Harry Potter, Twilight 1. Prologue

Declaimer: I do own neither Harry Potter nor Twilight. Those obviously belong to J. K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer…oh but this interesting little story belongs to yours truly ;). Since the same actor played both roles in the movies, I've seen a few stories try to come up with a more "creative" explanation for this to suits "both supernatural universes"—usually having Edward and Cedric being one and the same person, or just distantly related—or just a "fluke"—someone has yet to use my idea, so here goes…

Tell me what you think! Be kind! This is my first fanfic!

The prologue here takes place between the 5th and 6th Harry Potter book and shortly before the Twilight series—and, yes!—I'm aware of the "official" time periods of the Harry Potter series being during the 1990's, but we can't be picky if we want this story to work—so please, bare with me on this one. There may be a few things I will be "tweaking" throughout the story, but I'll try to remain as faithful to the books and/or movies as much as possible.

Blood Brothers

Prologue:

"_Explain that, Amos!" Dumbledore said in a harsh tone as Amos Diggory lifted his head up from the silver pensieve._

"_I-I-I-I cannot, "Amos stammered, utterly frightened._

"_You cannot explain why I saw a young man matching your deceased son's exact face and build in the form of a __Mortifer__ vampire, in a barely-known township somewhere in America? A vampire, who, I was told, can pick up on thoughts of those around him, not to mention, is supposedly over a century old?" Dumbledore looked at him, his blue eyes burning._

_Suddenly, an immeasurable amount of realization followed by regret washed over Amos' face._

"_Oh…my God…" he whispered, "there is only one possible explanation."_

_Dumbledore continued to stare at him. "Is Cedric not dead?"_

"_No. No...he's gone…I'm sure of it."_

"_Then, how…"_

"_Forgive me, Albus," Amos whispered, his voice cracking, and his eyes rimmed with tears of despair, "I have committed a terrible act; I have violated the laws of Time itself…as if Cedric's death wasn't punishment enough."_

_Albus stared at Diggory for a long time, before speaking, unsure as to where this would lead. "Amos…you know who that was I saw."_

"_That…," Amos' voice cracked, trying to control his anguish, "that was not Cedric…"_

_Amos sniffed loudly, shaking his head slowly, then took a deep breath, "...that was his twin brother…Edward. Cedric…you see, Cedric was never my biological child…"_

"_What?" Dumbledore rasped, realizing also that his slight memory manipulation had worked—Amos knew that strange golden-eyed vampire's name as well._

"_His real name was Cedric Avery Masen…and he was born in America—Chicago, to be precise…". There was a pregnant pause before Amos continued._

"…_In the year 1901." Dumbledore's eyes widened with horror._

"_Oh God…I knew this would come back to haunt me one day." Amos then began to weep desolately._

_Dumbledore could just barely absorb the information that he had just learned, before he spoke again._

"_Amos…what have you done?" _


	2. Chapter 1: A New Beginning

Chapter 1:

(Time takes place shortly after Deathly Hallows and Breaking Dawn—so they're basically "in sync" in this story;)

London, England; 8:45 am

Heathrow International Airport had been bustling as usual that early Saturday morning. Hermione had been preparing both mentally and emotionally for this three-week summer internship in America for the past couple of weeks now. Traveling through muggle transportation methods (via the plane) were the safest ways to journey for the time being.

It had been an exceedingly long and difficult few months since the Battle at Hogwarts and the fall of Voldermort. But despite the evil that had finally been wiped away, everyone was still recovering.

Still grieving….

However, Britain's Ministry of Magic thought it best for everyone in the Magic World to try and return to normalcy as quickly and as best they could—that was, in their opinion, the best way to recover. They may be right…but then again… who knew what other Death Eaters and vile dark wizards would continue to pop out of the woodworks soon after—evil still existed…

…As it always has.

In spite of Voldermort's final defeat, most people did not feel secure—it would be awhile before trust and security could be felt again.

Nonetheless, Hogwarts was to reopen the following Fall Term, under Minerva McGonagall as Headmistress.

Hermione knew that the amount of tragic costs and casualties that occurred should not stop her from perusing her ambition in life—

Her education.

She was finally able to convince Harry and Ron to do the same after months of virtually begging them, just as Molly and Arthur Weasley had been doing since their return to the Burrow. But, after attending six years at Hogwarts, dropping out completely without any plans for the future was such a waste. Last year was understandable since Voldermort was at his peak of power, but he was now gone. The least they could do was endure one more year and complete their most basic education. She also felt, deep in her heart, that those who lost their lives in the Final Battle would only wish that those still alive live their lives to the very fullest—and to go back the that very place to face those wonderful and dreadful memories.

Therefore, she, Harry, and Ron would be returning to Hogwarts before the summer ended to prepare for the term and eventually complete their N.E.W.T. requirements…

…Thus, their seventh and final year.

That was why she thought it best to seize the opportunity of the summer exchange program. Any witch or wizard with "extraordinary marks" who wished to "immerse his or herself into a cultural understanding while receiving specific training diverse method of magical instruction" were accepted along with a small sum to cover expenses for room and board in an effort to earn credits for future careers. It was also a chance for her to "get away" without "running away".

…Just for a little while, at least…

Hermione was one always search for opportunities, but she probably would have never found out about this small program, had (of all people) Amos Diggory not brought it to her attention. She was also going to have to face the challenge of traveling with a certain someone attending the same internship…

The summer internship program was located in Seattle, Washington. Even though she would be half a world away, the Northwestern corner of continental United States is said to have rather similar weather patterns to northern Britain; so she should feel right at home—somewhat.

Ron and his entire family, plus Harry were there to see her off. After numerous hugs from everyone, she was able to speak to her best friend and boyfriend ten minutes before the plane was about to board. "We hope you enjoy America, Hermione," Harry smiled.

"Yeah, send us an owl and tell us what the weather's like there," Ron said, slowly releasing his embrace.

"Well I have read that it rains quite often there in that part of the country—I'll let you know if it's true or not."

Harry smiled, "sounds a lot like here. So you're going all the way to the other side of the globe just to experience the same kind of climate?" Hermione rolled her eyes, "I'm going for a cultural experience, not a change in climate" (although, she had to admit to herself, a change in "atmosphere" was what she was really hoping for—she just wished Harry and Ron could go with her).

"Flight 2945 for Chicago will be boarding in the next five minutes. All passengers with small children and those riding first class will be boarding first," a male attendant's voice boomed on the intercom. Hermione had explained to Ron and Harry that she was to be stopping in Chicago, Illinois and board another plane to continue on to Seattle.

As if on cue, Cho Chang was seen hurrying down the all with a traveling rucksack, with her parents behind…followed by Mr. And Mrs. Diggory. The trio eyed her awkwardly. Harry harbored no hard feelings toward Cho, not in the slightest, but interacting with her once more proved to be quite thorny. Hermione wasn't too crazy about the idea of traveling and mingling with this girl during the program either. Cho had made her jealous and melancholy feelings known towards Hermione despite her defense of Cho. That, and the fact that she was far too loyal to those awful sneaks she called friends. She had already graduated after all, but they had all heard that Cho was planning to train in magic at university level, and given her close relationship with the Diggorys, she too entered the program.

Hermione simply sighed and turned to Harry and Ron, "I'll be alright…maybe Cho's grown up a bit," but she secretly prepared to expect the worse.

As Hermione gathered her carry-ons, Amos Diggory walked up towards her. His wife continued to speak with Mr. And Mrs. Weasley. "Ah, Hermione, my dear, how wonderful it is to see you again," he spoke warmly. All three of them could tell that Mr. Diggory tried to sound cheerful, but his manner was never the same since losing his only child, even though it had been a few years. "Ron, good to see you and your family once again" Mr. Diggory spoke gently as the redhead nodded solemnly in reply. Harry lowered his gaze from Mr. Diggory uneasily until he spoke directly to him, "Harry," Mr. Diggory spoke, politely acknowledging the young man.

"Mr. Diggory," Harry courteously responded before dropping his eyes once again. Harry knew that Mr. Diggory had long since forgiven and accepted his unfortunate involvement in Cedric's tragic death, but such interactions were still a little painful. The Diggorys had, in fact, became much closer to the Weasleys since they lost Fred months prior. And because Hermione had yet to retrieve her parents from Australia and give them back their memories of her, she was living with the Weasleys along with Harry. That was when Mr. Diggory had taken the opportunity to let Hermione know about the international program.

