Aurora Borealis

by Star-Of-Radiance

Bella's 'perfect slice of forever' slowly unravels, piece by piece. Months after the confrontation during Breaking Dawn, all the devastating consequences of crimes, both forgotten and overlooked, reveal themselves, and the criminal trials and sentencing of Edward Cullen and the Volturi unfold- along with its equally devastating aftermath. Think carefully before you choose to act...

1. Shocking New Discoveries

This story is going to be narrated by both the Third-Person Omniscient POV, and Bella's individual first-person POV in the past tense, to show the contrast between the reality of events in the wider world, as seen by everyone present to witness it, and Bella's own thoughts and feelings when she's looking back centuries later (remember, vampires have perfect memory, even if they have to gloss over certain things).

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Prologue

You are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequences of your choice.

Zig Ziglar

11th June 2007...

A pop ensued and out of thin air in the woods, in a midst of swirling colours, the witch appeared out of nowhere.

Several more pops followed, and behind her stood a group of men and women all in fedoras and trilbies, wearing trench coats that resembled robes, or the kinds No-Maj cops wore in the 1920s.

Adsila Sizemore gazed up at the house and, despite the circumstances, found herself admiring it. It was lovely; a three-story colonial. Normally, she would have admired the architecture: graceful, rectangular and large but well-proportioned; painted a soft faded white with a deep porch wrapping around the front like down south where she was born. It was completely surrounded by nature, and even though it was antique and spelled wealth it wasn't nearly as elitist or esoteric as the other vampire dwellings she had seen; nor was it as run down, decayed and filthy as the others. Or a mixture of both; this one was well-maintained, its windows and doors perfectly preserved or restored.

She looked at the others.

"Remember," she told them. "Innocent until proven guilty."

One of the wizards narrowed his grey eyes at her. "We already have the evidence-" Adsila shook her head.

"Just let me do the talking," she informed him. "There is no reason to assume anything yet and we cannot prosecute anyone." Yet. The word remained unspoken.

She glided up to the front door and rung the bell.

Sure enough, the door opened. The person who opened was a female. She was as breathtakingly beautiful as could be: very pale like snow, with a heart-shaped face and billowing soft clouds of caramel hair. She was as small and slender as a dream; yet somehow her figure was also softer, more rounded in a way that made everyone else with more slender or curvy lines seem harsh in comparison. Her eyes, the young woman noted with mild surprise, were golden. Unlike the rest of her species.

The leader of the visiting company cleared her throat. "Mrs. Cullen?"

"Yes," the woman replied in a soft, musical note. "That's me."

"My name is Adsila Sizemore." The young woman paused briefly. "I apologise for the intrusion. But I'm afraid this is an urgent matter. Is your family home?"

Mrs. Cullen nodded. "May we have a word in private, please?"

Mrs. Cullen nodded and allowed Adsila into the room.

Esme studied the young woman. She was beautiful; beautiful in a way that reminded her of vampires- or more specifically Renesmee. But she was no vampire. Even if Esme didn't detect a heartbeat, or the young woman's steady breathing, her beauty, while as extreme and inhuman as a vampire's, was, Esme sensed, something else entirely.

She was tall and willowy, graceful and slender, her flawlessly silky skin seemed to glow, its colour somewhere between polished copper and russet against which the rosy crimson in her cheeks and the ruby shade of her beautifully shaped lips seemed only to enhance the impossibly stunning effect. Her glistening eyelashes were black feather fans and like her gleaming black hair, shone like it was coated with dew, thick and glossy. Her face was oval, with finely chiselled features: high cheekbones, a delicate and fine-boned nose, large and lustrous eyes like liquid which were as black as polished jet, and a long and graceful neck with softly rounded shoulders and delicate ears. She was as beautiful as Rosalie and Heidi, but although she wasn't human she wasn't a vampire either. The lady was well-dressed in a pinstripe skirt-suit with patent-leather pumps, and she held herself with regal poise.

So, the question remained: who and what was she?

While Esme took the time to study the young woman in front of her, the lady in question looked around the house.

Inside, the Cullen house was quite large; it might have originally been several rooms but some walls had been knocked down to make a larger living area. The south-facing wall was entirely made up of glass to let in the sunlight, but Adsila wasn't surprised. They all knew by now that this particular species of vampires did not burn in sunlight, although that might have made things easier for one of them.

All in all, she could admire what they did with the house: it was lovely, gorgeous and picturesque, serene like a dream of the past, especially as it was located so near to wooded trees and a river. Yet it lacked so much of the proud, stern and cold grandeur that many covens imposed upon visitors to make them feel awed and afraid. That and they liked showing off.

In all honesty, compared to the other vampires she'd come across and studied, they knew very little about this particular species.

The man who stood and carried himself as their leader- sort of like a father figure- he was young and golden-blond, very pale with the same golden eyes as his wife's. He stood with obvious authority, although not in an imposing way, she noted. They respected him. He sought to protect and safeguard them.

One of the younger males was tall and burly with dark, curly hair. He was six-foot-five and very muscular. The third male had honey-blond waves that fell just above his collar; muscular and lean, he stood rigid like a soldier, eyes alert and wary, though he wasn't as tall.

There were two other females, apart from Mrs Cullen: one of them was beautiful, even by their standards, goddess-like, as the No-Majs would say. She had a beautiful, tall and voluptuous yet slim figure and long, gently-waving golden-blonde hair. The third female was petite and slender by comparison, with small features on a pretty elfin face. Her deep black hair was cropped short and pointed in all directions.

There were still two missing.

"I beg your pardon, I would get to introductions, but are all of your family here?" Adsila questioned, gently raising an eyebrow.

Behind her, she sensed the Aurors' impatience.

"Well..." Carlisle Cullen hesitated. She knew his name, alright. "My son Edward and his wife will be here soon."

Ava nodded, accepting this. "Forgive me, but I would much rather wait for them. This is not something I would repeat twice." She sighed, wearily. "There's a lot of things to say and a great deal of information to absorb. Not much of it can be summarised."

Carlisle opened his mouth and paused. "I see," he said slowly. Adsila pursed her lips. "He should be here soon."

Jasper studied her carefully and probed the emotions in the room. There was apprehension, unease and yes- anger. Disgust. Fury. Wariness. Impatience. Tension. You name it. But he was most intrigued and confused by the young woman who so obviously appeared to be the leader of their present company.

She was apprehensive and full of nerves and dread- yet at the same time, unafraid, calm and poised. She wasn't cowered. She didn't shrink and had no intention of being distracted from her task- whatever it was. Overall, she was patient and calm.

Soon enough, the back door opened.

The fourth male, the one whom they had come to see, stood at six-feet-two inches. Adsila studied him more closely than she did the others: unusual bronze-coloured hair, and the same golden eyes as the rest of his coven. He had angular, perfectly-proportioned features: straight nose and eyebrows that weren't too thick or thin, high cheekbones, full lips and a strong jawline. Adsila studied him for a moment, before taking a breath and mentally preparing herself with apprehension- turned herself to face his wife.

She was five-foot-four inches, and had a willowy figure. She was as beautiful as the first and third females of the coven, and just as pale. But beneath the alterations of immortality, Adsila could see something that made her eyes widen in shock and astonishment.

Her hair was long, straight and dark brown, only slightly waving and barely. She had a long, heart-shaped face with a wider forehead and narrow, pointed chin. There was a widow's peak at the hairline. Her eyes were large and wide-set. They were as golden as the others, but Adsila knew that they would have been a different colour as a human. Her nose was thin and she had prominent cheekbones and full lips.

The girl blinked and Adsila shook herself out of her stupor. "I apologise, it's just that… You remind me of someone I know. The resemblance is there."

Bella blinked in surprise. "Oh." Was all she said.

Adsila studied her again, and saw differences. Bella's nose flared outwards into a snub at the nostrils just slightly more, altering its shape just somewhat. Her lips were full, but the upper was fuller than the lower and they were both somewhat too full for her slim jawline. Bella's front teeth were somewhat larger and placed more in front than the rest, although not in a ridiculous, but rather an endearing way. Her eyebrows were also darker than her hair and more straight than arched. So even as a vampire, or a human, you would be able to tell them apart; they weren't identical.

Adsila forced a smile. "Now that we are all here. I suppose we should begin introductions.

"My name is Adsila Sizemore."

"Carlisle," Carlisle spoke. "You've met my wife, Esme." She nodded. "This is Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, Alice, and Edward and his wife Bella."

Adsila nodded. Behind her guarded thoughts, she knew they would be reluctant. She decided to use empathy to her advantage in this questioning.

"Let's cut to the chase now, shall we?" She said quietly. "I work for MACUSA." At their puzzled looks, she explained: "That stands for the Magical Congress of the United States of America."

The big guy, Emmett asked quietly: "What?"

"To be more specific, I work for the DMLE." She sighed. "The Magical Congress of the United States of America- MACUSA- is a government body- entirely independent of the government in Washington DC. We are a government for the witches and wizards of America."

At this, she felt the mood shift.

"What?" The blonde-haired female managed.

"I am a witch," Adsila explained. "These-" she gestured behind her. "Are witches and wizards. MACUSA is a government for all magical humans- witches and wizards- within America."

Someone laughed. It was the dark-haired vampire. Even Bella managed a small smile. Rosalie scoffed. "So you expect us to believe that?" But nobody else reacted. Behind her, the grey-eyed Auror stiffened, glaring at them.

Adsila raised her eyebrows. "I knew vampires existed long before I've met any of you." This caused them to start up in alarm.

"And before I made plans on coming here, I knew who and what you were. I also know that werewolves exist too. The world is a much bigger place than you can possibly imagine. And the fact that you didn't know that witches and wizards existed until we met today, sadly proves that for all your years of experience and knowledge, even more than mine, supposedly, you still have much to learn."

Adsila withdrew her wand and pointed it at a flower vase. Esme gasped- and so did Bella. It turned into a cat. It meowed and hissed at the Cullens, green eyes blaring in hate and fear, before Adsila turned it back.

She turned back to them. Giving them a piercing gaze and arching her eyebrow (with maybe the slightest touch of amusement) she asked: "Do you believe me now?"

Silence.

She sighed. "Vampires exist. Those Wolf-Shapeshifters in La Push-" here she saw Bella's eyes widen in alarm. "Exist. Why is it so hard to believe that witches and wizards exist too?"

