pushed harder and harder against whatever it was that was stopping his spell. He'd not had trouble with his magic like this since his school days, where he was a relative novice compared to the power he wielded now.

When Harry had finally been freed of the Horcrux, he found his magic increased by a vast amount. Hermione had later surmised that it had been using his own magic to keep itself alive; perhaps that was the reason, Hermione posited, that Voldemort had used powerful magic items as his containers: they needed to fuel the Horcrux to allow it to endure.

And here he was, his magic failing against a young woman who had never even held a wand before...

Harry pushed more and more power into his spell, determined to break through. He became aware that his aura was flaring, and to his surprise felt himself beginning to tire.

Whatever was protecting her, was strong.

Realizing he wasn't going to be able to force his way in, he decided to see if perhaps he could, while Bella's block was actively fighting his imperious, sneak in a legilimancy probe.

When he first launched the second spell - difficult to do while holding the imperious - he suddenly felt something pressing hard against his probe. Had he finally found her defenses? For just a second, he thought maybe he might succeed...

And then there was pressure, like a vice crushing his head; the pain hit a moment later, and was so sharp that he was only dimly aware of something throwing him backwards, sending him crashing against the far wall and pressing him against it like he was caught in a hurricane. His clothes were whipped as if by giant storm winds, moving in the same direction as he was being pushed: away from Bella.

Had the wall not been there, he had no doubt he would have been blown clear across the ministry.

Harry dimly registered Hermione's shout, but could do nothing as the unseen force continued to pour from Bella and crush him against the wall. He could feel his muscles and bones protesting at whatever it was - wind? force? magic? he didn't know - but he felt his body beginning to give.

He tried to raise his wand to cast a shield, but he couldn't move his arm, it was pinned against the wall; he opened his mouth to shout but the pressure on his body wouldn't even let him expand his chest to catch a breath. The pressure even increased, and he began to see grey spots at the edges of his vision...

Suddenly, finally, all the pressure vanished at once and he slid down the wall to his knees, groaning as his body collapsed in a heap.

Raising his head wearily, his muscles aching more than they had in years, Harry blinked as he took in the destruction around him; and then, looking straight ahead, he found himself staring into the horrified brown eyes of Bella.

... tried to stop what she'd just done, she realized it was too late...

Bella registered several loud, unpleasant popping noises at the same moment that Harry seemed to slide down the far wall he'd been pressed against. Whatever had been holding him there had finally relented. Dimly aware of the rest of the room - Hermione's shouting, pieces of paper and debris floating about, something crashing to the floor - Bella sprang forward, her hands moving spastically as she scrambled towards Harry.

In her peripheral vision, she was aware that the room looked like a tornado hit it.

Bella went to her knees in front of a groaning Harry, horrified at whatever it was that she just did to him, and making sure that whatever it was, that it was locked down tight.

To her surprise, Bella could not feel the veil now, even with it being as massive as she now knew it was. However, she realized she could still sense it; hovering, waiting, ready to protect her, that incredible power locked up inside her...

Shaking her head to clear it, she turned her full attention to Harry. His breath was coming in short pants, and there was a stream of blood dripping from his nose. His face was pale, his arms shaky. His wand was clutched tightly in his fist, and Bella thought she saw crescent shaped marks from where his fingernails must have bit into the heel of his palm.

Worst of all, Bella thought, was the look in his eyes. They were fixed on her, wide with surprise and shock and wariness.

"I'm so sorry!" Bella babbled, her hand flying over her mouth in horror as she tried to fathom what she'd just done and what she could do to help. "Are you okay? Harry!"

Thankfully, Hermione was suddenly there beside her, waving her wand at Harry and muttering incantations under her breath. Even as Bella watched, the blood flowing from his nose stopped and Harry's cheeks began to regain their color, his features softening and the painful grimace vanishing.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," he finally said, his eyes meeting Bella's. They just stared at one another for a moment as Hermione kept waving her wand. Bella scanned his face and features, slowly relaxing as she saw that he looked back to normal.

"I'm so sorry, Harry," she whispered. "I hurt you, and I don't even know how!"

Hermione glanced briefly at Bella while she continued to check over Harry, who truly did look better now. Her spells showed nothing seriously wrong, and she finally stopped casting and sat back on her heels with a grimace.

Bella noticed Harry and Hermione give each other a passing look - some silent communication passing between them - before they both turned to her, eyes filled with questions.

Bella opened her mouth to apologize again, when Harry raised a hand. "Bella, please don't beat yourself up over whatever you just did. I pushed much harder than I should have, knowing that I was taking a risk. I tried to brute-force the spell, and whatever defense you have in your head reacted to it: I got caught in the backlash." He gave a small, rueful grin, and Bella again looked at him carefully, trying to ascertain the truth.

She finally turned to Hermione, her expression guarded. "Is he really okay?"

Hermione grimaced. "Yes, he's okay, though he exhausted a good bit of his magical reserves, and he has bruising on his back where he hit the wall." Hermione's eyes scanned Bella's face, and Bella noted the careful, weighing look in her eyes that wasn't there before. "He needs rest and probably a potion or two before I'd say he is 100%."

"My fault," Harry repeated, and Bella saw the frown on Hermione's face.