"So, are you looking forward to your 'American Experience'?" Diggory turned back to Hermione, speaking in a much lighter tone.

"Oh yes, I'm thrilled, actually," Hermione smiled, "I'm not really sure what to expect. I know that magic training in America is a lot different, and quite different in different regions since the country's so large. I've read that they try to place emphasis on wandless methods in the Northwest Territories more so than other parts, so that should be interesting."

"Quite," Diggory raised his eyebrows with interest, "Sounds extremely complex."

"Well, I've always liked an academic challenge," she grinned. Harry thought no truer words could have been spoken.

"Yes, well, if you have any free time at all, I highly recommend you take advantage of any touring opportunities…" Diggory said as he suddenly started to rummage around his inside coat pockets. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all looked at one another, slightly puzzled.

"Ah! Here we are!" Diggory pulled out what looked like a folded-up travel brochure and handed it to Hermione. She looked at the brochure and then looked at Diggory.

"Forks, Washington?"

"Uh, well, this is a quaint little municipality located on the lovely Olympic Peninsula. There isn't much of a magic community there to speak of, but the scenery on their mountains and national park is simply spectacular! Also, I do hear that their local book stores covet magic books written in the secret language of the Were-Lycos!"

"The Were-Lycos!" Hermione's eyes widened, "you mean wolf-animagi? I hear they are a very scarce lot! Wait…you think the Olympic Peninsula has a pack living there?" Hermione remembered a brief description of Were-Lycos in a few books about magical creatures throughout her previous schooling.

Ron and Harry looked at one another. Wolf-animagi? Were they not dangerous? Surely Mr. Diggory wouldn't be so callous as to send Hermione on a personal mission to scrounge up some magical creatures they knew little about! But they were obviously not the same as werewolves, who did pose a threat in their animal form.

"Well, I hear that the Quileute, which…are native peoples living next to the town, have very interesting stories in their oral traditions about their ancestors being shape-shifting warriors and defending the tribe from all kinds of dangers. Oh…and I do hear that their culture, like many, have had run-ins with the likes of vampires," he smiled, as if amused. Hermione, Ron, and Harry all looked at Mr. Diggory with gawked expressions.

_Vampires?!_

"…Although these are just stories they tell, but it sounds very fascinating. I, myself, would love to meet a Were-Lyco in person, but of course I could not ask you to do that! They are supposedly are a very secretive peoples who rather keep to themselves," Diggory continued, emphasizing on the fact that Hermione needed not to seek out these creatures, but he obviously wanted her to do _something_ in relation. Considering the fact that he worked in the Department of Magical Creatures at the Ministry, magical creatures were his specialty. It should not have come as a surprise that Amos Diggory desired to look further into this little mystery. Still, where on earth did he get this information from in the first place?

"Alright, so…you…want me to find a book for you or something?" Hermione asked uneasily.

"Uh…yes—but _only_ if you have the time, otherwise, I do not wish to distract you from your true purpose of going to the States! I just want to see if rumors I hear there are true, otherwise, it's not all that important!"

Harry couldn't help but feel uneasy about this bizarre request Mr. Diggory was asking of her. Could he not go there himself?

As if Mr. Diggory could tell what Harry was thinking, he then said, "I would make the effort to take a trip there myself, but the Mrs. and I are about to go an extended holiday, and…well…since you are going to be in the area, I thought…oh, my dear, please don't feel you _have _to go out of your way, it was merely a suggestion on a possible little adventure for you while you're there!" Diggory sounded genuinely guilty for bringing the subject up.

"Oh—," Hermione spoke suddenly, "not at all! I'll see if I can find anything for you! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be in the Seattle Internship to begin with. It's the least I can do to thank you!"

"Well, my dear, I greatly thank you," Diggory smiled warmly. The attendant announcing boarding for the rest of the classes spoke once more on the intercom, and it was now time for Hermione to get in line. Everyone turned to Hermione and gave her their final farewells, giving Ron a warm kiss on the lips before she headed to the line. Cho had already been in line and her parents stood back as the Diggorys and the Weasleys mingled to see Hermione off.

As she handed the flight attendant her ticket, Hermione gave one last look to Harry and Ron with a smile, a wave, and blew a kiss to Ron. Harry and Ron both waved back.

After a moment's silence and staring at the doorway, watching people slowly trickle into it to board the plane, Ron spoke. "That was weird, what Mr. Diggory was asking, wasn't it, Harry?" Harry only murmured a "yeah". But he too wasn't sure what to make of the man's behavior. It didn't seem _that_ suspicious, but then again, it did.

"Of all the places he goes to send her to find out the existence of some wolf-animagi, she has to go to some town called 'Spoons', Washington."

Harry slowly turned his head to his friend, "Uh, I'm pretty sure it's called 'Forks', Washington, Ron."

"Whatever," Ron grumbled, keeping his eyes glued to the terminal exit where his girlfriend had disappeared, "who the hell names a village after an eating utensil?"

Harry could only shrug, but he too wondered weither he should be worried about Hermione or not, and what Diggory was really trying to do. It was a strange request—especially if vampires might have been possibly be involved. Looking at Mr. Diggory from a distance, he couldn't help but get the inkling there was some other hidden agenda going on somehow.


	3. Chapter 2: Vision of Dreams

This chapter is rated M for a few curse words and a touch of sexual content (will probably continue like that—but nothing too graphic—sorry kitties! Stop hoping that there's going to be any lemons in this story—implication with just a little description is all there's going to be if any!)

Warning!!: Spoilers galore! It's best if you have already read both series to get what's going on! I really hate having to go into extended detail to explain the events—it gets a little wordy after a while ;)

Chapter 2:

It had been an awkward twenty minutes as Hermione sat next to Cho on the plane. Boarding had finished, and it was probably going to be a good long while before the plane was given the go-ahead to make it's way out. Cho sat silently against the window. No one was seated in the aisle seat, but Hermione thought it silly (childish, even) to sit in aisle seat, because there would be an empty space between her and Cho. Past communication between them seemed a little rocky, but it was not like they were bitter enemies.

Hermione sighed to herself while placing her carry-on duffle in the overhead compartment, slipped the shoulder bag that Molly Weasley made for her off, and sat down with it in her lap. A good few minutes past when the attendants came by to check seatbelts and smoking lights, the plane pulled out to taxi to the runway. Announcements by the pilot through the intercom came, telling about the current time and weather in Chicago (as if that mattered now—it was going to be many hours before they got there).

Still…not a word was exchanged between the two girls…

Silence continued during take-off, though Hermione made a quick glance in the raven-headed girl's direction, as did she, only a moment after Hermione looked away. But after the sensation of the plane taking off into the air had lifted and they were now 300 feet above ground and rising, Cho did speak…

"So…how have you been, Hermione?"

"Um…good," she responded uneasily, looking at the girl next to her.

"Good," Cho gently responded.

More silence followed…

"So…um…I hear you're planning on returning back to Hogwarts to finish," Cho cautiously said.

"Yeah," Hermione turned to her, "I think it's important to finish school, at least." She then put her head back on the seat.

"That's wise," Cho nodded, "So…um…how's Harry?"

"He's good," Hermione adverted her eyes to the girl suspiciously.

"I…assume he and Ginny are still going out?"

"Yes."

"Well…that's good hear. I'm glad," Cho spoke, unable to look at Hermione, who was not sure what to think of this now. What was she going to say?

"You and Ron doing well?"

"Um…yes," Hermione was still not sure where this was going, but she was getting a little tired of the twenty questions, "What about your dating life?" she spoke before Cho could continue.

"Me? Well…I've kind've decided to give up guys for a while."

"Oh?"

"Yeah…last one burned me a bit, so I've decided to concentrate more on myself right now."

"Oh, sorry," Hermione looked away sheepishly. She didn't mean to make Cho feel bad, unnecessarily, "So how are your friends doing?"

"Good, I guess."

Hermione then asked, "How is Marietta?" But then she immediately regretted asking about _that_ particular friend, Cho might think that Hermione was still a little resentful.

"Edgecomb?" Cho regarded her with raised eyebrows, "uh…I haven't spoken to her in a while…we're not really friends anymore."

Hermione looked at her, surprised.