"I see," Carlisle said, trying to keep his voice even. "If I may ask, what brings you here today?"

Adsila took a deep breath. "Normally, my kind would leave yours be. We don't get involved in your politics, much less personal issues. However..." She paused, frowning. "Recent events- well, fairly recent- have gotten your kind involved in ours." She shook her head.

"If it's any consolation, I'm not happy to be here, either. Normally I would be pleased to meet you, but these circumstances are distressing, and..." She paused, wondering how to put it. "It appears that in the very least, that you are witnesses that would prove useful to an ongoing criminal investigation."

"A criminal investigation?" The blond male- Jasper blurted. Adsila nodded. "Yes. Now before you ask questions-" she held her hand up. "I would first like to hear your side of the story. I promise- I promise on my magic that I will answer your questions later- but first of all, I have heard various different versions of the same story- none of which have made anyone happy, believe me- and I would rather hear what your side of things, before... Before I explain what this is all about, because," she sounded weary. "This is going to be one of the hardest cases, I have ever done."

Unease filtered on their faces. Adsila bit her lip. Esme invited her to sit down, which she did.

Adsila pursed her lips. "There are two people in particular among you who concern us the most. They are- incidentally or purposely- in the middle of this. And we need to hear their version of events the most."

"Which..." Bella trailed off.

"You, ma'am." Adsila said evenly. "And your husband's."

Bella stifled a groan. Of course. "And then you'll answer all our questions?"

Adsila nodded. "I'll answer and explain what this is all about, to the best of my abilities, if you are patient. But first of all, I need you to answer and answer truthfully."

"We'll know if you don't." The grey-eyed Auror said harshly. "If you keep anything from us, or try to lie, believe me, we have our ways."

Edward glowered at him. Adsila turned to him and gave him a look. "What did I say?"

He didn't respond. "Precisely." She turned back to the Cullens.

Prissy, perhaps. But honey smoothed things better than vinegar- for extracting information at least.

Doctor and Mrs Cullen lead them to the sitting area. As Adsila took her seat opposite Bella and Edward, she was fully aware- and expecting- the Aurors to remain standing behind her. She had her Occlumency shields up- no need for Edward Cullen to look into her mind, at least not yet. She needed to have the upper-hand in this situation, because she was fully aware that he wouldn't trust any of them and might lie to save his skin; well, the first part was understandable, she had just declared herself a witch and she was from a government authority he never even knew about, but the second part... not so much. They needed to know the truth, and it wasn't just what they would say but what they wouldn't say- at least not consciously- that was every bit as revealing, if not more in an investigation and interrogation. It was better to keep them guessing in that regard. The Aurors behind her were all well-trained and selected for their use of Occlumency.

As it so happens, she could feel his power pushing- or trying to push- against the barriers. It didn't affect her.

The other Cullens took their seats around Edward and Bella. The Aurors hovered behind Adsila, threatening to the Cullens should they ever try to attack, protective towards Adsila, but one look from her made them take two steps back and ease tensions a bit. This wasn't helping anyone's nerves.

Adsila opened her bag. A quill floated out, making the Cullens inhale sharply, hissing through their teeth. Adsila took no notice. She flicked a wand and a notepad floated itself up.

"You don't mind, do you?" She asked them. "This is for recording the conversational transcript."

There was a stunned silence as they regarded the quill.

"O- of course." Carlisle managed. Adsila nodded. She looked back at the couple. "Then, may we please begin?"

They nodded, Bella somewhat jerkily. She looked somewhat dazed and the two of them were holding hands together tightly.

Adsila fixed Edward and Bella with her gaze. "When and where did the two of you first meet?" The magical quill scratched something in the notepad and paused.

Bella and Edward started. "What does it-" Adsila held up a hand.

"I know some questions will seem personal." She frowned. "And I am sorry for your discomfort, and I promise that I don't like it either. But I promise you, I will explain why I need to find out these things after you've answered all my questions." Edward stiffened and Bella frowned, shifting uncomfortably. "Just give us a date. We don't need to know the details unless I ask."

There was a silence, before Edward Cullen spoke.

"January eighteenth 2005," he said. His voice was melodious. "In Forks High School."

Adsila nodded. "Thank you." She actually guessed this, judging by what she found out about Bella Swan and her doings in Forks. But she wanted to know if they would tell her the truth. The quill scribbled it down. Rosalie eyed it warily, as it paused once more.

"Did you know he was a vampire then?" She asked this to Bella.

She stiffened. "No," she said defensively. Adsila nodded. "Did he tell you-"

"No..." She said hesitantly. "I kinda figured it out myself."

Well, this would be interesting. But it wasn't in their interests right now to wander off-topic. She needed to get back on track. "Did you know magic of any kind or the supernatural existed?"

Bella bristled. "No."

Adsila pursed her lips. "But you knew by March the next year?"

Bella started. "What does that have to do with-"

"Mrs. Cullen," Adsila sighed. "I made a promise. I intend to keep it. As I said, I would rather miss out on all your personal details, and you don't have to be too precise or go into any exact detail unless I ask for it- I will try to keep things as general as possible, without breaching too much of your privacy. But before I explain anything to you, we need to get through this quickly. Did you know, prior to 2006 that Edward Cullen was a vampire?"

Bella pursed her lips. "Yes."

"You were still human then?"

She stiffened. Adsila could see the nervous, fearful glances the other Cullens were exchanging towards each other.

"Have no fear," she said. "I don't have the power to arrest you." She shook her head. "These are your internal issues. But I did say that I will explain everything afterwards. Just be warned- if you think it's an info-dump to find out that witches and wizards exist..." She grimaced. "I'll try to make it easy, but I make no promises."

Swallowing her nerves, Bella continued. "Yeah, I was still human. But we planned on changing," she added defensively. The quill jotted it down. There was no inkpot, so the Cullens assumed that the ink magically appeared at the tip.

Adsila nodded, accepting this. "Our investigation found that you were injured in Phoenix, Arizona on March eighteenth, 2005. You required medical treatment- urgent medical treatment- and the story is that you fell two flights of stairs in your hotel and out through a window." A few of the Cullens- Emmett and Alice- smirked at that. If vampires could blush, Bella would have. "That's not what happened, is it?"

Bella stiffened, and shifted uneasily, and for some reason, drew her arm back, pulling her sleeve towards it, but not before Adsila (who was part-human and part of the DMLE) noticed.

"It was a lie, wasn't it?" She asked gently, eyes full of pity. "You were hunted by another vampire." That wasn't a question. The Cullens wouldn't have done this to her.

Bella swallowed, tightly. "Yes."

Adsila sighed. "You encountered him when the two of you were together? Was this near your high school?"

Bella shook her head. "No. We- I mean, they-" she nodded to the rest of the Cullens. "Were at a baseball match away from the town. It was during a thunderstorm, the only time they could play without anyone else hearing or seeing anything funny."

Adsila frowned. "So, you already knew that your boyfriend was a vampire by the time of the accident? And you met the family?" Adsila nodded to the rest of the Cullens.

Bella stiffened again. "Yes."

"Did you decide that you wanted to be a vampire then?" She looked at the rest of the Cullens. "Did you all decide and agree on turning her at that point?" She had quickly understood that Bella's transformation would have been consensual.

There was a moment of hesitation. Adsila's eyes bored into theirs to find out the truth.

"No, we didn't decide on turning her." It was Carlisle who answered, finally. He looked shame-faced.

"I wanted to," Bella blurted. Adsila looked at Edward and back to Bella. "So, the two of you discussed this and agreed on this course of action beforehand between yourselves?" She gave them a piercing look, telling them, silently, to tell them the truth.

They would find out anyway. This would simply make things easier to clarify and they could get on with other things. Silently, Edward got the message.

"No. We didn't." He said reluctantly.

Adsila nodded, slowly absorbing this. They were together but...

She bit her lip. "Alright then. So, this was in March 2005?"

"Yes." That was Edward Cullen. "When then, did you decide on turning her? When did you all agree on this?"

"It was March twenty-second the next year." Carlisle replied, after a pause. "We held a meeting together in this house."

Adsila nodded, accepting this. "So..." She took a deep breath. "That was after the events of March nineteenth 2006, in Volterra Italy?"

Everybody started at that. Bella and Edward flinched. "How did-"

"This is an ongoing international investigation, Mrs Cullen," Adsila said gently. "We collaborated with the Italian Ministry of Magic and others among the ICW."

"ICW?" Bella whispered.

"It stands for the International Confederation of Wizards." Adsila explained. "The closest equivalent would be in the No-Maj- or non-magical world- calls the United Nations, I believe."

Bella's jaw dropped.

"An intergovernmental organisation," Adsila further explained. "MACUSA- our government here in the United States- along with every other magical government of every nation, has seats. Every nation with enough witches and wizards is governed by a Ministry of Magic with a Minister as its head of state, or a Council of Magic with a president. And they all have memberships within the ICW. It was the Italian Ministry of Magic- the Italian magical government- who observed what had happened in Volterra- or at least they were the first to know." Adsila winced.

Bella felt a sudden chill envelop her. "Why do you want to know-?" She whispered.

"I'm getting there," Adsila swallowed tightly. It wasn't pleasant even for the most hardened of Aurors. But she needed them to know that to extract information. She wasn't an enemy- not yet, in any case. Yet her display of emotion may help endear her, or at least help them to relax and lower their guard ever-so-slightly, in order for them to spill the beans. Of course, they would have absolutely no idea. "But first I want to know your side of the story. What were you doing in Volterra during a festival day surrounded by No-Majs or non-magical humans, in broad daylight?"

For a moment, there was a long, tense and awkward silence.

Edward's jaw tensed. "It's personal." He said.

Adsila shook her head. "I wish it was. But there was a large crowd that day. That can hardly be remotely personal or private." Edward's eyes widened as he realised the implications and so did the other Cullens. Esme, Alice and Rosalie gasped.

"No one saw him," Bella said heatedly, defensively. "We stopped him before-"

"Before what, Mrs. Cullen?" Adsila's voice had grown stern. Honey may be sweeter and more amenable than vinegar, but sometimes vinegar was needed to strengthen the dose and bring out the flavour. "What happened that day? We heard from the Italian Ministry of Magic and someone else-" she tried not to wince. "But we need to hear the full facts- in this case your side of the story. We heard different versions, but they all seem to correlate. However, we need to know your side of the story, so please tell us, and spare no details- not this time." She explained.

