Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction / Twilight Fan Fiction ❯ You Sang to Me ❯ II: The Cullens and Acastus ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2 - The Cullens and Acastus

 

Alice Cullen was not, under any circumstances, considered normal. Not by the student body at Forks High, not by humans passing by, and certainly not by her family. She was more than okay with this; her sight gave her the ability to look at things with different perspectives and she could care less what people thought of her. There were many pros to being considered weird or abnormal, Alice discovered. For example, every time she burst into inexplicable and undeniably evil laughter, nobody really paid attention to her anymore. It was considered a normal, every-day “Alice” occurrence. Because of this, Alice was able to keep a rather important vision to herself. Not even Edward knew about it, mostly because whenever Alice got into one of these moods, he assumed it was for shopping and he'd rather not delve into her mind and be tortured into boredom. This was an incredibly huge mistake on his part, not that he'd ever know it.

 

This particular vision Alice had, the one of utmost importance, would change the lives of her family forever. Normally, under such circumstances, Alice would've told her family immediately. After all, since it would affect all of them and greatly, they had a right to know. However, as this particular vision was only the beginning of a series of incredibly wonderful (though, unfortunately, only possible) events, Alice decided to let her family find out on their own.

 

Another reason Alice didn't want to inform her family of the visitor that would be arriving shortly is because the future isn't always certain. Anything could change in a split second and she didn't want to get hopes up only for them to crash down. She knew for a fact, though, that the visitor would most definitely arrive in Forks shortly. Never before had her visions been so definite and she knew her family would love the visitor, especially her big brother. Alice let out another cackle, feeling an intense giddiness build up insider her. Knowing his wife only ever got this riled up over shopping, Jasper quickly made himself scarce lest she decided to force him and Edward to be her dolls again.

 

Glancing at the clock, Alice couldn't help but fidget slightly. Never had she felt so anxious—well, there was the time when she had to wait for those new shoes to come out in her size (damn her tiny feet!)—about a visitor before. If she were human, she'd definitely be sweating right now. When the clock finally, finally, struck two-thirty, Alice jumped out of her seat. Esme, who had been picking out the latest curtains for a new house she was decorating, looked up at her daughter in puzzlement.

 

“What is it, Alice?” she asked softly, tilting her head in confusion. At that moment, Carlisle entered the house and shuffled into the living room. He kissed his wife in greeting and smiled at his children.

 

“We should go shopping,” Alice said innocently, smiling widely.

 

“No!” Edward yelled from upstairs. The lovely tune he had been playing on his piano turned into a funeral march as soon as she'd uttered the words that were practically fatal to his existence.

 

She glared at the ceiling. “I meant at the local store, you buffoon! Esme needs some new canvases and paints, and I need to pick up some stuff for a project I'm going to be assigned in English class on Monday!” she retorted, huffing indignantly.

 

“It has been a while since I've painted anything,” Esme murmured gently, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “I suppose it couldn't hurt.”

 

“Great!” Alice chirped. “Everybody should come too; it seems like all of us will be doing some projects within the week.”

 

Inwardly, Alice was chuckling evilly, knowing she had just successfully manipulated her family like putty. Sensing the smug vibes coming from his wife, Jasper sent a puzzled look her way. “You might think you've escaped a proper shopping trip, but just you wait! There's always tomorrow,” she said tauntingly, smirking at her husband who now had a sort of pained expression on his face. “Don't worry, Jasper. I might try something on for you.”

 

Their siblings scrunched their noses as the smell of lust filled the air. Emmett looked at Rosalie with puppy eyes and, despite herself, she gave him a heated look that promised a night of fun. Edward shook his head in disgust. “Are we going to leave anytime soon?” he asked, doing the human thing and rolling his eyes.

 

Alice stuck her tongue out at Edward and quickly ran over to Jasper's car. Hopping into the seat, she waited for him to start driving before she entwined her fingers with his. A part of her felt saddened that Edward was the only one without his other half; the only one to drive alone. Another part of her, much bigger than the other, knew Edward would find the person he was meant to be with fairly soon, so she quickly brightened up and bounced in her seat. Jasper looked at her amusedly and smiled lovingly at her.

 

They arrived at the local store in no time at all and, as if it was practiced, stepped out of their cars in unison. It was hard not to notice the obviously expensive black car they parked next to and Rosalie was immediately on it like white on rice. She stared admiringly at the car and let out a wistful sigh. Emmett chuckled and pulled her close. “I wonder who that belongs to,” he contemplated aloud.

 

Edward turned to Alice. “Did you see this?” he questioned, causing the others to look at her.

 

Alice frowned and shook her head. “I didn't see anything,” she lied, narrowing her eyes. It wasn't a complete lie, to be honest. She hadn't seen the really hot car, but it was probably safe to assume that it was the newcomer's vehicle.

 

Esme rolled her eyes and smiled. “Don't think too much on it, dear,” she told Alice, patting her shoulder. “We should all go inside and get what we came here before.”

 

“You don't suppose it'll be that new transfer student we're going to get at school, do you?” he asked, looking thoughtful.

 

“That's right; there is going to be a new student. I didn't know he was rich,” Alice replied, staring off into space before shrugging her shoulders. “Come on; let's hurry! I want to get that stupid project over and done with!”

 

“Speaking of projects, mind telling us what we're going to be doing?” Emmett asked, looking at his sister expectedly.

 

“You and Jasper will be making a three-dimensional project on one of the battles of the Civil War for History class; that should be easy enough. Rosalie will need to make a mini-replica of a Latin country for Spanish. Edward, you'll be making a replica of cells for Biology.” Rosalie and Edward frowned slightly, not as enthusiastic as Jasper or Emmett about their projects.