"I mean," Cho began, "what kind of a best friend sleeps with your boyfriend behind your back?" Cho bowed her head into her hands. "I should've known…Michael Corner turned into such a git…and my so-called "friend"…" Cho shook her head slowly, "…even you knew…I was just so stupid!"

Hermione stayed silent; a loss of words couldn't begin to describe how she felt now.

Cho looked up at her, "Oh, Hermione, I'm so sorry to dump this on you, "she tried to smile, "I'm sure you don't need hear about this stupid drama."

"It's ok," Hermione awkwardly tried to reassure her, "I'm sorry that that happened to you, Cho. No one needs that."

"Thanks," she smiled back at her warmly.

Silence came over again, but the awkwardness had lifted somewhat.

"So," Cho began again, "are you planning to go to Forks before settling in?"

Hermione looked at her, "did Mr. Diggory tell you that?"

"Well, he did ask me to go there if I found time, and I saw him talking to you and giving you a brochure…I just figured."

"Yeah, he asked me too. What did he say to you?"

"Just that, there _might_ be some a pack or two of wolf shape-shifters in the area there, and look into checking it out. I dunno, it was kind've a vague request. He said that I could just look into some of the bookstores there to see if there are any secret books disguised by magic about those people." She then shrugged, "I said I would."

"Hmm…he said the same thing to me, pretty much. It is kind of weird. Although, I do here that the Olympic Peninsula is quite beautiful, so some sight seeing might be nice, while there's still some time before instruction starts. I was thinking of also doing that."

"Is it…alright if I come with you," Cho asked timidly.

"Sure. It's fine." Hermione actually felt glad that she wouldn't have to do this by herself.

" Great," Cho genuinely smiled.

The girls continued to talk and discuss their plans for the next few hours, and while lunch was being passed out. They even laughed how (not so) delicious their "salt licks" were and commented on the "gourmet style" of Muggle travel cuisine.

Later, as Hermione turned off the overhead reading lights, put her "Magical Methods of the American Northwest" book away, and pulled out her neck pillow to sleep, she was glad to now have a "sort-of friend" with her on her strange mission to Forks. Cho had already pulled down the window shade down (since the plane was following the path of the sun) and fell asleep. They were now flying over the Atlantic Ocean.

At least she now knew that the girl had redeemed many of her previous ways and that she had come to return some respect as well. It was a nice feeling.

Hermione was going to need at least a little rest (even if it had to be divided) if she planned to travel more after they arrived in Seattle. Since they were traveling "back" a day, they can check into the youth hostel they were staying at and sleep before apparating to Forks and seeing the sights before their training started on Monday—if they started out early enough.

They'll be arriving in Chicago around four or so in the afternoon…a few hours from now. Unfortunately their flight to Seattle isn't scheduled to leave until six in the evening (due to poor flight planning and air traffic control). Alas, at least they won't have to rush to make their next flight.

Merlin! Just thinking about trying to make sense of all the different time zones and travel was giving Hermione such a headache. Anyone who could make sense of time was a true genius; it's what made great muggle scientists like Albert Einstein and his Theory of Relativity so famous—even in the Magic World.

***

The Burrow; 3:45am

Harry had been able to sleep fairly well for a change—now that Voldermort and his reign of terror had reached its end. Despite the bloodshed, the worst was over now. People can now begin to heal. For the first time in life, he could maybe start to think positively.

For the first time in his life, he was free.

Finally _free_!

It was a strange feeling though, feeling free; perhaps because he had never felt it before. All his life—his first eleven years consisted of neglect, and once he found true friends and family, he was consistently looking over his shoulder for the evil that threatened to destroy him and all that he loved—some of already destroyed.

But if his young old heart had gained some wisdom, it was that he was now determined to no longer dwell in the depression of the war's aftermath—no matter what—he was still alive and that only meant some hope for the future. Posttraumatic stress can't control you unless you let it—and that was the _last_ thing Harry was going to allow outside the destruction of more life.

It would justbe the destruction of his own life.

Right now, the only thing he worried about now was that Hermione remain safe while she was studying in America for those three weeks, that she and Cho would possibly get along, and that she didn't run into any trouble with those Were-Lycos. But Hermione was one of the strongest and cleverest witches he knew. She should be just fine.

Other than that, the majority of his troubles were at bay, and all he had to deal with was helping those he loved reconstruct their lives again, and to concentrate on preparing for his last year of school.

Well…at least… he _thought_ he could sleep well for a while:

_Harry found himself standing in a foggy graveyard. He was not sure if it was the same graveyard where Cedric lost his life and Wormtail resurrected Voldemort, but the surrounding headstones all looked so familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. He noticed many of the surnames on the headstones were ones he knew: Potter, Evans, Black…even Diggory. Though there were some he was not familiar with: Masen, Cullen, Whitlock, to name a few. He wasn't even sure as to why he took notice of those names—perhaps because a single family name was all that was written on them. _

_The graveyard was eerily quiet and desolate despite the brightness of the morning fog. The fog flowed so thickly, Harry couldn't even see his own feet, or more than several yards around him, for that matter. _

_Suddenly there was a sudden movement that caught the corner of his eye, and what he saw startled him. A tiny, pale girl with short dark hair and strange, surprised eyes was looking straight at him just a few yards away. He was barely able to register her appearance before she disappeared. _

…_Or rather glided sideways…_

…_Behind the tall gravestone that said "Brandon" on it. _

_Harry immediately dashed behind the gravestone only to find nothing but the backside…and more headstones all around. The atmosphere was starting to fade to a darker blue-grey now. The wind gave a soft ghostly whistle, followed by a low rumble of distant thunder approaching. _

_The hairs on the back of Harry's neck suddenly began to stand up as he could sense a presence behind him. He slowly turned to see a mysterious figure standing a ways from him just up a small hill. This figure was not facing him. In fact, the person's back was all Harry could see. _

_It looked like a young man. _

_He was standing directly in front of a headstone, with his arm raised and hand resting on it's top. Puzzled, Harry thought perhaps he should speak with this stranger, but as he took a step forward, alarms went off in his head, his heart began to pound and his breathing became shallow. Something was warning him not to approach. Harry stepped back again. But there was also something that was drawing him near. The fear that paralyzed him was coupled with a curiosity that pushed him forward. _

_Slowly, cautiously, he walked up the hill, closer to the form. This stranger looked so familiar and so unfamiliar at the same time. Harry could almost swear that he knew him—and yet he didn't!_

_He stopped about a yard from where the young man was standing, terrified to go any further. The mysterious young man stood there like a statue._

_Unmoving…_

_Harry wasn't even sure if this person was breathing._

_He looked at the gravestone that man stood before, and the name he saw sent chills up and down his spine as another rumble of thunder echoed in the distance:_

_Cedric Amos Diggory_

_Harry's eyes shifted up at the back of the young man's head._

_Oh…my…God…._

_The skin he could see was deathly pale, and appeared as cold and hard as solid ice. His hair was not neatly brushed like he remembered, but messy and held a coppery tint to it. He was taller…leaner…stronger…_

…_But it was him…._

…_It had to be!_

"_C...C-Cedric…?" Harry rasped in a low, weak whisper. The figure simply lifted his head up from his previous gaze…_

…_As if he knew Harry was standing there the whole time. _

_He smoothly dropped his arm from the gravestone top…_

…_And slowly…_

…_He began to turn his face towards Harry. _

_The face Harry was seeing terrified him beyond comprehension—like looking into the eyes of the Basilisk! _

CRACK!!

Harry's eyes snapped open, and he sucked air into his nostrils so sharply it startled him. On the other hand, the earsplitting sound of thunder above the roof probably brought him out of that awful slumber. Immediately sitting up in his bed, Harry tried to slow his heart rate and gather his nerves.

What a fucking nightmare!

Whatever face Cedric had in his dream frightened him to the point he couldn't even remember what he saw—if he dreamt it at all. All he could remember was that it was horrible.

He hadn't dreamt of witnessing Cedric's death in the graveyard in ages. He was supposed to be over that trauma! What was _this_ nightmare supposed to tell him?

Because he sure as hell didn't get it!

Hopefully it was just none other than his imagination mixing with the shenanigans of Amos Diggory's talk of Were-Lycos and vampires along with the reminder of his son's passing.

Hopefully.