Her eyes glowered at them. Her change of demeanor was striking now. Bella nodded, cowed. Adsila now decided to go on the offensive; she narrowed her eyes at her and her husband. "Did you try to expose yourself to a crowd of mostly non-magical humans? Yes, or no?"

Edward swallowed tightly. "Yes."

Bella tried to interrupt. "But-"

"Did you intend- beforehand- to expose yourself to them?" She demanded.

Edward swallowed again. "Yes." Esme closed her eyes in despair. "But only if they denied my request." Adsila's eyebrows shot up. "Your governing body?"

Edward nodded. Adsila pierced him with her eyes. "What request was this?"

He paused. "I thought Bella had died. I didn't want to live; I blamed myself and I left for Volterra." Esme moaned and Bella's gut clenched with pain at the memory of that day. "There aren't many ways to kill a vampire. I couldn't do it myself, and my family would never agree, but I couldn't live with it; I couldn't bear it, the thought of what I'd done." His voice choked. Bella sobbed. "I wanted Aro, Caius and Marcus- or at least their guard- to do it for me- end the pain."

For a moment, everything was silent, except for the scratching of the quill. "Why didn't you go and verify whether or not she was alive or dead?" Adsila asked.

"I did," Alice- the small one- was the one who spoke. She looked glum. "I went back to Forks to see if Bella really did jump off the cliff."

"Jump off the cliff?" Adsila turned towards Bella. "Someone told you that?" She questioned the Cullens.

Alice nodded numbly. "I saw it in a vision," she said miserably. "I can see the future."

Well, that was unexpected, but not something to linger about when they had other urgent matters. They were getting closer now, Adsila thought bitterly.

"I saw Bella jump off the cliff and I thought she was committing suicide, but I didn't see someone save her," Alice clarified. "And I didn't know that she was just cliff-diving."

Adsila frowned. She had heard of No-Maj methods of long-distance communication. "And you came to Forks, but not the rest of you." She said. "Why couldn't you have used a phone to call her, to call her house?"

"He did," Bella insisted. Adsila's face darkened. "What happened then?"

"Jacob picked up," Edward muttered. "He's a family friend of the Swans. His dad, Billy, and Bella's father were friends with Harry Clearwater. We weren't at Forks at that time, I didn't know that Harry had died, or that Charlie was at his funeral. Bella was home, but I pretended to be Carlisle." He looked chagrined and ashamed. "I called the house pretending to be Doctor Cullen, because I knew if Charlie picked up, he certainly wouldn't be happy to hear from me after I broke things off with Bella. Alice later told me she was upstairs. Jacob picked it up."

"Jacob's one of the werewolves," Bella blurted. "Well, shape-shifters," she amended hastily, looking at Edward. "From La Push. They're not real werewolves." Adsila nodded, somehow completely accepting this.

Carlisle sighed. "The Wolves don't like us as a rule. We Cullens promised never to enter their territory nor harm and bite another human, but they do not wish us to enter their lands and do not like us. They let us remain, however, and in light of recent events our relations have not been as strained."

Well, that's another story she would be interested in, Adsila was certain. Normally, both kinds couldn't stand each other, no matter what the species- that part was no surprise. But Adsila wasn't going to be veered off-track.

"Jacob wasn't happy to hear from me or Carlisle," Edward continued. "I simply asked him where Charlie was. I didn't want to ask about Bella, I knew no one would want to tell me anything about her. So, I asked to speak to Charlie."

"And why is that?" Adsila asked. "You mentioned you broke things off with your wife, then Bella Swan, and none of you were in Forks at that time," she remembered. "Except for you." She nodded towards Alice.

Edward swallowed. "No. We moved away. I thought it was for the best. I didn't want Bella to become a vampire." Adsila's eyebrows rose. "And miss out on her whole human life. But I was beginning to see that my world- our world- would always be too dangerous for someone like Bella." Bella looked chagrined. "So I broke up with her. And we left."

"And you thought she committed suicide when she jumped off the cliff." Adsila realised. She looked at Alice.

"You told him she'd jumped off the cliff?"

Alice shook her head. "No. He... was in a state. Edward separated from the rest of us and left for South America, after a while. He needed some space. The only person I told was-"

"Me," Rosalie, the blonde female, spoke up.

She took a deep breath and faced Adsila. "I was angry." She confessed. "Bitter. Resentful." She took a deep breath. Rosalie still didn't know whether to trust these witches, but she sensed that Adsila was trying to keep her boundaries from entering deep into their personal lives. For some reason, the witch-detective- wasn't that weird to think about- wanted to know only the important dates of Edward and Bella's relationship, and their reasoning behind all their bewildering actions, which Rosalie admitted that she was somewhat still curious about herself. Besides, she'd promised- on her magic, and that sounded like something that would be serious to these witches- that she would answer all their questions and tell them her purpose of being here. She didn't ask them to tell her anything too personal; something which could be used to harm them, like what the Volturi would do. Besides, if she did bring trouble, the sooner they got this over with, the sooner these witches would leave.

Rosalie admitted to herself that she didn't know anything about witch-detectives in general, but she knew that this Adsila girl, who looked around the same age as Bella when she was transformed, seemed younger and more inexperienced. They could've chosen a hard-nosed cop, someone more experienced, like the ones on TV or Charlie on the rare times she'd heard about his interrogation techniques; someone who didn't show much emotion and didn't seem to be all sympathetic or embarrassed about prying into people's personal details, or worse, someone who was already an asshole, threatening and determined the other person was a criminal before giving them a chance to prove otherwise. Whatever trouble these witches might bring, from their government no less, Rosalie reasoned that this Adsila, at least, might be sympathetic. Sympathetic enough to persuade her government, this MACUSA, to leave them alone afterwards. She doubted that they should risk a fight with these witches, especially with Nessie upstairs. The Wolves were too far away, and they literally appeared from nowhere, no doubt using magic, so they could just vanish if they wished, and find ways to hurt them like curses, if the stories about their kind were true. Rosalie wasn't sure how any of them would be able to fix that. Besides, like vampires, these witches seemed to depend on secrecy from the human world. They weren't interested in exposing anyone- or worse, risking open war with their kind. Edward, hearing her thoughts, started to reconsider and relax, just a little.

"When Edward started dating Bella, I was furious. Not just because he was putting our family and our kind at risk, but he was putting her at risk- in more ways than one." Adsila understood the implications behind her tone. "Even worse, it was becoming clear that they were infatuated with each other. I knew Edward didn't want to change her- even before he said he didn't want to- but I've known him for a long time now. And he was keeping her around; dangling all this-" she waved a hand in the air. "In front of her nose.

"I was angry; I knew what it would look like to the untrained eye, to the young and inexperienced. I was like that once. Once upon a time, I might've even been tempted. I never found out about vampires until my transformation, but once it would have appealed to me. Eternal life, eternal youth, beauty, strength, speed- even your brain works faster." She sighed.

"But it's hollow. You tend to regret more often, and there's no going back. Everyone I've known in my human life is either dead, or very old and likely to die. I don't know, I haven't seen them since I transformed; I never had a chance to say goodbye to my parents, my little brothers- my friend Vera and her little boy Henry... " Bella winced remembering the story Rosalie told her. "They were the last people to see me alive.

"My parents thought I'd died, and the one that did try to kill me and leave me for dead-" she choked. "Got away with it. Police were so corrupt, and investigations were so crap at that time." She sniffed. Emmett instantaneously put his arm around her. "I was so angry that Bella would casually throw that away; her chance of a normal human life, her friends, even her own parents-" Bella flinched like she'd been struck. "People whom I wished I had the time to say goodbye to, but never did." Rosalie choked at the last bit.

Bella stared at Rosalie with wide eyes, gaping. She'd never thought about it that way. After all, wasn't she still in contact with Charlie? It never occurred to her that this might sting Rosalie because she never got to say goodbye to her loved ones, the people who really loved her in her human life, not Royce who'd wanted her as a trophy wife. "Because she'd have to leave before they noticed anything- and the only excuse she could give not to let her parents see their only daughter anymore was if she was dead- that is, if she faked her death, to everyone who did love her; regardless of how she looked and was worth to them." Rosalie's voice turned bitter. Unlike me, those words were unspoken, but Adsila could sense a bitterness in Rosalie's voice that stemmed from the fact that, she didn't have a lot in her human life in terms of love, but she lost it and had long since belatedly realised its value. She couldn't help but feel, if not pity, then certainly empathy for Rosalie.

"So, I was angry with her, and I was angry at Edward for dangling this in front of her without intending to give it to her. Tormenting her. I knew any warnings I gave would be disregarded- any warnings he gave too. Bella was too infatuated. The more time she spent with him, the more attached and attracted she became. She was young, just as I was. She was the exact same age as me when I'd turned. The more time Bella spent with Edward, the more she wanted him, to be a part of this world, immortal. Especially since Alice befriended her, and her eyes were so full of Edward that her human friends... well, they weren't as important, she liked spending more time with my family than with Angela and all the others." Rosalie whispered. Bella winced a little when she said that.

Surely, that wasn't true, right? She was only ever trying to keep all the secrets about the supernatural from tainting their world. But even as she thought it, Bella knew it was a pathetic excuse. Guilt pooled in her gut. She might understand her own reasoning, but Angela and Jessica, and the others would not. Jessica, she cringed inwardly, had resented her. She'd thought that that was because she was bitter and jealous for no reason, other than Bella hanging out with the rich and good-looking Cullens, but now that she'd thought about it, it wasn't due to some 'anti-Bella' agenda or 'falling to the dark side'. Bella cringed enough to sink to her seat when she remembered her stint with the motorcyclists in Port Angeles- and how she'd left Jessica beside her truck, after she'd taken Bella'd had taken her to town in her transport- after dark. Wow. She'd really didn't think about a lot of things back then. Or even after Edward came back.

Bella remembered that Jess' eyes were cold and filled with disgust whenever she looked at Edward after he'd returned. Even after the graduation when she'd reconciled with Bella, she seemed wary and more distant of him and his family, often steering clear of them. Bella had often caught Jess, during brief moments, looking at her in concern, but it always seemed to pass, and she'd never thought much about it. And she'd stopped pressing her for details about her time with Edward. At that time, Bella thought it was because Jessica was growing up. Now, she wondered if it could have been more than that.