Bella lowered her eyes, knowing that this was not the whole truth. Maybe Harry did push too hard and maybe he did get caught in the backlash.

But Bella remembered the feeling of heat, the feel of power, the desire to push back...

Before Bella could confess, Harry spoke more insistently, his eyes on her. "Bella, please don't blame yourself. I put more and more power into the spell, more than I'd ever used on a mind magic spell before. Just at the end I thought I felt something...a blockage of some sort, where before I'd felt nothing but blankness. And when I felt like my spell was finally hitting something, I sent out a legilimancy probe at the same time."

"Harry!" Hermione admonished, blanching. "That's dangerous! You could have hurt yourself badly!"

"I know," he grimaced. "But it's only dangerous against a trained occlumens!"

"Clearly not!" Hermione disagreed, glancing at Bella.

Harry shook his head. "You know I'm right, Hermione. What are the odds she could do something like that? Only an occlumens who understands what a probe is, and how to trap it can turn my spell back on me. I didn't think there was any risk, and I really wanted to find out how she is stopping our mental magic. You know how important that is."

Hermione huffed. "It was a foolish risk, Harry! She might have really hurt you!"

Bella quietly interjected. "Can you tell me what you're talking about? I've no idea what any of that means."

Harry, whose was about to reply to Hermione, turned to Bella, looking sheepish. "Sorry Bella. Old habits. Hermione is always berating me for taking foolish risks. She's been looking after me since we were 11, after all."

A quick glance at Hermione and Bella saw the girl's cheeks flush pink, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips despite her clear anger at Harry. Clearly she must have agreed with Harry's assessment, and Bella was glad they had each other, as they clearly were true best friends.

Harry winked at Bella, and explained. "I tried to launch a probe - essentially a tendril where I try and sneak around in your mind; I did this when I thought I felt something in your head, and thought I could 'tiptoe' around it." Harry took a breath. "This can be dangerous to do if your target is a skilled occlumens, which is someone who has prepared their mind with traps and defenses to keep out mind readers and to help them control their emotions. An occlumens can follow the probe back to the source - me - and cause havoc in my own mind, read my thoughts, alter my memories, maybe even crush my consciousness...you get the idea."

Bella shivered, and Hermione gave him a sour look at his foolish attempt; but Bella didn't say anything and finally Hermione let out a breath, letting it go.

Harry finally stood up, and Bella was thankful he really did seem to be fine. A quick wand wave vanished the dried blood from his face, and he gave Bella an appraising look. "Did you feel anything that time Bella?"

Bella stalled for a moment, and pulled the electrodes from the back of her hands and her forehead, aware of two pairs of eyes watching her. Fighting down her uneasiness, she finally confessed. "Yes. I felt something at the end, in my head. It felt like...like Harry was tickling something in my mind, and the more he did the more clear it was." She looked between Harry and Hermione, trying to judge their reactions. "Maybe that was your probe? It felt like a feather to me."

Harry nodded thoughtfully, and they continued to watch her expectantly, so Bella tried her best to explain. "I felt something in my head...almost like a rippling blanket, but made of the strongest steel, but flexible like cloth. Maybe like a knight used to wear, sort of like chain mail, you know?" When she saw Hermione nod her head, Bella continued. "Suddenly I felt like I didn't want that...feather - which I now realize was Harry - in my head, and I felt a rush of warmth and power and decided to 'push' it out." Her voice trailed off to a whisper at the end, her eyes moving down to her clasped hands, remembering the strange feelings that coursed through her.

What was that? she wondered.

Neither Harry nor Hermione spoke for a minute, contemplating Bella's words. Bella herself didn't know what to say, so she took a quiet sip of her water, waiting patiently for them.

Finally, though, Hermione broke the silence. "Well, I've got recordings of the events, I will hopefully find something in the data. Either way, I will let you know, okay?"

Bella smiled gratefully. "Okay."

Back in her bed in Hampstead, as the images wound down and sleep finally took her, Bella shivered unconsciously at the memory of the heat that filled her, the strange emotions, the feeling of power...

Her dreams that night were strange and foreboding; she and Harry and a few others she did not know were running through the ruins of some city, fighting against some oppressive darkness that was closing in on them; they ran, and they fought, but they were losing; and everywhere they went, they could hear a menacing laughter ringing out in the distance.

Bella tossed and turned as she dreamed; and just before waking, before the memory of the dream faded to oblivion, the last impression she had was of her and Harry holding hands as the darkness overtook them.

A/N – Hope you enjoyed! LMK what you think.

As I've stated, I am writing this as I go. Certain doors have opened while others have closed based on choices I've had my characters take, but nothing is 'locked in' yet. Kind of fun to be writing this way. Usually I have a beginning, a few character arcs, and an ending; and I try and weave them together so they match up while entertaining the reader. But this story is very different; there is nothing pre-planned, though an ending is beginning to coalesce in my imagination, despite the very fuzzy reception that passes for 'normal' these days in my brain… so here's to hoping it all works together!

An 2 - Several people have pm'd about Bella being able to cast wandlessly. And while I will say yes, of course she will (after all - you could think of the vampire venom as the magical core and her forearm as the 'wand'), I think there will be a few surprises with it later.