Rain pounded against the window as lightning illuminated the outside. The loud thunder continued to make the house shutter in response. Harry tried to brush remnants of the bad dream off, but he was too shaken to go back to sleep. He looked over at Ron's snoring figure in the other cot. Harry picked up his watch and squinted at it. Four in the damn morning! Great!

Harry sucked in another weary breath and rubbing his hand repeatedly through his bed-wreaked hair and face. Well…at least his scar wasn't hurting. That had to be a good sign.

After a moment he reached over to grab his glasses when he knocked a pencil off the nightstand.

***

…The pencil fell to the hardwood floor with a loud tap.

***

Esme Cullen shifted her eyes from her paint canvas to Alice's figure sitting at the desk in the corner of the den at the sound of the pencil Alice had dropped, right in the middle of writing a letter. The woman could see from the transient look her daughter's eyes that she was having a vision.

Forks Washington; 8:00pm

Alice was gasping in small breaths as she frantically searched for the pencil she dropped. Grabbing it off the floor, she grabbed the open sketchbook lying on the desk and she started sketching, hard and fast.

Esme carefully approached Alice to see what she was drawing.

"I'm losing it!" Alice exclaimed, "I have to focus!" Esme knew her well enough that she would not throw anyone out of the room unless it was absolutely necessary, so she immediately left. She could hear the voices of family members making their way to the house as she entered the foyer. Bella, Edward, their daughter Renesme ("Nessie" for short), and Jacob were returning from a hunting trip. As the four entered the door, Esme greeted them warmly. Bella and Edward walked in holding hands while Nessie was piggybacking Jacob, who was in his human form and sporting sweatpants and a white muscle shirt.

Upon Esme's polite request, he made more of an effort dress a little more "appropriately" when entering their house, especially since his imprintee was considered a child yet. She was almost two years old now, but due to unique "ancestry", she already had the looks and mentality of a seven-year-old.

"Alice is having a vision, but she's having trouble focusing, so we should probably stay out of the den for a while," Esme informed them. Jacob turned on his heels with Nessie still clinging to his back giggling.

"_Whelp_, guess I better run off somewhere else so I don't cloud ya'll's fortunes!" Jacob joked as he and the little girl left to go upstairs. Edward made his way over to the hall table and look through today's mail while Bella and Esme exchanged friendly conversation about the day and headed towards the kitchen. Carlisle was working a late shift that evening, so he would not be back until ten. Jasper was still out hunting while Rosalie and Emmett were on their sixteenth "honeymoon" up in Vancouver, British Columbia.

As Edward flipped through the envelopes of bills and a couple letters from Denali and Brazil, he couldn't help but notice something.

Normally this was something he had done so many times that he never took any special notice anymore, but he had an urge for some reason… Perhaps it was because trying to tune into Alice's visions was sometimes difficult when she had to concentrate harder—the vision was blurry and far away—that was all he could tell. She was also frantically drawing someone, whose face was rapidly slipping. Edward decided to tune out of her thoughts and concentrate his mind elsewhere—like the mirror hanging up above the table.

It was strange—the image of the being that stared back at him. He remembered the myths of vampires casting no reflections in mirrors, shadows, or appearances in photographs—all of which were completely false. He couldn't help but smirk at the silliness of human tales and how off they could be sometimes. Then again, he had to remember that he himself was once human, even if those memories had all but faded away completely.

Edward continued to stare at his identical twin through the looking glass and all its glorious features he had to forever possess when Alice's call snapped him back to reality…

"_Edward!_"

At inhuman speed, Edward was already in the den were Alice sat, still staring into the space before her and anxiously sketching the unknown face. "Alice?"

"It's slipped away almost as fast as it came," Alice spoke worriedly. I'm trying to hang onto the memories, but…" she paused. Scenes of a foggy graveyard in spurts of flashes were all Edward could pick up from her mind, "…I could have sworn that I saw our last names on some of the headstones, but I can't be sure. And…it felt like I was there myself—but I wasn't—I don't understand this vision." Alice stopped drawing for a moment, propped the book up against her front, and began to rub her temples. "There was a boy…"

"A boy?" Edward asked, puzzled.

"Yeah." Alice looked at him equally puzzled. Could he not see this person in her mind?

"I can hardly register his presence through your thoughts," Edward answered uneasily. "I'm even having trouble focusing on what you're seeing with that sketch right now," he then said, eyeing the book that was popped up in her lap.

Alice gave her brother a worried look, then picked up her sketchbook and continued to draw a little less frantically, pulling her concentration on his face to the enth degree, but Edward could only stare back at her, hardly able to pick up on the slightest reflection Alice was drawing.

Strange.

"He seemed to recognize you somehow," she stopped momentarily, "Edward…did you ever, that you can remember, go by another name?"

Edward shook his head, perplexed, "No…never."

"Well," Alice started, staring at the face she was drawing, "this boy was looking straight at you, and he called you by another name…someone who's suppose to be dead."

Edward couldn't help but snort to that little tidbit of information.

"I think you were looking at his headstone, too," she said, shaking her head slowly.

"It would help if you could tell me the _name_ of the person he thought I was." Alice could only shake her head slowly.

"I'm sorry…the name came and went so quickly. I'm not even sure if I can recall the letter it starts with." Edward could only exhale in defeat.

Esme and Bella, who overheard all that was going on, both entered the den. "Is this really a vision of the future you saw?" Bella asked, concerned. Alice sighed and said, "I'm not sure if it's actually a future _event_ I saw. It was so cryptic and choppy. …Almost like a vision in the form of symbols."

_Great_, Edward thought, _now she's seeing the future in riddles. As if my not being able to see her visions very well now weren't enough._

Alice finally stopped her drawing and looked at it with a sigh. Edward looked at her with anticipation, thinking he might find an answer if he could see a physical representation of the boy's face. "Do you recognize this person, Edward?" She turned the sketchbook around to reveal the portrait. Edward stared at it for a long time, his eyebrows low and close together in bewilderment.

"I…," he began, taking the book from Alice as she handed it to him, "I've never seen this kid before in my life."

"Then I suppose it's someone you're _going_ to meet," Alice told him softly. Edward put the book down on the desk. The image—and the look in that boy's eyes—unnerved him.

***

…There on the sketched picture was none other than the vivid torso image of Harry Potter, his eyes looking straight at the viewer…

…Widened in absolute terror.


	4. Chapter 3: Awaiting the Next Step

Author's note:

Finally! _Finally_ I'm posting another chapter! I'm sooooo sorry it took me long, but I was suffering from what we all know as writer's block, not to mention my responsibilities as a young single lady living on her own, work, etc, etc, etc… (as the King of Siam would say ;)

I have been working on a plotline for this story, and…I must…this may turn into a seven-novel series if I don't cut back on the imaginative possibilities right now! Sheesh!

Some of my loyal readers might remember my last note (which I had to take down to the "warning" fan fiction sent me! Blah! : P

I assure you that I will be trying my hardest to make this as interesting as possible! Let me know what you think so far!

Forks, Washington; 10:20pm

Carlisle had just gotten home from his late shift when the family had informed him of Alice's peculiar vision. Edward had occupied himself at the piano with Bella sitting next to him. Nessie had fallen asleep on the couch sprawled partly over her aunt Alice's lap with Jasper next to her studying the sketch. Jacob had (reluctantly, as usual) gone back to the reservation for the night so to address his "Alpha duties" and to allow Alice to have any more visions that may bring some answers to the endless questions.

Esme filled her husband on the events that happened while he was at the hospital. "So from what I understand, you have no idea who this young man might be?" Carlisle asked as he stepped into the den where everyone else was.

"No idea," Edward murmured as he continued to tap at the keys, playing a few simple cords. Bella rubbed his back tenderly. She could sense that this troubled him somehow, though he did not specifically indicate as to why.

"May I see the picture?" Carlisle walked up to Jasper as he handed the book to him.

"Hmmm," the doctor studied it portrait closely, "you're right," he spoke, turning, but not lifting his eyes from the image, "he doesn't look familiar."

Edward could tell that even Carlisle could not deny the look of horror in the young man's eyes made him look uncomfortable—especially since it was supposedly _Edward_ he was seeing (or the person he thought Edward was). Unexpectedly, however, Bella noticed the older man's lips curve just a little into a smile. She wondered why, when Edward suddenly stopped playing.

"Your father's nose?" he asked inquisitively.