The last time she'd seen Jessica was at her wedding when she'd pulled back from congratulating Bella with a hug. Bella had caught the brief look of concern in her eyes, worry even, before it vanished and Jess instantly put on a smile. Bella'd instantly forgotten about the incident.

"I knew by that point, everything good that was in her life was going to be tossed aside for him. But once she was there, there was no going back. I felt regret for how I was in my life, and who I did or didn't spend time with. And there's nothing I could do about it, though I did try afterwards. But I was angry."

Adsila listened to this in silence. She knew it had been best to let Rosalie continue to speak. Her beautiful face and gold-flecked doe eyes looked both pained and understanding. Well, at least she was sympathetic.

"So, you did you warn him?" She asked quietly, looking for confirmation. "When they first started the relationship?" Rosalie nodded.

She looked at Edward, then. His shoulders tensed. "I knew she was right," he mumbled. "But I... I couldn't make myself stay away. I knew I should have turned back before I got attached, but... I tried. I couldn't. And she'd grown suspicious by then."

Adsila frowned. "Edward saved my life." Bella said suddenly, turning her attention back to her. "It was an icy day in the school parking lot, and Tyler Crowley's van slid on ice and nearly collided with me- Edward stopped it."

Adsila understood. "And you couldn't understand how anyone could be that fast or that strong," she said. She turned to Edward. "She knew you were keeping a secret. You couldn't convince her to drop it?"

Edward shook his head. "It wasn't his fault," Bella argued. If vampires could flush, she would have. She looked both chagrined and like she was chastising herself. Adsila turned back to Rosalie and the rest of the Cullens.

"So what happened? Why did you all bring her into the heart of your family, only to move away?"

Rosalie sighed, but it was Esme who answered. "It was Bella's eighteenth birthday party." She stated.

"I wanted to throw Bella a birthday party," Alice confessed. "Because I liked her, Edward loved her, and I've never had the chance to throw anyone a birthday party before," she admitted. "Not that I'd remembered- I don't remember anything about my human life, and if Bella wanted to join us... well, this might be our one and only chance, because... I didn't even know when I was born, since I don't have any of my human memories, and at some point, you stop celebrating. There's no point if you don't age and you don't feel like it's a milestone that you lived for so long when you're supposed to be immortal. I suppose I realised that at some point, she was going to join our world, so I wanted to give her something to remember, something we never had: a birthday party."

Bella looked a little shame-faced. She wasn't happy that she got attention heaped on her, and she'd never liked presents. She hadn't realised that this might've been Alice's chance to throw a party for someone, because she liked her no less.

Rosalie sighed. "I was against it. We were going too deep, and Bella wanted it too badly- I could see it in her eyes, her mesmerised expressions, and... this was just rubbing it in her face that she was getting older and would never be one of us! It was torture yet baiting her with false promises." All the other Cullens stared wide-eyed at her. "I know that was how I'd feel like if I were her, in her place. I'd want to be beautiful, immortal, with the man of my dreams to stay by my side for all eternity- and only really think about the consequences later! But he didn't really want to change her- nobody did! Nobody wanted her to give up her human life, to take her away from all that- but they still went along with it! It looked so damned stupid and dumb and cruel!

"Everyone was just disregarding everything I've said!" She sounded exasperated. It was like a vase full of water had smashed or a dam had broken- she just couldn't keep it in any longer. Rosalie threw her hands in the air. "Even when I could see everyone knew I gave the right points and advice, because they all went quiet, and Edward especially, but..." She shook her head. "Someone said they'll both be fine, and quickly everyone forgot about this. Edward didn't want to turn her either and have her drop her human life, and no one else was going to do that, especially behind his back, So what was he going to do?" She cast her eyes heavenwards.

"What was he going to do when he realises how she feels as she grew old and he didn't? What was he going to do when she realised that he never had any intention of ever changing her or letting anyone change her?" Bella's eyes widened and she shot a look at Edward, looking betrayed and hurt. He really didn't want to change her? Well, she knew that but... He really didn't mean to? Edward didn't react. "What was he going to do when she grew weak and died?

"She could have had the time and freedom of peace and found anyone else. She could have built a life for herself, a good one. She could have had a great career, smart as she is. She could have been respected. She could have married and had children. But she wouldn't- even if he didn't turn her, sticking around her, she was already too attached to him. She would waste her life, her chances at a normal, happy life, away for nothing."

Rosalie took a deep breath. "I was angry at them the night before the party. Nobody listened. Edward and Alice- everyone insisted on throwing this party. When I said why we shouldn't, they all grew quiet and agreed I had a point, but got Edward got angry and defensive, I was just jealous, he claimed, and then he literally walked away and didn't want to listen, and everyone went along with him and forgot everything I said.

"Then at the party... There was an accident." Adsila's eyebrows flew upwards.

Bella would've blushed. "I had a paper-cut," she confessed. Adsila's eyes widened and she nodded in understanding.

"Jasper was fairly new to our way of life at that time," Carlisle admitted. "It takes a while to be able to resist human blood, especially when it's fresh and from a live source. We feed only on animals but it's not as appealing as human blood." Adsila nodded. Jasper swallowed. Shame and guilt were in his eyes.

"The rest of us held him back until he regained control of his senses, and Edward had already stopped him before he could attack- but it was done." Rosalie continued. "He couldn't deny the facts anymore, and he took the words out of my mouth when he wanted to prove a point." Again, Edward looked chagrined. "Like I'd never warned him when he didn't want to listen. Our world was too dangerous if he didn't want to change her. And it was tormenting her. She was too attached by then. Like I hadn't made the same arguments. That made me angrier."

Edward bit his lip. He looked ashamed. He had known what Rosalie said was right. And he had been nothing other than ungrateful and resentful towards her, even when she hadn't done anything wrong. If vampires could flush, Edward would have.

"So that's why you left?" Adsila said quietly, her face expressionless.

"Yes- but I also resented that," Rosalie admitted. "I was so angry that I didn't want to leave. I was the one who'd warned him before the disaster of a party, and if everyone had listened and everyone didn't just go with what he wanted without thinking, I felt that the incident would never have happened." Edward swallowed. "Esme had just finished renovating this house, Carlisle was an important doctor at the hospital... we didn't even have that much time. Usually, we stay in a new town for a number of years, only leaving before anyone notices we don't age, and at some point, we return back to where we've been. We own a number of properties around the Pacific Northwest that we'll eventually come back to when the cycle repeats itself. This time, we didn't even stay for two years: we just dropped everything and left." Adsila blinked.

Rosalie bit her lip. "I was so angry and outraged, even more than I had been when Edward and Alice insisted on throwing a party and everyone just went along with it. And Edward... he went and broke up with Bella all of a sudden, a few days after the incident at the birthday party and left. Alice wanted to say goodbye, but he didn't let her. I hadn't liked Bella, not then, and I knew it was better to stop her from becoming too attached as soon as possible. But it was still rude, and it hurt Alice. I grew angry: I resented Edward. I felt that he was disregarding everybody's feelings as Alice had been Bella's friend as well, and now Carlisle and Esme had to drop everything just to move. Everyone always listened to him when he made them to." Edward flinched. "Even when he was in the wrong.

"So when he fell-" She sighed, closing her eyes temporarily. "into a state of despair, I grew even angrier with him." Bella's eyes were wide, and Edward's flinch deepened. "I thought it was his fault as he'd brought this down on himself, but the worst thing was, he brought this down on everyone else, including our family and Bella, and her family too. I started to think that she might not have taken to the breakup well." She scoffed, shaking her head. "Understatement. Because if Edward reacted that way, became hollow and emotionless, and finally left us... I hoped that Edward loved Bella more than she did him, but I knew she'd grown too attached. Edward had saved her life twice. It's easy to fall in love with your hero." She sighed.

"When Alice had that vision- I thought Bella had really done it. I thought Bella had committed suicide and threw away not only her life, but her chances of graduating, getting a job, getting married, and having kids and grandkids away- and seeing the world. I thought that her parents would suffer and grieve like my parents did, for the rest of their lives, asking and wondering why they had turned their backs, even for a second. Why they let her live in Forks, why her father felt like it was okay to let her wander around without being watched or monitored. And that her friends would feel the way Vera felt, why did I not go with her or stop her?" Rosalie swallowed. "Even though they likely didn't know. And I blamed Edward."

Bella looked down. She forcibly swallowed the lump in her throat. It was hard to listen, to realise what Rosalie had been feeling, the extent of things. She hadn't realised any of this- that all of this was what Rosalie felt when she saw Bella throwing her human life all away like garbage. Well, she knew, but... not to that extent, not how much and most importantly, why. All Bella had thought was that Rosalie had envied her mortality because she'd wanted a baby. Bella knew that Rosalie had been jealous of Bella's own humanity. But she never knew that it would chafe at and hurt her for other reasons, and this much. That her parents could be a part of this. And her siblings. Bella distinctly remembered Rosalie telling her that she had two younger brothers.

Edward was thinking along the same lines. He'd been so upset Rosalie for warning him against the birthday party and relationship, that he never appreciated that it might have been good advice. And when he got angry and insisted that the whole family move and drop their entire lives, and seriously regretted throwing a party for Bella, he never apologised, never acknowledged that she was right. Never considered what she and the rest of the family might have thought, or that she might be worth listening to. And after the fiasco at Volterra, he had blamed her for telling him and prompting him to go to Volterra, when in fact, it really had been his fault, more than it was hers.

"I was so angry. I called Edward and told him what had happened." Rosalie's eyes could have been brimming with tears if her vampire body would have allowed it.

Adsila nodded, taking pity on her. She hadn't chosen this life, she realised. Even the Aurors felt something behind her. It was hard to be made out of stone when you heard this, and you could understand why.

"Like a fool," she shook her head. "I was so blinded by anger, I blamed Edward. I should have known that he would've tried to do the same, if I said Bella committed suicide. But vampires can't kill themselves." She looked up at Adsila, her golden eyes filled with despair.

"And our whole family would refuse to do it. Our friends would also refuse. So Edward went to Volterra."

"You wanted them to kill you, and if they refused, you were going to make them execute you, by breaking the law." Adsila stated, turning to look at him.

"Yes." Edward said, shoulders tense. "That's why I went to Volterra. I love her," he emphasised whispering.

"I thought it was my fault that she was dead."

Adsila nodded. Neither here and now, it wasn't her place to judge, and she wanted the facts, like their motivations for their actions, instead of anything else.

"So, what happened next? First, you had the paper-cut-" Bella bit her lip in embarrassment. "And Edward decided to break things off. Then the rest of you moved away. You-" she nodded to Alice. "Had a vision of her jumping off a cliff and went back to Forks to check on her. and verify the truth. What was the next thing that happened?"

"Edward called the Swan residence, pretending to be Carlisle, to find out for himself. Jacob wasn't happy. The Wolves didn't trust us, and he was already unhappy that I'd shown up to see Bella and he didn't trust me to be with her." Alice spoke.

"So I went upstairs to allow Bella and Jacob time to talk without antagonising anyone. That's when the phone rang.

"Jacob told Edward that Charlie was at the funeral," Alice said. "He didn't say which funeral it was- Harry Clearwater's- so Edward immediately assumed it was Bella's." Her eyes were pleading. "He was in pain."

Adsila nodded in thanks at Alice for continuing to clarify the story. But she then paused, looking at Bella. "Were you at the funeral too?" Bella bit her lip. "No."

"Then why didn't you pick up the call?" She asked, her brow furrowing. She knew protocol would dictate it, as foreign as the No-Majs were to them. "If this was your house..."

"I tried," Bella defended, weakly. "Jacob was closer to the phone and he picked up without me asking- I tried to get him to pass it but he brushed me off. It's not his fault, though," she defended him, quickly.

"I was upset... Jacob wasn't happy that Alice had come and he thought the other Cullens might come back. He didn't want them to come. So I... was kind of short with him, and none too happy, and then I'd I thought that I'd driven my one remaining friend away." She bit her lip. "I was upset about that and Jake comforted me."

Adsila's brow furrowed. "And you heard Edward's voice from upstairs?" That question was addressed to Alice.

"No, I had a vision. But he hung up too quickly before I could-" Adsila held up a hand. "I know. I can imagine why. But you realised where he was going to go and what he was planning to do?"

Alice winced. "Then the two of you went to try and stop him." She frowned. "He would have had a head start."

"I knew that" Alice protested. Adsila turned to Bella. "You went with her? How did you know where he was going and why?" She inquired, eyes looking straight into Bella's. "I doubt there was any time to for an immediate explanation."

"Edward told me before about the Volturi," Bella explained. "I didn't know anything about them, like the law they made- though I should've guessed," she mumbled. Again, she would have flushed if she could. "It was kind of obvious. I just didn't know what the big deal about them was."

"I told her that they were the closest thing we had to royalty," Edward spoke. "I didn't tell her that they had a guard or anything."

"So what did you tell her?" Adsila questioned curiously.

"That if anything was ever going to happen to her, I was going to them." He confessed. "Because they were the only ones with the means to do it."

Adsila blinked, frowning in confusion. "When did you tell her this?"

"Right after English class," Edward confessed.

"Before or after the birthday party and breakup?" Everyone froze.

Adsila got that right away. "It was before." She said, not as a question.

Edward swallowed. "Yes."

Oh my gosh.

She quickly ran through the facts at the appropriate timeline through her head. This had been before the incident at the birthday party, before the breakup and the move away that Rosalie- whose points everyone had conceded was right and did indeed hear- had spoken against it. Edward had not agreed to transform Bella, nor intended to, until after they returned to Volterra, despite her wishes. He had also, against the expressed wishes of his family, forced the family to move away. She looked at Carlisle and Esme.

But weren't they the leaders of this coven? She was baffled. A son, even? This, judging from the looks of things, appeared to be a family unit. At least they would've made the decisions together.

Edward made the decision to move. Rosalie didn't want to move, Adsila thought. Jasper likely felt guilty about the incident, and probably so did the rest of them for allowing this to happen and holding a birthday party... One look at Jasper's face was enough to convince her of that. So, they moved. Alice wanted to say goodbye, but Edward refused to let her. Rosalie wasn't happy about that, though she understood. They left all of a sudden and abruptly... Carlisle was a major healer- doctor- at their hospital. He would have had plenty of patients with his years of medical skill and knowledge, even if they don't know where it came from. Nevertheless, he also dropped everything and agreed to move at once. Because Edward made them do it.

Outwardly, Adsila simply nodded, her face not betraying anything. Her Occlumency shields were still up. It was just facts from another person's point of view. Everyone had their story to tell. Only when gathering all of them, could you put the whole story together. She had to remind herself of that. However... "And you left for Volterra right after hanging up?"

"Yes." He said. "I was in South America at that time. I went to Italy, made my request."

"How was it received?"

"They tried to persuade otherwise." Adsila frowned at that. "Okay. So they denied you. And when your government refused-" Bella wanted to snort at the word. The word government didn't seem to cut it about the Volturi. "They simply allowed you to leave? Even when you outright admitted you had had a prior relationship with a human who aware of your status as a vampire? Even though that was breaking your law?"

Edward nodded. "You exposed yourself," Adsila said slowly, her voice quiet now, but she was sure they could hear her. "Because you thought they would punish you if you tried to reveal their existence to humans and execute you as you wished."

Edward nodded. "Yes." He swallowed.

Adsila took a deep breath. This came the hardest bit. "You came and stopped him before he managed to expose himself," she said quietly, turning to Bella and Alice.

"What did the Volturi do afterwards?"

Bella swallowed. "They took us in for questioning. And they let us go."

Adsila closed her eyes. "They permitted you to leave again- this time with Bella, unturned and unharmed." This was something she already knew. But a hopeless sinking feeling occurred in her.

"Yeah."

She took a shaky breath and opened her eyes. "Were the two of you- and you-" she said glancing briefly at Alice. "Aware that you were seen?"

Esme drew in a sharp breath.

"That can't be," Bella said immediately. "We stopped him before-" then she heard Alice gasp.

This was followed shortly by Edward's gasp. "Alice?" Esme whispered. "What is it?"

Bella went pale- paler than normal. "No," she said immediately. "Someone didn't see us," she whispered, in denial. We would've known. "No one could've-"

Then she hitched in a breath. Her face turned even more white if it were possible.

"Someone saw us," she whispered.

Adsila nodded. "Yes."

A deathly silence filled the room.

"The Volturi?" Bella whispered through cold lips.

Adsila pursed her lips. "I think you know what they ordered- what happened to the people who saw you."

The people. A sinking feeling told Bella that this was more than one person. No, no, no, it can't be! A growing, rising horror and dread welled up inside her. "Who?" She choked out.

It was Jasper who immediately came to the rescue. "Even if they did see," he claimed immediately. "No one is allowed to hunt anyone within their city walls."

"Exactly." Adsila said quietly. "But it was festival day: tourists and country villagers flocked to the city, as is typical of Italy." Emmett's eyes bugged. Esme, Alice and Rosalie gasped. Carlisle and Jasper froze. "They may have imposed that law, but there can always be exceptions. And no one said anything about what would happen once they had already left the city walls and they could easily be tracked down, especially by vampires. There's a loophole there, even if they didn't permit exceptions for themselves. And there's a good chance that they did."

Bella began to shake. Someone- some people- had died because of her- because she jumped off that stupid cliff...

Next to her, Edward's face was so colourless he might as well have been transparent. He sat there like a block of ice.

Adsila took a deep breath. "Thirty-five were tracked down outside the city walls. Thirty-nine if you counted the reason as to why our kind got involved." She stated.

"The Volturi saw. They saw someone had seen."

"Who?" Esme breathed, her hand to her heart.

"A two-year-old girl," Adsila said quietly. "Across the fountain. She saw you take off your shirt." She told Edward. "You glittered in the sun, that's what she told her mother. She pointed at you, trying to get them to see."

"No!" Those words tore from Bella. All the other Cullens gasped. Edward's eyes were black and he gave a strangled cry.

"No, she can't have-" she babbled. "He didn't-" she choked. "It couldn't have been possible- I ran across the fountain, we stopped him before he hit the sun-" then her eyes widened and suddenly, she gasped. At the same time, Alice also gasped. Edward paled even further, eyes black and wide in horror and denial as he saw what was in Alice's memories.

"You remember," Adsila noted quietly. She looked at Alice. "As do you." She let them absorb the information.

Edward choked. "I didn't mean-"

"To kill her?" Adsila shook her head. "To cause her death? Or how about to simply expose the existence of vampires to humans? You did not intend for any of those things to happen?"

"No!" His voice tore, anguished across the room. The Cullens flinched. "We spent decades blending in, moving from place to place before they realised we weren't getting older. We don't harm humans- we only feed on animals-"

"But you did intend then and there," Adsila said, holding up her hand. "To expose yourself to non-magical humans." Edward swallowed. "Yes. But only to force the Volturi's hand. I assumed that they'd stop me before I could fully succeed and everyone would have seen-"

"But," Adsila interrupted him slowly. "if that was the case, then there still would have at least been one or two persons who would have seen you at most, in order for the Volturi's hand to be truly forced, especially as we now know that Aro still wished to acquire you for his guard, but even before that. You would have had to be seen by them, and to be truly punished via execution, you would have had to severely break the law first." Jasper winced.

"You told Bella this. You had no intention of ever actually changing her before the events in Volterra." Everybody flinched. "But you also told her- before the birthday party, no less and before you moved away- that if anything ever happened to her, you would go to them to commit suicide. And if they refused, you would force their hand and make them execute you." Carlisle and Esme's faces were colourless expressions of horror. Everyone flinched. "This was before the birthday party, and that was your plan all along. And as you weren't planning on turning her immortal, it was a matter of when you were going to force them to kill you, at whatever the cost- by exposure even- so it was not a matter of if to you but when. It was all pre-meditated."

"No!" The word tore from Bella's mouth. Her wide eyes darted horrified and anxious between the Cullens, Adsila and the Aurors. Edward didn't meet her eyes. But as if it was possible, his face was grey, like Carlisle's "No- he would never-"

Adsila stared straight and expressionlessly at Edward. Her eyes never left him. "You did." That wasn't a question. But it got the response she aimed for.