Carlisle looked up, surprised, then chuckled, "sorry, I know that sounds odd. I just couldn't help but notice his facial features. He just has a nose exactly like my father had." Esme looked at him, when she suddenly had an idea.

"Here, let me see that," she said, gently taking the book from Carlisle. She examined the portrait closely.

"Hmmm…given the mature, square-shape of his jaw line, I'd put his age to be between 16 and 18 years old," she began, "but he has a rather youthful appearance, so he could be possibly older or younger. He most likely has some limited facial hair, but it's hard to tell here…Hmm, also, he has very small, thin lips in proportion to the rest of his face. His hair is extremely dark compared to the contrast of rather light-looking skin…His eyes also appear light, and…unusually….close together," Esme paused, silently pondering.

Bella gave Edward a look of confusion.

"Do you think an ethnic profile is actually going to help us?" Edward asked, "He is clearly Caucasian."

Esme lowered the book and gave her son an annoyed look. "It might help us narrow down a more specific place to where this young man may reside. Then again, it might _not_ help, but what else can we go on? Or do you insist on just waiting for him to come to us? Because you certainly look like you enjoy the anticipation, Edward."

Shocked, Edward sincerely apologized, and then looked away ashamed, insisting he meant in no way to disrespect her.

Esme continued to look at him, her gaze transformed into sympathy. She looked at the picture once more… "You know any one else his age who wears glasses like these?"

Carlisle looked at the picture also, "besides the late John Lennon, and Harold Lloyd, I can't exactly say it's a fad with the kids right now. Hmm…unusual. He looks British, though."

Everyone in the room looked at Carlisle, surprised. "I'm just making a wild guess, but his features just strike me as Anglican."

"Because of your father's nose?" Edward asked, though he smiled jokingly.

"Well maybe the weird eye placement, I don't know," Carlisle cracked an embarrassed smile, "some things you just get a 'feeling' for, you don't necessarily _know_ for sure unless you find out."

A moment of contemplation from his words saturated the room, leaving silence, except for Nessie's soft breathing as she continued to sleep. Esme lifted the book back to her eyes and said, "It is strongly possible."

"But even if it were true, taking the next plane to London is out of the question," Jasper interjected. "The UK encompasses four separate countries with a population well over 60 million, not to mention an area nearly 95 thousand square miles."

More silence.

"Well," Bella spoke up in a light, positive tone, "that's not as bad as this country, right?"

Everyone in the room couldn't help but almost chuckle just a little. Edward smiled to himself, knowing at least Bella's cute, dry sense of humor hadn't changed with the rest of her transformation.

"Do you remember hearing any kind of accent from his lips, Alice," Esme inquired.

"No," Alice answered doubtfully, "he only spoke one word—the name I can't seem to grasp, no matter how hard I concentrate."

"What about the environment around the graveyard?"

"There was a very thick, morning fog blanketing almost everything. Not really all that much to see. The grass appeared a very rich green. And there was thunder echoing in the distance; that, I do remember."

"That sounds like your typical English country weather…as well as your typical Northwest weather," Carlisle commented after a short pause.

"Well…," Alice began, "if I recall correctly, "some of the gravestones appeared rather old—gothic era, almost."

"This makes absolutely no sense," Edward spoke up solemnly, "as long as I have lived—that I can remember—I have never taken a single step onto British soil."

Bella looked at her husband, shocked, "Never?"

"Never."

Of all the places the Cullens have been and lived—of all the _rainy climates_ (not to mention Carlisle's homeland)—Edward had never been to England?

Carlisle sighed as if he knew what Bella was thinking. "I know that may seem unusual to you, but the reason I haven't been back to England in over a century is because…well…it's rather personal…painful, really." He looked down, ashamed. Esme placed a caring hand on his shoulder, "Forgive, me," he looked up, slightly less compromised, "The reason I left the Volturi and came to the New World ties into the reason I have never really had a desire to go back…"

"What happened?" Bella hesitated, "…If you don't mind me asking."

Carlisle took a deep breath before beginning, "I was forced to witness an execution, as you would probably know how the Volturi work, when they feel things get a little "out of control. The newborn executed happen to be a special friend of mine, whom I was blessed to know while she was still human. She was a working as a nurse, struggling to support her aging mother. She was actually hoping to become a doctor one day, though it was a very rare occupation for a woman back then. At the time, most respectable woman did not hold long-term careers and were to be married before she was "too old". But Joanna had a particular determination that I admired.

"I…," Carlisle paused, gazing lovingly at his wife, "loved her almost like a daughter, and she had immense respect for me, and even though she knew fully well my feelings could not be returned the same way."

I did not know exactly when she was turned or by who, but a growing army of newborns had appeared in the eastern ends of London, and I assume she was one of the victims. When I saw that she was missing, I tried to find her. I went to the small town house she lived in with there mother, only to find her weeping over the old woman that she had just drained. She begged me to forgive her and insisted that the woman died of shock when she first laid eyes upon the being that was suppose to be her daughter.

I had dealt with very few newborns back then so it was difficult for me to decide what to do. I tried to reassure her that I could teach her to control her thirst. But to do this I would have to leave the Volturi for good. We planned to escape to the countryside where there were fewer people, and she and I could live off of the wildlife. Though she agreed to this, it was difficult getting her out of the London, for the population, even at night, was dense and she had newborn strength. Her bloodlust instincts and remaining human morals were at a terrible conflict."

Carlisle paused for a moment before continuing. "We didn't make it very far outside of London, unfortunately. The Volturi had been cleaning up the last remains of the newborn army when they caught up with us. I tried to convince them that I could take Joanna under my wing, and she could control herself but Caius wouldn't have it, and Aro agreed. She was torn and burned right before my eyes," he chocked just a little at the last few words.

"After that, I left the Volturi for good. Joanna may have been a newborn, but I felt what was done to her was unnecessary. I then left on one of the immigrant ships bound for America the following day. Being in England would only remind me of poor Joanna and what I was unable to control. So you see, that is my story, and…I feel partly responsible for her demise." Everyone was silent for a moment.

"That's awful," Bella spoke softly, breaking the silence, "I'm so sorry."

"I've been to London numerous times!" Alice chirped, "for fashion walks and openings!"

"As have I, just to visit the country briefly and say I've been there," Esme added, "but only for short time, mainly for a unique shopping trip. None of us have lived there, because we always wanted to remain with Carlisle, of course." She then smiled and placed her hand over her husband's.

Then came the vision…

It did not come like most of Alice's visions-at least, not from what Edward could see-through her eyes. It was no stranger than her previous one however…

As Alice's eyes went away, she instinctively rose up from her seat on the couch, justly removing her little niece from her lap and began to walk towards the entrance of the den, trying to focus.

What she was seeing, Edward could only describe as "choppy", almost in the forms of armature motion picture in a series of snap shots. It was like there was static or turbulence in the signal of her though patterns. It maybe yet a new form of visions, or Renessame's presence. Either way, she was going to need a little space…

Frustrated, but not wanting to interfere, Edward waited impatiently as the rest of the family fell back and allowed Alice to see her vision through…

Oddly enough, she was able to see her vision with almost perfect clarity. But like the vision before, it made little sense; It was more symbolism than an actual event:

There, she could see the In & Out BeansTalk Coffee Shop in town: but something unusual was going on: Coffee cups, pots, tea cups, and tea pots were all floating in the air, as if being held or carried by invisible ghosts. What was even more interesting in the vision, however, were the two young girls (in their late teens, perhaps) sitting at one of the tables. One of the girls appeared to be of oriental decent and quite lovely, like a China Doll. The other girl, in contrast, had very thick, wavy, untamed light brown hair. Her eyes were a dark brown, and her pale face was sprinkled with a dusting of light freckles. The Asian girl was the first to look up from what appeared to be a cup of tea and gasped in shock. The other girl immediately looked up as well.

But it was not Alice they were seeing…

…Instead, their eyes were directed towards Edward and Bella, who were standing not far from them-looking right back at them.

Without warning, both of the girls stood up, and the one with the light brown hair immediately pulled out what appeared to be an intricately crafted stick, and pointed it directly at vampires, who appeared to be in just as much shock. The Asian girl's eyes were flooded with tears as if she recognized a long-lost loved one, "Oh my God," she chocked out in a peculiar accent. "It can't be, you're suppose to be dead!," The other girl gasped in a distinctly British tongue. It took a moment for Alice to realize that it was Edward they were focusing on.