Edward swallowed. "I didn't mean to- I didn't think-"

"But you intended to." Adsila said, gently, softening her voice. "You've been a vampire for how long before you met the girl you loved?" Edward flinched. "Decades or centuries?"

"Decades," Edward whispered. "Nearly a century."

"And during that time your creators-" she glanced at Carlisle and Esme. "Never thought to explain to you the law? Why there even is a law in the first place? The consequences of breaking that law? Even without the punishment of authorities? And in all that time you've been alive, you never guessed why it was so necessary to not to expose a single vampire to No-Majs?"

Everyone flinched.

"They did or didn't tell you anything and instruct you in how to behave and why you should stay hidden? And what the consequences were if you didn't? They told you nothing about the Volturi?"

"He did!" Edward blurted. He glanced helplessly at Carlisle. "Carlisle did tell me- he warned me-"

Adsila stated: "So you knew. And you weren't paralysed by grief back then. I'm afraid there can be no excuse for what you have done. Your actions- intentional or careless- cannot be justified or excused."

Bella opened her mouth, but found that she had no argument to counter everything Adsila had just said. Wordlessly, she remained silent.

No one answered. She sighed.

"You did this knowing that your government insists upon secrecy from humans- at least the non-magical one- and that there are consequences for exposure?" Adsila asked.

"I- I thought she was dead," Edward whispered.

"Not before the birthday party," Adsila reminded him softly. "When you informed her of your plan. Not then- after she knew what you were but before you agreed on turning her immortal. Before you thought she'd died and before you ever intended to change her."

Bella wanted to tell her it was love, but the words wouldn't leave her throat. She knew cops: she'd seen cop shows on TV and heard Charlie talk about his work. She knew they would never understand: that they would never see love as an excuse or justification for anything. Even accidents that ended in tragedy.

Rosalie hissed, sucking in a breath, her eyes wide with horror. Esme and Carlisle looked aghast, sickened and horrified. Emmett groaned. Alice flinched. She looked like she wanted to protest, eyes darting desperately, even beseechingly from one person to another in the room, but she found no words. Jasper stood frozen, rigid like a block of crystal.

Carlisle mouthed Why? And Esme were staring at Edward like she had never seen him before. Esme's eyes looked like they were shimmering with tears, and her hand was at her mouth. Edward didn't respond. He couldn't meet their eyes.

Bella- Bella was shaking her head, mouth opening and closing wordlessly in denial and eyes darting, desperate and anxious, from each member of her family to another, as if begging them to offer irrefutable proof denying Edward's guilt. That they could ascertain that he was nothing but pure; an immaculate, flawless being; an angel.

But none of them could. Each of them stood frozen in dread, horror and absolute shock. Not even the uncovering of an existence of other beings- including humans- with magic- could be compared to this, of all things. None of them could offer any assurance of Edward's innocence, or proof. Not even Bella.

Adsila didn't know how to feel. It was so easy to condemn and judge but when you never actually intended to harm... well the problem was he did know that it could potentially cause great and irreversible damage, even before he became suicidal in grief. He had had plenty of warnings. And was anyone so self-righteous as to claim that their love for their significant others made everyone else's family bonds and ties insignificant?

Ironically, Adsila suspected that that was why she had been chosen to investigate this case: because she wasn't some battle-hardened, hard-nosed, stone-cold Auror, being relatively young and still new to the job. Vampires were passionate creatures, driven mostly by instinct and pure emotion. It would take centuries for any of them to be stone-cold, disciplined and experienced, the way Aurors were. The way the vampire elite unit, the Death Dealers were. And they could easily underestimate her well enough for her to gain some measure of trust and coax the truth out of them.

"Thirty-eight people died that day," Adsila said quietly. "Suspected of seeing you. By nightfall. Fathers and mothers, husbands and wives. Children. They all had someone." Everyone flinched. "Two-year-old Vittoria Della Rosa who did see you take off your shirt and sparkle a little in sunlight. She was there that day with her mother, her father, and her five-month-old baby sister Beatrice." Gasps echoed again. "Vittoria and her father Luciano were among the victims. But their mother, Adriana, and baby sister, Beatrice, survived. The former was the one who alerted the Italian Ministry of Magic.

"You weren't aware of this," she asked the Cullens sceptically.

Edward shook his head. "No," he breathed. "My eyes-" he swallowed. "My eyes were closed." He whispered, cursing himself for his stupidity. If he had just seen Bella- and Alice- across the square, heard Alice's thoughts...

"You didn't see the family," she said quietly to Alice and Bella. "Including the children. But the little girl saw you."

Bella shook her head, frantically in horrified denial. No, she would stand up to this. It wasn't true! "No-" she burst out, standing up. Then she froze. Cold filled her. A sickening realisation soon followed.

Yes, she had seen her. The giggling, sweet-faced two-year-old, tugging at her father's hand across the fountain where Edward had unbuttoned his shirt, his bare skin glittering diamond in the sunlight.

Alice moaned. "Yes. But we didn't think-"

"You didn't realise any of this." Adsila said. Mutely, they shook their heads. Edward was shaking, Bella was shrinking. She sank back down, shrinking back into her seat as if she wanted to disappear there. Alice buried her face in Jasper's shirt and he placed his arms around her. Esme went to Alice. Rosalie's hand flew to her mouth, and she looked as if she would be in tears. Even Emmett looked sickened, and that was nothing to say about Carlisle and Esme. The Cullens all looked shocked, horrified, shaken. They weren't faking this.

Finally, Esme spoke. "She's dead?" She whispered. "That little girl is dead?" Her eyes naturally tearless, somehow looked as if they did have tears.

Adsila nodded. "Her and their father Luciano. At least the mother and her youngest daughter survived to tell the tale." Esme's hands flew to her mouth, horrified. She looked sick.

Adsila sighed. "They killed them. Adriana- the mother- barely escaped with her baby. She tried to fight back, but Luciano yelled at her to protect Beatrice before he tried to take on the Volturi to save two-year-old Vittoria." Esme gave a small cry. Rosalie and Alice looked sick. Bella buried her face in her hands. She made a strangled, choking sound.

"But he was overpowered, and she barely managed to escape with the baby, when it looked like all hope was lost."

"But they let you go," it was the grey-eyed Auror who said that.

Edward, Bella and Alice flinched. As did the rest of the Cullens.

"They killed a two-year-old girl who won't even remember this in one-two-years time. And never bothered to find out that they didn't need to be silenced. They didn't even do anything." Flinches. "But they let you go. The guilty ones."

Adsila closed her eyes. She couldn't blame him for this outburst.

"Why did they let you go?" She asked quietly. "If you were a wizard then you would have been arrested and sent to prison. Then you would have gone on trial before being sentenced."

"We don't have prisons," Carlisle's voice was harsh but with grief and sorrow, as he held Esme who, in turn, was holding a weeping Alice and Jasper. Rosalie too was shaking and held by Emmett. "Steel can't keep us out."

Well, that's another story for another time.

"The Volturi don't know we exist, do we?" She questioned. Carlisle shook his head. "I doubt it."

"If they had they wouldn't have needed to kill the Della Rosas, we have a law known as the International Statute of Secrecy. Ever since the Great European Witch Hunt-" Carlisle winced for some reason. "And the Salem Witch Trials, our kind have gone underground and formed our own independent societies. We depend on secrecy to survive as much as your kind. Both Vittoria, and I presume her sister Beatrice were born to parents who were magical and there was proof that at least one of them- Vittoria- was born with powers just like us." She waved a hand behind her.

"It's absolute garbage to believe that witches and wizards got their magic because of a deal with the devil. It' not true, and we know it's not true. They certainly would have- they all would if they took the time to find out. But they didn't. Yet even if they didn't know and would never have guessed, what they should have realised at least was that neither child would remember that particular moment. How many of us remember even unusual things when we two years old?"

Bella- a part of Bella- was still screaming and shaking with denial. Back before, she would have found all this interesting. But now, she was being forced against her will to confront a fact that her husband- and her by her own stupid fault- had been responsible for the deaths of a two-year-old girl.

"They didn't have to die," Bella whispered, numbly. Adsila shook her head. "No," her voice sounded bitter. "And that's the real tragedy of it. The Volturi might have taken the time to find out that they were magical and part of the wider supernatural world. Or they might have reconsidered when they realised that the children would be too young to remember anything. But instead, they died for nothing."

Esme flinched. Edward made a choking sound. He stared blankly into space, frozen, eyes wide and filled with horror.

Adsila frowned. "Why did the Volturi let you go? I know you didn't want to kill the Della Rosas," she clarified hastily. "Or any of the No-Majs- the non-magical humans- but why did the Volturi decide to let you go, after you broke- or attempted to break- the law when they went to such lengths to enforce secrecy?" Bella flinched.

"Because they want us," Bella said, her voice was a harsh whisper.

"Edward could read minds. So can Aro- he's a member of the Volturi, but Aro can only read one mind at a time, and only if he's touching the person. He can go deep into memories though. Edward only reads the surface, but he reads more than one person at a time. Alice can see the future- no one's been able to do that. And Jasper controls emotions. Vampires who have talent are highly sought after and valued for the guard."

Adsila nodded. "Plus, Carlisle was a friend to them," Bella explained. "But that was centuries ago."

Adsila closed her eyes. The very worst. "They knew that you knew they were vampires when you were just a human at that point," she opened them looking at Bella. "But they let you go as well?"

Bella flinched. "They saw that Edward and I- we were..."

"Even though you broke up?" Adsila said in disbelief. "This was also before you decided to transform?"

Bella flinched. "They gave us an order," Alice gasped through her sobs. "They were going to check on us to see if we'd done it."

"They ordered you to transform Bella," Adsila said. "And that's why you felt compelled to." This was addressed to Edward who flinched like he had been stabbed. "But they let Edward go back then. Even though he had almost managed to break the law and expose your entire race. You do realise what could have happened if he had succeeded?" Everybody flinched. "The only reason he didn't was because they stopped him. And I'm certain that at least one of the leaders, according to the findings of the Italian Ministry of Magic-" they were all too pale and sickened to respond. "Possesses the power to read people's thoughts and memories. But you received no punishment." That wasn't a question.

They were all to horrified to respond. Adsila understood. She closed her eyes again. "I see." This confirmed her worst fears.