…Then…the vision faded away like the ending of old foreign film, or a suspense thriller that left its audience on a cliff-hanger.

But one thing was for sure-the events were to be happening sometime within the afternoon of the next day.

As reality began to settle itself back into Alice's mind once more, she opened her eyes with a sigh. She then turned around to her family awaiting the next move in this odd mystery…

Chicago, Illinois: 5:02pam, O'Hare International Airport:

Hermione sighed wearily as she looked up at the terminal clock. They still had a while before official boarding time. She looked over Cho, who was nodding off to sleep in the seat next to hers. Gently, the young witch shook her shoulder to rouse her, "Hey, I'm going to the toilette briefly, K?"

"Hmmmm….'k" Cho blinked, fighting her sleepiness as she forced herself to sit up. She hated Muggle-travel, but she was going to have to deal with it for now.

"Do you need to go as well?" Cho shook her head in response.

"Alright, then," and Hermione stood up. As she left the terminal heading towards the restrooms, Cho yawned in effort to regain more consciousness. That was when she looked up…

There was a large advertisement stretched across the wall on a board in front of their seats for something called "Auto Insurance"-whatever that meant…

But what struck Cho's curiosity was the large photograph. Aside from the fact that it did not move (which was also another Muggle thing she had to still get use to), was the group of men, both young and middle-aged, standing around a odd-looking machine with four wheels in the photograph. That must have been what the "automobile" looked like in its primitive stages, when Muggles were still playing around with ways to travel faster without magic. She remembered learning in Muggle Studies that photographs that lacked colour and fine detail were older than the 1960's, before Muggles figured out how to make their cameras capture colour correctly. She could also tell from their attire that the photo had to be _very_ old, for men had not worn dress collars like that for many, many decades.

…not to mention the ad stated "serving Chicago since 1917" within its catchphrases.

Bur what really caught Cho's attention was one of the young men in a formal suit in the photograph, who was standing humbly with his hands behind his back next to a much sharper-suited young man wearing oval-shaped spectacles, neatly combed and parted hair, and a watch chain dangling from his vest pocket. The humbler young man looked so much like…

So much like…

…Like _him_!

Cho fought back the lump forming in her throat.

Well for Merlin's sake, of _course_ it wasn't Cedric! This photograph was taken back in 1917!

She wished it could move so she could get a better look! She had already stood up and stepped closer to look at it. His hair was neatly combed back for the style back then. But his face!

Those high cheekbones…the heavy set and seriously handsome eyebrows…his straight nose and pale complexion. His lips… The resemblance was uncanny!

No!

Maybe…

Maybe…it was a distant American ancestor, perhaps.

Yes…

Familial relation would explain it.

Or maybe just wishful thinking…

Merlin!

Who was she kidding? Her grief over Cedric had nearly consumed her, not to mention destroyed her possible relationship with Harry and other friends. But she had to move on…

She _had_ to move on.

She had nothing to gain from this, anyhow!

Cho closed her eyes signed in defeat and stepped back from advertisement, tearing herself from the horrible sensation. She turned to see Hermione returning. The other witch, however, noticed the odd look on Cho's face. "Everything alright?" she asked, concerned.

"Everything's fine," Cho replied automatically. As Hermione returned to her seat and pulled out her "Magical Methods of the American Northwest" book again. It was charmed to look like a "Premedical Chemistry" course book to innocent Muggles, however.

It was going to be a little while before enduring yet another awful airplane ride, so Cho decided to sit down and maybe purchase a cup of tea somewhere to keep her awake at least until then. She needed to get her mind and eyes away from that picture with the haunting face on it.

Unfortunately, she had learned quickly that tea drinking was a little more limited in American culture, and they were more inclined to drink stronger, more bitter drinks known as "coffee". She might not have much luck finding a place that sold tea, much less a magical beverage shop _any _where in this Muggle travel facility. At least Muggles had gotten creative enough to invent less bitter "coffee" drink varieties that included chocolate, fruit flavoring, and other flavors. Maybe she'll try one of those if her favorite Oolong was nowhere to be found…


	5. Chapter 4: Revelations

Chapter 4:

Seattle, Washington, 11:45pm

It was fairly late that night when Hermione and Cho arrived in the hostel room they were sharing. Two beds stood perfectly parallel to one another on each side of the room. Rain was being dumped in buckets from the black clouds that hovered over the city of Seattle, Washington, and both girls were relieved to finally be settling down, despite the fact they both felt wide awake from jetlag and sleep on the plane.

The atmosphere was dark and thick with night and rain, only to be illuminated briefly by lightning before thunder rumbled loudly over the sky. The city's lights could scarcely be seen from the window. Even the famous "Space Needle" could only be spotted when one had to narrow his or her eyes through the wet blackness. It was said that the area's "rainy season" didn't officially begin until early October, or when autumn settled in; but there were summer showers, nonetheless-and this was absolutely soaking!

Hermione thought it best to try to force themselves to bed so that they could rise early, get a fulfilling breakfast provided downstairs, and travel to Forks the following morning afterwards. They would need to look at a detailed map and cast a specific "population display" spell of the area so they would be able to appearate properly and with no notice from the local Muggles around. It was thankfully a small town, so chances of a Muggle seeing them appear were extremely slime.

"Hermione?" Cho's voice suddenly broke through the darkness after an endless moment of silence in their beds.

"Hmm?"

"I just wanted to thank you, yaknow.."

"For what?"

"…For giving me another chance," Cho began uncomfortably, "I know I wasn't too kind before…and I had a lot of time to do some thinking…I hope you forgive me."

Hermione was quiet for a long time before she spoke.

"Cho, it's alright," she said, "I know you were hurting…and quite frankly, I can also understand why you didn't want to see any of your friends as someone who'd betray you."

"Guess I had to learn the hard way, huh?" Cho asked, still feeling guilty for her gullibility.

"Well," Hermione signed, "we all live and learn…as long as we learn, that's what's important." She turned her inclined head towards the other girl's direction before speaking again…

"All's forgiven."

Cho could only smile and try to choke back a little before whispering a soft "thank you" into the darkness. It was not long before both were fast asleep….

…Unsure of what was to come the following morning.

They had _no idea_….

"So Bella and I have to be there at the In & Out BeansTalk at exactly 10:00 am?" Edward asked Alice after she had extensively explained what was to take place within the next nine hours or so.

"_Roughly_ within that time period, Edward," Alice emphasized, "I can't guarantee you that you'll meet these two girl's _exactly _the way my vision was shown. But supposedly the Oriental girl sees you first-she recognizes you in a similar way that the boy in my previous vision did, but it was a lot more emotional for her-a romantic relationship with the deceased, I'm guessing. The other girl, however, not only recognizes you as looking like someone else, but is _very_ aware of what we are-or at least knows you're not human."

"Ok," Bella retorted, "but should we be worried about that 'stick' the other girl has? You said she held it at us like it suppose to be some sort of weapon."

Alice exhaled, not really sure how to explain her theory in the right words.

"I'm not really sure what they are-they are _human_…but…," she paused.

Edward and Bella looked at her intensely.

"But, they're…_different_ somehow," Alice said, "As if they possess abilities that most humans _don't_ have-that _we_ don't have-I'm not sure how else to put it."

"Could we…," Carlisle hesitated, "be talking about _magical_ abilities maybe?"

"Magical?" Bella and all the rest of the family eyed Carlisle.

"It's is highly possible," Alice answered, "that we could be dealing with witches here, and that stick she has is some kind of a conjuring wand."

There was a deafening silence before Bella spoke up.

"Witches?" she questioned, raising her eyebrows, "they exist too?"

Edward couldn't help grinning. Alice shrugged, "If we do…and werewolves and shifters, why not?"

"So I take it none of you guys ever met any before?" She turned to Carlisle, the oldest one in the bunch.

"I don't recall ever having met face-to-face with a witch, wizard, or any kind of sorcerer for that matter-but if I remember correctly, Aro mentioned some secretive civilization known as "the People of the Craft", and how it's very rare to run into such folk-given that they can hid their existence quite well from us, unless they _want _to be seen-which-with creatures like us-it's very unlikely it occurs often, if at all. So…no…I have not."

"We're not talking about practicing Wiccans here, right?" Bella wasn't sure it was the quite the same, though she really didn't know much about Wicca except for some tidbits here and there or a few high school girls she knew back in Phoenix who were into the television series "Charmed"…if her dulling human memory served her correctly.

"No," Carlisle chuckled, "they're clearly different."

"So these are people who actually _possess_ magical powers-like making objects float and 'teleport'? Stuff like that?"

"I suppose so," Carlisle shrugged, unsure of how to best answer a question he really did not know, despite his nearly 400 years of being on this Earth. Carlisle, of course, couldn't _deny_ the possibility of their existence-obviously, if wizards had the ability of manipulating matter by mere words or shear will, they probably had the ability to permanently hid from a vampire rather easily.

"What time should we leave tomorrow then?" Bella inquired…

Hermione and Cho appearate together on a mountainside just half a mile outside of the town's "city limits" sign post. Hermione thought was a little silly to be calling a hamlet like Forks a "city", but Americans had a peculiar way of doing things when it came to municipal applicability; they had a peculiar way of doing a lot of things, but maybe that was because they were just different. It would be quite a ways to walk, but exercise was good.

"Should we stop to see if there is a place we can get some coffee or tea before we find their local library?" Cho asked after a while, eying a small coffee shop occupying both stories of a two-story building that read "In & Out BeansTalk Coffee Shop". They were walking along the sidewalks next to rather run-down business buildings, also aligned by numerous metal flagpoles every few paces. There were very few people, be tourists or inhabitants, walking about, so not a whole lot of activity going on. The mountainous landscape in the background was pretty, but the town itself was rather quite boring. The sky was of course overcast and devoid of any sunlight-just like Britain much of the time. Due to land's geography and latitude the summer air was cool, yet still comfortable.

"Sure," Hermione responded, "but I think we'll have better luck in an actual book store, since you'll need a special membership card for libraries-just in case we actually do find out something about Were Lycos we can have the book for proof for Mr. Diggory."

"It could always be an option," Cho shrugged, thinking how ridiculous it was that one had to be a special member card to extract books from the library, but perhaps it only made sense for people without magic to be able to track a book down to use such odd methods.

"True, we could go there if nothing else," Hermione agreed, "at least we might get a better 'lay of the land' so to speak. But getting a spot of tea before sounds good," Hermione continued, looking at the shop they were approaching, "I wonder how their coffee tastes here. Oh wait, look," Hermione suddenly spoke up excitedly, "it's a bookshop as well!" She pointed to the sign posted on the building:

**In & Out BeansTalk **

Coffee Bar and Books

on 'both levels'

Bella and Edward sat at a secluded booth downstairs in the corner, looking for anyone who would resemble their two young visitors. Both of them purchased a cup of coffee for appearances sake, but even Bella couldn't deny the unpleasantness of the odd aroma wafting through the shop . Perhaps, back when she was still human, she may have liked the smell, but now, it was a smell she didn't think she would ever miss. Though the smell of aged paper coming from the shelved books upstairs brought an unusual sense of comfort.

"There they are", Edward spoke in a very calm, low voice, trying not to sound too hushed. There were no more than ten people in the whole place by the sound of their heartbeats, but he didn't want to even risk any curious attention from wondering human ears. Bella turned to see two young women, no older than their late teens walking in and approach the counter.

They looked pretty ordinary to her.

Abby, a local community college student, the only one on shift that morning asked them if they knew what they wanted. Bella turned back in order to not look too conspicuous. Edward's silent words to her as she looked at his eyes spoke clearly: "move slowly; we don't want to alarm them." She then tilted her head to listen to any words exchanged at the counter. Edward continued to silently observe the scene as he leaned forward coolly, his fingers resting on the lid of his coffee cup…

"Um," the girl with the thick, light brown up in a pony tail began to speak, "I'm still deciding", her dark brown eyes shifted to the chalk board menu up above as she stood back with her arms folded.

Abby the barista, with her emo-cropped, auburn-dyed hair and black ear gage, smiled; her pierced lips curving slightly at the sound of the customer's exotic accent. The Asian girl spoke up, the soft trill in her vernacular came as a slight surprise to both Edward and Bella. "Do you sell any tea?"

So she was Scottish…

Unusual for one of Asian descent, but not unheard of…

Abby immediately pointed to the small box of teabags displayed on the counter off to the side in which the girl immediately made her way there to look for her desired flavor. Edward could hear her inner voice: _I hope they have Oolong this time-the other large place in Seattle didn't seem to carry it…what was it called… "Star" something…" _

Edward blinked. Surely even the people of Britain were familiar with a global franchise like Starbucks.

Bella gazed upon the look of puzzlement on his face, really wishing she could read his mind at least. Nothing she could hear seemed too unusual. The other girl was still silent as her friend managed to happily find her Oolong packet and made her purchase of a medium cup. As the barista announced the charge and filled a cup with hot water from the machine, Edward noticed that the young woman seemed to take a little longer digging up the money-Edward noticed a couple $100 dollar bills poke out from her billfold, which wasn't too smart for a tourist like her to be showing off-she even left the change zipper open, flipped it accidentally, and spilled at least five $1 gold coins, forcing her to bend over to pick them up as her friend helped her. "Oh! Cho…", her companion muttered.

So her name was Cho…

Cho from Scotland.

It was could have been that she was not too familiar with American currency, but he could have sworn he heard a strange phrase from her mind that sounded like her were grumbling: "_never understood muggle money"_

Americans were called a lot things, but "muggle" was certainly a new one.

"What is it?", Bella whispered. Edward shook his head slowly almost like he was at a loss of words for the first time in his long existence. "The black-haired one just has some very bizarre thoughts", was all he could manage to say.

After the slightly embarrassing ordeal and a few girly chuckles, Abby asked if they got it alright. Cho responded with a soft "yeah" and handed her the money. The then turned to her English companion as said that she was going to head upstairs to view some of the books. Her friend said "All right" and stepped towards the counter as Cho disappeared up the narrow wooden staircase to the second level. Edward was too distracted by the scene and the train of thoughts of others' streaming into his head that lost focus with Cho.

"I'm going to follow her upstairs, and see what else I can find out," he said softly to his wife as he rose from the booth. Bella agreed to follow him up there after the other girl made her purchase-she might say something important while Edward concentrated on Cho's thoughts and actions upstairs.

As her husband left, abandoning his coffee cup, Bella waited at the booth a little longer. Thankfully, the bathrooms were upstairs, so Edward had an "excuse" to go up there without his companion in case anyone happened to notice-which they did not. The other girl was looking in her own wallet to see if she had enough cash for her desired beverage, only to glance up as Edward passed by. Edward did not realize how fortunate he was for her to only be able to see the back side of him when she noticed his brief presence. Although Bella could tell that the girl looked up again at the form of the young man going upstairs briefly-as if she _did _notice something unusual about it. Strangely enough, she seemed more "normal" of the two.

More…natural, is perhaps the best word.

She turned back up to the barista and announced she wanted the café latte with skim milk in a small size. Abby then decided to take the opportunity to inquire about the girl's national origin and what she was doing her in a little place like for Forks, starting up with the clichéd American saying "so you're not from around here, are you?…." she spoke with a friendly smile. "Oh, no," she girl said with a slight smile.

"Are you from…England?" Abby hesitated as if she couldn't trust herself to know for sure.

"Yes, I'm from Kidlington, which is north of Oxford."

"Oh really? Cool!" Abby spoke as she lifted the handle on the machine in which a deafening sound of liquid boiling and streaming rabidly under immense pressure filled the air. Their voices rose slightly, but Bella was able to hear them despite the uncomfortable reverberation of the espresso maker.

"Hey, um," the girl began changing the subject, "do you know how I might get to the Quileute Indian Reservation from here? The car we rented doesn't have a GPS"

"The Reservation?" Abby inquired, her voice normal know one the presser of the steam was shut off after a moment. The girl nodded. Bella's ears perked.

What on Earth were a couple of young tourists from the UK going to the reservation for? Did Jacob know anything about this? _Should_ he know? Bella thought it best to inform him, and maybe Sam and both packs, especially now that she could no longer go there herself.

"Oh…um," Abby spoke as she wiped her hands on her apron and placed them on the counter in front of her. It was clear that by the sound of her voice that she too wondered the same thing. Bella turned her head to the side to look as well as listen. "Let's see…probably most straight forward for you is to take North Forks Avenue, which turns into Highway 101."

"Ok," the girl nodded.