She sighed, standing. "I'm not going to arrest you- none of our kind has a right to interfere with your politics and your way of life," she claimed. "And your laws and how they enforce them. That's your right."

"Unfortunately," the grey-eyed Auror said harshly.

Adsila shook her head. She could understand his anger though. "However," she stated. "There is going to be a debate now. We were involved initially because two young children and their parents from our kind were attacked. But now you've just given me confirmation that your government- the official authority in charge of your kind- is not only inept, but corrupt."

They all started. Even Edward started and looked up. "This will bring into question their authority as leaders," Adsila explained. "As well as the ethics of attacking a two-year-old and a five-month-old who aren't even going to remember anything, even if they weren't magical, while letting the actual transgressor go." Carlisle and Esme flinched.

"But it wasn't him!" Bella argued. She stood up. Bella was determined to put an end to this question of Edward's integrity. Or goodness. "He wasn't the one- he didn't mean-" But the words died in her throat when she saw Adsila's face.

"No," Adsila said quietly. "But he did mean to expose himself to No-Majs even before they agreed to transform you. He did this knowing the consequences and impact, not merely on him, but countless peoples around the world, humans and vampires. And it was pre-meditated: he did this, knowing not only the law, but the reasons for said-law, yet he planned all this long before anyone assumed your death, or made plans for your transformation." Everyone flinched again. "And he got away with it. Yet other, innocent people who committed no crime died as a result. And they let him go unpunished.

"Countless more would have died if he had succeeded. Can you truly say that the various laws of secrecy maintained and enforced by various magical beings, isn't there for a single purpose?"

Bella shrunk back in her seat. No one could deny that. Edward sunk downwards and buried his face into his hands. Leaning over his knees, his face still covered he looked, if possible, faint with horror, sickened at what he had done.

"Furthermore, judging from the facts gleaned throughout the investigation, the Volturi are normally very strict about the slightest infraction to the rules." That was something they could not deny. "Yet they not only allowed him to walk away unpunished after that fiasco, but they did absolutely nothing about the fact that he had commenced a romantic relationship with you- then a human- and it had previously continued for months before the family departed, and your entire family knew yet also allowed it." A wince. "Yet none of you had agreed on transforming her or planned to do so until after you were given explicit and direct orders and returned from Volterra."

Bella couldn't look at her.

Adsila sighed. "Any other government figure, regardless of whether or not they knew the person in question or their family, would have seen you- or been forced to label you, regardless of old times' sake- as a liability. Especially dangerous for you as you did attract the attention- and thirst- of another vampire." Flinches. "Yet even though you also broke up with her, you returned and took your time before transforming her." Bella cringed.

"There are exceptions in our world, for example, in regards to No-Majs who are allowed to know about the existence of magic," Adsila said quietly. "Parents and spouses. But not boyfriend and girlfriend, not unless there's an engagement. The laws vary from country to country. But if they are allowed, there's a formal process and the government needs to keep tabs and track of the No-Maj in question to assuage their trustworthiness. We take no risks. That is responsibility." She said firmly.

She sounded like a teacher or a parent, sternly telling off a misbehaving child. Bella looked like she was shrinking. She felt too sickened, too numb with a horrible inner mix of horror, dread and shame to react. "The Volturi have shown that due to corruption and incompetence, they cannot be trusted as leaders. This brings into question their legitimacy- and therefore, according to our laws and inter-society laws-" nobody even blinked at that strange phrase. "And the treaty and charters we made in the aftermath of a war, we are now able to interfere in your workings. The question is," she paused slowly.

"How much?" She looked at Edward. "We still cannot arrest you. But neither are we allowed to let you and your family and associates leave freely. We'll be keeping track of you using magic. If you ever try to leave Forks or fool us, it won't work." Edward nodded mutely. He wasn't even surprised, anymore. What to do... Well, that's in question. She sighed.

"The mother and widow of those children and the man that was killed-" Everyone flinched. "Wants justice. She's petitioned the ICW to interfere to punish the Volturi based on the grounds that they broke their own laws, proved incompetent, corrupt and dangerously out of control. But if that happens then this will have consequences.

"Unfortunately, we cannot act against the Volturi without breaching ancient alliances and treaties-" several of the Cullens, Carlisle included, blinked in confusion. They'd hadn't heard that witches and wizards existed. The Volturi never mentioned them. They probably didn't know- how could they have possibly broken any treaty or alliances if they didn't know they existed? "-risking war with the entirety of vampire-kind, and the Volturi could claim that they acted as a legitimate government, invested in the security of your species- except only now do we have proof that they are corrupt and inept, inefficient, unjust and hypocritical in regards to their law enforcing, thereby, potentially, risking their recognised legitimacy as any form of authoritative figures."

Jasper took a deep breath. He inhaled and exhaled a few times, just to calm himself. The cool air soothed his insides, this seemed to bring him back to his senses."

"The Volturi would never agree." He stated. That seemed to snap Carlisle out of his shock, and he nodded, fervently. "They will never surrender their authority and they have the biggest standing army amongst our kind. If you challenge them, they'll fight back. And they'll declare war… on your kind."

A twitch of a smile played on Adsila's lips. "Who said we are the ones who will have to respect their views? Or that our kind will be the ones doing the arresting?"

That got their confusion. Emmett spoke for the first time, beside a silently crying Rosalie, to speak the question on each of the Cullens' minds.

"If your guys aren't going to be the ones arresting them," he said slowly. "Who will?"

Adsila regarded them in silence. This was what complicated matters as a whole. The Volturi could claim that they acted as a government in their species' overall best interests- although that was now debatable- but they could now also claim that they hadn't known, not only that witches and wizards exist, but of the existence of the wider supernatural world.

"Your species," she said slowly, as if ensuring that they understood every word. "Is not the only species of vampires out in the world."

That jerked them back to reality. "W-what?" Rosalie managed to get out.

"There are multiple branches, species of the vampire race," Adsila said slowly, again making sure they understood and could absorb this new information. "As a whole, each with their own separate governing bodies. However, together they form a collective body known as the Vampire Confederation." Adsila nodded. "Similar to the ICW and the United Nations, except that, well, with stronger ties to each other and same laws. Every species possesses seats for representatives to form the Vampire High Council, and there is a strong degree of autonomy- independence to a degree- in how things are run. Differing cultures, traditions, laws. But they do share a collective culture and heritage, traditions and history. And as such, they impose some laws across all species. The law of secrecy is the most obvious one." Adsila paused allowing them to absorb this shocking new turn in silence.

"The Vampire race, via the Confederation, have long since been acquainted with our kind," Adsila continued. "Enough to make political and economic alliances, and sometimes military ones if both sides deem it necessary. For example, there is a large industry in the wizarding world, enough to bolster certain magical countries' economy by supplying foodstuffs to vampires, so they may nourish and sustain themselves without preying upon humans."

Every single one of them jerked back, stunned to the core by this shocking twist. That not only was there a hidden world living amidst the ordinary human world, full of people who could use magic with enough of them to require their own government in each country, but there was one populated with vampires too. Different vampires. And they all lived independent of human contact and society, with their own culture and history, laws and society, not living in the fringes as they did, trying to blend in or hide, moving from place to place, unless they needed to feed.

As they tried to absorb this, Carlisle forgot, momentarily, the conundrum that they were in. His eyes briefly shone, mesmerised and in awe at the all the possibilities, the various opportunities and prospects that exploring this world had to offer. But only for a moment, as reality sunk in, like a sledge-hammer shattering a window, as he remembered the situation he was in, and the kind of trouble his son was in, and what he had done to bring said trouble to their doorstep.

"This is important because the only difference between us and what we- well, the mages in America, anyway- call No-Majs, is the presence of a magical gene." Adsila confessed. "In my case, I am different: I'm a hybrid- well, not technically half-and-half, but one-quarter- between magical humans and a certain Fey species. But the ancient treaty's main condition is that vampires would not harm humans, by law, and our kind would supply them with blood- and differing blood products- for a bit of variety. Of course, we would have to be paid for it, but there are such things as various business deals between both societies. Another main point is that vampires would not transform or harm witches and wizards, at least not without their prior, and freely-given, consent made by their own volition, with no threats, coercions, tortures, hypnosis or anything other than their free will."

Carlisle's eyes widened in alarm. "But our species- the Volturi even-"

"I know. They are unlikely to have known about our kind, or even the other vampire species, much less the Vampire Confederation." Adsila agreed. "That is what complicates things. They can claim innocence and even independence from the Vampire High Council, as they did not agree on behalf of your species to become active and participating members of the Vampire Confederation. They can claim that they acted as a government in their species' best interests and acted accordingly to protect their species. But there is one problem with that argument which further complicates matters."

She nodded to Edward. "Even though you committed the crime of exposure, they did not even seek to punish you. If they claim to have acted as a government, motivated by the security of your entire species, why did they let any of you go free, when not only one of you broke the law, the rest of your family have aided and abetted him, or at least had known about his illicit activities, but decided not to do anything to stop or report it?" Adsila nodded towards Bella. "Because, as you have admitted, they wished to acquire members of your coven as part of their army, therefore, they allowed you to go free. Even in the No-Maj world there are labels to denote such behaviours: nepotism and corruption. Therefore, the argument against such claims will be that their very actions have nullified their own authority as a legitimate and competent governing body, a fact which everyone would have otherwise respected them as, along with the matter of your status as an independent species." Esme and Carlisle gasped softly. "Which also means that they have themselves endangered their own species, along with the wider supernatural world. Therefore, how can anyone recognise their authority- and most of all, their actions- as legitimate?"

Edward clenched and unclenched his fist.

"And then we also have to take into consideration another important fact: that the ancient treaty is magically binding. When that treaty was first made and signed by the members of both races- well, I did say it was ancient- your species hadn't yet evolved from the main branch of the vampire race back then." Everyone jerked back, bewildered, including Carlisle whose fascination was tempered with alarm. Bella saw Emmett looking particularly confused. "But the fact remains, the treaty, signed in magical blood and ink, and forged and sealed in magic, referred to every individual of the entire vampire race, binding them in ties to our kind. They did not explicitly state and name certain vampire species- but the vampire race in its entirety. This was an ancient magic that forged the treaty and bound both our races. And as such, even the slightest breach of contract by a few select members of an-yet-undiscovered species could see the entire vampire race suffer the consequences."