"When you get outside of town, you'll want to keep your eyes pealed and make a left turn to stay on 101-if you pass a restaurant called "Smoke House" on the left, then you've gone too far," Abby gestured her hands to the left, "the street you'll want to turn on is called La Push Road, which is also the name of the reservation. When you come to a fork in the road," Abby grinned widely as the girl smiled with her, understanding the joke, "take a right and stay on that road. That's called Quillayute Road, and _that_ should take you all the way to La Push."

The girl's brown eyes shifted up as she put the directions to memory, then she looked at the Abby again, "Great! Thanks so much for your help!"

"Sure! Anytime," she said, mixing in the skim milk. Then she said, "Hey…just out of curiosity, are you doing some research there or something? Not to be nosy or anything."

The other girl looked ever so slightly uncomfortable, "No, it's fine. My friend and I are on a study abroad summer program in Seattle, and decided to see some sights. I'm also interested in learning about some of the Native American cultures in this area and thought I'd take the opportunity."

"Oh ok," Abby nodded her head with her eyebrows raised. She seemed to be satisfied with the answer as she finished preparing the latte and was pouring it into a cup. Still, Bella couldn't help that the there was some other reason the girls were here-well, she _knew_ there was-but there was a missing aspect in the tone of her voice that seemed to give it away.

Suddenly, those deep brown eyes shot in Bella's direction.

She could sense she was being watched!

Thankfully, all she saw was the back of the head of a young woman with dark hair sitting at a corner booth. Her pale face could be barely seen from the side.

Close call…

"You want whipped cream?" Abby asked before she handed the customer her latte. The girl's attention was immediately drawn back, though she seemed a little distracted "Uh, no."

"Ok, that'll be $2.16" The girl fished out money from her wallet and handed her exact change. She then gingerly took up her warm coffee and began to make her way towards the narrow staircase while balancing a sip. "Thanks again," she called to Abby and continued on her way.

Bella decided to wait a moment before following her up there. She wondered how Edward was doing. After what she thought was long enough-making sure to fidget a little just to keep a human facade, she got up, took both cups of coffee, threw them out and went upstairs, giving a slight friendly smile to Abby as she was wiping the countertop. Thankfully Abby wasn't the wasn't most suspicious and observant person in the world.

Bella suddenly heard a the distinct sound of fluid in a cup splashing onto wooden planks. She then heard quick steps maneuvering upstairs and the hushed voice of a distraught girl say "Hermione! I swear, I must be going mad!"

Bella quickened her pace up the steps, but could prepare little for the scene that unfolded when she reached the top of the stair.

It took Edward just a moment to realize that Cho was not among the stack of books upstairs. As he followed her personal scent along with the whiff of Oolong brew, he saw her open the door that led outside to the upper level deck.

_Awfully boring hamlet for a loggers' settlement_, he could hear her say to herself, _but it certainly has a beautiful view_. Edward contemplated whether he should follow her out there or not, and risk being seen this soon. He approached one of the windows to observe her. Cho's back was turned towards him as she leaned against the railing looking up at the mountains in the distance while casually sipping her tea. There were snapshots of scenery that were slightly similar: large green-lush mountains laced with dewy mist and cool air.

It had to be Scotland.

Then other thoughts began to surface through her mind as well…

Pain…fear…

Images of frightening people in dark robes and robotic-like steel masks that flew and danced through green fire waving their arms with weapons that resembled wands but wielded like sabers. Cries of aguish and terror could be heard around them. Suddenly the terrifying images stopped and he saw the girl shake her head as if she were trying to literally shake the images from her mind. She then focused on images that fascinated Edward. A bird's eye view of the Highlands, but instead of the typical landscape, there was a colorful set up almost like a jousting field from the Renaissance era. Except, the arena was set at least fifty feet from the ground. There were large hoops of three suspended on poles in the distance and people flying in flowing robes of red, green, gold, and blue…on…brooms?

Edward's eyebrows stitched together. _What…on Earth?_

Either this poor girl could not tell the difference from reality and her imagination, or this was real! With over a century of practice, Edward would like to think he could distinguish the difference between a person's imaginative thoughts and memories…

And these were _memories_!

What Cho was thinking about seemed to resemble a unconventional spectator sport of some kind. Did witches have their own sports? They must have. Whatever sport Cho was remembering, it was a glorious part of her life. Suddenly, her thoughts shifted one of the flying "players" in vivid gold robes. But what was more shocking to Edward was that this young man was a mirror image of himself…

_Human_!

Edward focused harder. This was it!

_Oh Cedric_, her inner voice choked, _you were always one of the best seekers known…_

Cedric? Now that Edward had a name to go by, the first he thing the thought was how unfamiliar it was and had absolutely no idea how he was connected to this Cedric other than his uncanny looks-but he was human…he had grey eyes, not green…and obviously he not born anywhere near when Edward existed as a human-unless wizards are able to mess with the fragility of time and history…

Not to mention, but what they already knew, and by the sound of the Cho's grief, Cedric was also dead.

Her thoughts then wondered from a heroic sport hero on a flying broom to a young man in robes that seemed to resemble a tuxedo of some sort adorned with floating lights and sparkle in the background. His arm extended out as if taking the viewer's arm lovingly. His face, and especially smile, were handsomely warm. It was clear that Cho and Cedric were in love. But a horrible memory soon replaced the blissful one: there was Cedric lying on his back-people crowding around, and a small wailing young man with dark hair and glasses was being pried off his body. Cedric lay stiff, dirty, wearing torn gold and maroon outfit. But what was most frightening about the memory were his eyes…

His grey eyes were staring up…void…as his life were just literally snuffed out like a flame, leaving just a shell of a body. Edward felt cold from witnessing such an event-even through someone else. He suddenly felt terrible for Cho. She lost someone she loved very much in such a terrible and sudden manner. Yet here she was, still trying to live her life…a strength that even Edward could not possess. Her thoughts wondered to what looked like a funeral and burial; people dressed in black robes surrounded by tears and mourning.

Then his own thoughts wondered to the crying boy that was pulled off of Cedric.

_So he must have been with him when he died_, Edward thought of the mysterious bespectacled boy in Alice's vision.

He had called him Cedric…only to realized…

_I'm not Cedric_, Edward thought, _and I'm most certainly_ _not human_…

So a small pieces of the puzzle fit, but there was still more. There had to be. What did this mean, and just _how_ deep did his connection with Cedric go, if at all? Who was that young man that must have witnessed Cedric's death? Who was in Alice's vision, and who seemed to contribute much more to this puzzle.

Now it was not often that a vampire like Edward got distracted, but it was possible.

Edward was too busy contemplating upon his theories when he looked up and horrifyingly watched as young Cho from Scotland had turned herself around from her reverie and was looking straight at Edward…

Author's Note:

Dun dun _DUN!_

Hope this leaves you excited as me! I just love cliffhangers-well…as long as they eventually continue and I eventually get to know what happens, that is…

This chapter has a slight off balance of time: divided from Bella's perspective when observing Hermione and Edwards's, when he is spying on Cho. I hope you have a pretty good idea of what happens _right_ after Cho sees Edward.

Anyway (as my mother _always _corrects me: "anyway, not 'anyways'"), I have finally established yet another chapter in this exciting series.

Thanks to Google Maps, I got a fairly decent idea of how the po-dunk little town of Forks, Washington looks without the Twilight Excitement-it really does remind me of a lot of teeny boring towns-just with a Northwestern landscape. I managed to come up with a set of directions that Abby (random character I made up-seems to be 'typical chick' I see working as a barista in small coffee shops) gives Hermione. Though, as an artistic-minded person like myself would have, I do welcome constructive criticism with open arms; so if you are a Washington state of Forks native, and you disagree with my "concept" of directions from Forks to La Push, by all means say so!-but please don't be rude about it-that's all I ask.

Also, the In & Out BeansTalk is not an actual place as you might know-I clearly made it up. I was trying to come up with an intriguing setting for the character's to meet and was inspired by a few cool "hippie" coffee shops I saw in Boone, NC (yes, I am an North Carolina native-born and raised) and I do have some international traveling experience under my belt as well.

If anyone disagrees or wants to male some helpful suggestions, by all means, say so! And I'll see what I can change.

Thank you once again, my faithful and loyal readers!


End file.

Harry Potter, Twilight, Adventure, Drama