Bella felt herself suck in a sharp breath. Dimly, she could hear Rosalie's gasp, Alice and Emmett's horrified exclamations, Jasper's protests and Esme's moan of despair.

It was Carlisle who spoke. "All of us?" He sounded strangled. "Every single one of us?" He asked, hoarse for a vampire.

Adsila grimaced. "Unfortunately." She gave them a sympathetic glance. She knew how terribly binding magical treaties were and archaic agreements and curses, like blood maledictions, sadly always seemed to unfairly include even future generations of children who had not even been born. Bella felt like she'd been doused in ice.

"Unless…" Adsila winced. Everyone drew in another breath and zoned in on her. "Unless the Vampire High Council and the Confederation takes matters into their own hands, including in terms of justice. They must be the ones to punish the Volturi- and Edward."

Before Bella could scream, Jasper immediately spoke. "The Volturi would never agree," he reiterated. "They would never willingly surrender their authority. Not without a fight." She agreed.

"Even if they did," Carlisle whispered, voice still hoarse in comparison to other vampires. "It would be a disaster. The Volturi were the only ones who stopped the Plague of the Immortal Children and the Southern Wars. Stopped us from killing each other and fighting for control. Those vampires had nearly exposed our kind." Jasper nodded fervently.

Bella's face was ashen. She'd never liked the Volturi, had hated them more and more as time went by. But if the Volturi fell, then an unscrupulous number of vampires wouldn't care about keeping the law and tearing each other apart to get as much hunting grounds and prey as they wanted. She'd learned enough from Jasper and Carlisle about that. They wouldn't care about not transforming little children under the age of four. Or, like Stephan and Vladimir, the two Romanians, they would seek to fill in the power vacuum. And if chaos reigned and either the magical, or the decidedly non-magical human world that she had grown up in were exposed to them, then the death toll would be unimaginable. Loathe as she was to admit, Aro had had a point when he stated that humans- non-magical ones- had already developed weapons of mass destruction and surveillance technology, which would enable them to find ways to eliminate vampires as a whole. Even if he had used that argument to debate on whether or not to kill Renesmee, she couldn't say that he'd been lying at that point in time, as much as she'd rather take her own eyes out than say so.

Bella tried to imagine it: countless people dead because of them. Humans, the people they'd known. Charlie, Sue, Billy, Renée and Phil. The Wolves would be caught in the crossfire. Soon, they could be exposed too as members of the supernatural world, or even used and enslaved to find vampires. She thought about the Irish coven, Siobhan, Liam and Maggie, who had willingly come to their aid. She thought about the Amazons, Kachiri, Zafrina and Senna, who had not only stood their ground to defend them, but actively taught Bella how to extend her shield, found Nahuel and Huilen to convince the Volturi to leave them alone, and grown close to Nessie. She thought about Benjamin and Tia who had sought to protect them for no reason other than they felt it was right, convincing Amun and Kebi to stay. Peter and Charlotte, Jasper's old coven-mates and firm friends, who'd fought battles with him through thick and thin. And she thought about the Denalis, who had just lost a sister but gained a new coven-mate, Garrett, who had been so looking forward to starting a new life with them, particularly Kate. She'd even thought about the two nomads, Charles and Makenna, who had been dragged along to Forks by the Volturi as witnesses, only to brave the Volturi's wrath to stand up for them and the truth. Even Alistair had a place in her thoughts, though he'd left. He still came to begin with, if only for Carlisle's sake. All of these vampires would be hunted down and mercilessly, brutally killed, if not caged and experimented upon by non-magical humans- No-Majs- unless they were killed by wizards. Or else they would suffer whatever magical consequences the treaty forced them to pay.

And if that did happen? Then many other vampires, from all species, would surely find a way to blame the Cullens- especially Edward and Bella. And who knew what would happen to Renesmee if they were killed?

A chilling thought struck Bella: what if someone were to harm her in order to get back at her and Edward? What if…

Bella stopped herself from going so far. There was little point: she had to focus on the here and now.

The implications of this were too horrifying to contemplate- even those already numb with shock. Bella had paled, frozen with shock.

"So, you see," Adsila said slowly, once they've recovered from the horrifying shock, "this is why it's so important for everyone to see justice is done. Let's not discount the fact that the Volturi did murder an innocent two-year-old girl and her father for being at the wrong place at the wrong time, who was unlikely to remember anything anyway, while also attempting to murder her mother and infant sister. And the fact that you had fully intended to expose yourself to a crowd of humans, including said-child-" Edward looked as if he had been whipped. "Although there is no evidence that, even if she'd pointed you out to her parents, they would have believed or even paid attention to her. This was a great violation of vampire law, especially- and you have to know that I am fully aware of the Plague of the Immortal Children- one of the things every vampire species agrees upon is the prohibition of the harming and transformation of children into vampires. It is not only taboo, but also seen as a cruelty beyond words, beyond redemption. They will all agree that justice will need to be served to the ones responsible." Her eyes met Edward's black and ashen ones. "Including you."

A cry of despair tore through Bella's throat.

"Of course, there is the complication about the Volturi's resistance and the potential power vacuum that it would leave behind even if they are removed," Adsila continued softly, eyes gentler now. "And the disaster that would most assuredly ensue. But we can only cross the bridge once we get there. Which is another reason why we first came to you.

"As of this moment, an agent of the ICW is heading towards Volterra, Italy, to meet with and explain to them the entire situation and everything I have just told you. Unbeknownst to the Volturi, she is accompanied not only by the Aurors of the Italian Ministry of Magic, but an army of Death Dealers." Everyone blinked. Bella shuddered. "The elite force of the Vampire High Council. This agent will explain everything to the Volturi before requesting their surrender and, should the Volturi resist arrest, which as you've pointed out, is the likely scenario, then the Aurors and the Death Dealers will immediately work in tandem to capture them. They have already sealed off all exits to and from Volterra City. They will then proceed to bring every single one of them to the Old-World Coven, the very heart of vampire civilisation, for trial."

A deathly silence ensued, as the Cullens all tried to come to terms with the fact that, in that very moment, their world was about to be shaken to its core. And their ruling coven, the most powerful vampires who were the leaders of their species for over a thousand years, would be toppled. It was inconceivable: yet Adsila sounded so sure, so calm and factual about it, it left little room for doubt.

Carlisle spoke. "How do you know they will succeed?" Adsila looked towards Alice.

"Perhaps you can tell us." She stated calmly. "There is an army of Death Dealers, the most powerful and highly trained soldiers from every vampire species in the world, that we know of, and Aurors, highly trained magical fighters who serve as both law enforcement and military. We know their strengths, their weaknesses. We have infiltrated their coven and citadel months ago. We have studied their battle strategies and their tactics; their strengths and weaknesses; their powers and physical abilities, and, most importantly: they do not know that we are coming."

Alice stared, but before she could reply, she gasped. A flood of images flashed through her brain.

"They're fighting." She breathed. "They're being overwhelmed."

Jasper gripped the sofa. "Who?"

"The Volturi," Alice gasped. "They're losing." Images of the guard flashed through her head, being taken out one by one, the remainder bewildered and panicked, attempting to take the three leaders, and the wives, to safety, only for them to be picked apart, screaming, discovering that the exits had already been blocked.

"They'll lose," Alice exhaled in relief. "They're… they're going to lose. They've been… somehow, they've been knocked unconscious." She blinked in disbelief. "It's over. It's… all over. It was so fast they didn't even know it. They're being taken away. Some kind of… objects. Random, ugly objects, even. They're being spirited away in groups. I see swirls of colour, all of them fading away into nothing."

She blinked repeatedly. "I see them… I see them in the mountains. In front of an old ruin. A Gothic castle." I shuddered, cold. "No," Alice breathed. "Not a ruin: it's an old castle, but intact."

Bella blinked hard, trying to imagine it. Rosalie and Jasper stared at her in disbelief, Edward stunned at the images in her mind. Esme looked aghast, Emmett and Carlisle completely unnerved.

"I see them taking them inside. Down to the subterranean levels…" She gasped loudly in awe and disbelief. "It's an underground city." Bella and Emmett jumped with her. Jasper stared in disbelief. Edward's jaw actually dropped. Carlisle and Esme looked confused. "It's a city full of vampires."

Adsila saw the Aurors looking at one another. But she had heard about the Old-World Coven from Gabrielle's travels.

"They're being held in the dungeons." Alice finished, pulling back to the present. She looked at the equally stunned faces of her family within the room.

Adsila nodded, completely expecting this. She was the only person in the entire house that did not seem the slightest bit ruffled. She stood.

"So, you see, Dr Cullen," she said slowly, looking Carlisle in the eye. "It's over. The leaders of your society have been taken into custody, along with their army. Their authority, if not rendered null and void, has certainly been suspended." She sighed.

Shock permeated each and every single one of the Cullens. Bella sat, shaking. Esme shook too. "May I ask for one favour?" Adsila asked, after a few minutes. "Call your friends. All your acquaintances. The vampires that you know. The Vampire High Council have invited them to join them at the Old-World Coven, not simply to witness the Volturi's trial, but to discuss plans for a new government as soon as possible, in case anyone tries to seize control, causing chaos and destruction in their wake. Everyone you know, it'll be best if we contact them now."

---

This is also NOT a part of the same story as Fear of Something New, and you DON'T have to read that one.

I'm sticking to the original timeline for both canons, and you're going to find why it's so important just before and during the trial (and how the Twilight universe could really have co-existed alongside the Potter-verse according to the timelines of both authors).

This begins in June 2007. Breaking Dawn ended on January 1 2007, and the Deathly Hallows on May 1998, with its epilogue being in 2019.

Bella would have been ten, not yet eleven, by the time Voldemort was killed (being born in September 1987). My OC Adsila is the same age, and Gabrielle Delacour (who we all remember is Fleur's sister) is actually one year older than Bella (so she would have been eighteen at the beginning of Twilight). The 'Golden Trio' are 31 years old at the beginning of this fic, James Sirius Potter is two, almost three; and Albus Potter and Rose Weasley are both around ten months old. Renesmee is younger at nine months of age, but more mature as a Dhampir (half-vampire, half-human hybrid). Hugo Weasley and Lily Luna Potter have not yet arrived (they're born in 2008).

Disclaimer: I only own Adsila. And I'm not making money out of this (unfortunately).