 

Together, the vampire family entered the store and separated; Carlisle walked with Esme to the back where the canvases were and Alice led the rest towards the Arts and Crafts section. She felt inebriated, or at least she thought this was the equivalent to feeling that way, and danced the entire way to the aisle.

 

“I love to shop,” she sang under her breath.

 

The males merely rolled their eyes while Rosalie nodded in agreement, thinking of all the lovely new clothes she would buy with Alice tomorrow. When they finally arrived at the Arts and Crafts aisle, Emmett let out a booming laugh, nearly startling the person in the aisle. Alice let out small giggles while Jasper, Rosalie, and Edward smirked, though they all bar Emmett attempted to be polite.

 

“Do you need some help?” Emmett asked, chuckling merrily.

 

As soon as they had entered the aisle, the first thing they saw was a teenage boy, about five feet six inches, trying to reach the sketchbooks on the top shelf in the back. He was jumping up and down, mumbling under his breath, and when he couldn't get it, he resorted to stomping on the ground. The teenager turned to Emmett, looked him up and down with wide eyes, and muttered, “Well, aren't you a big boy?”

 

This comment sent Alice bursting into laughter. Emmett let out a wide grin and replied in earnest, “Yeah, I get that a lot.”

 

“Well,” the teenager said, “when a tall person offers you help reaching something you cannot, you take it.”

 

The boy smiled widely as Emmett retrieved the item for him. “Here ya go,” Emmett said, still chuckling and shaking his head.

 

“Thank you! I've been trying to reach this stupid thing for ten minutes now!” He frowned slightly. “I think it was running away from me.”

 

Alice smiled widely at the teen. “You must be new in town; I don't remember seeing you anywhere before. I'm Alice Cullen and these are my brothers Emmett and Edward Cullen, my boyfriend Jasper Hale and this is my sister Rosalie Hale.”

 

“I'm Harry Potter,” the teen replied, offering them all grins though only Emmett and Alice returned them. “And, yes, I am new. Just got to the country forty-five minutes ago.”

 

“How are you liking Forks so far?” Alice asked.

 

“It's beautiful and the weather is just like it was in London, so I'm feeling right at home,” Harry replied, smiling as he grabbed drawing pencils and erasers.

 

“So, shorty, you gonna go to Forks High?” Emmett asked. He was a little surprised, mostly amused, when Harry glared at him.

 

“I'm not short! It's certainly not my fault you were fed toxic waste as a child leading to your unnatural, exponential growth!” he retorted with a humph, turning his back on the tall vampire.

 

Emmett laughed loudly, scaring several humans passing by, and patted Harry's head gently. “Not bad, little man. Not bad.”

 

Harry's glare seemed to get more fierce, though he wasn't truly angry. Jasper relayed this to Edward who in turn relayed it to Emmett. “If you don't remove that appendage, you'll find yourself without it,” he threatened.

 

Emmett chuckled, thinking Harry wouldn't really be able to do much, but he took his hand away anyways, holding up both arms in a disarming manner. “Easy, panther,” he teased, silently wondering why he felt so at ease with a human.

 

`Edward, there's something weird about this kid,' Emmett expressed, his thoughts not malicious but merely curious.

 

“I can't read his mind and he has no scent,” Edward replied so softly only Emmett heard, frowning slightly. “I don't think he's human.”

 

`Why? Is it really that hard to think that a mere human could elude us?' Emmett knew it was a moot point to argue about this; even he couldn't deny that there was something underlying Harry's skin that seemed to radiate. It left him cautious and perhaps a tiny bit worried.

 

“We'll talk with Carlisle about this,” Edward whispered firmly. They had stopped mentally communicating when Edward rolled his eyes.

 

`What is it?'

 

“Jasper,” Edward muttered exasperatedly, “is thinking of ways to eliminate this new threat; ever the strategist.”

 

`Haha! Can't blame him, ya know.'

 

“And Rosalie is yelling about worthless humans that should be left alone.” Edward rolled his eyes again and scowled.

 

Emmett looked at Rosalie who, though she appeared to be stoic, had her lips pulled in a tight and angry line. He knew she would chew him and Alice out for associating with the human and inwardly groaned.

 

“Oh, wow, look at the time,” Harry murmured. “It was nice meeting you all, but I have to go. Perhaps I'll see you at school?”

 

Alice nodded her head happily. “Yes! We'll definitely see you at school. Maybe you can even sit with us?” Her siblings looked at her with no small amount of surprise, hesitance, and a bit of anger.

 

Harry seemed to sense the now tense atmosphere. “To be honest, I like to eat alone,” he said, looking at her apologetically. “But maybe I'll see you in class or something, yeah?”

 

Alice nodded her head and, though she was a little sad that he wouldn't eat lunch with them, she understood that his instincts were probably yelling at him. Harry gave a little wave and soon left the isle. As soon as he had disappeared, Rosalie whirled towards Alice.

 

“I can't believe you,” she hissed. “How the hell could you invite that…that…human to eat lunch with us when we're trying to hide what we are? Are you insane? Ugh, don't even answer that. I forgot you were checked into the happy hotel!”

 

Alice gave her a hurt look; she had seen that Rosalie would be hostile at first, but she hadn't seen her throwing that of all things in her face. She sighed before walking away, shaking her head all the while.

 

Jasper frowned at Rosalie. “That was low,” he said angrily, immediately coming to the defense of his wife.

 

“She shouldn't have been fraternizing with that creature! You of all people should recognize a threat when you see one,” Rosalie spat, glaring furiously at the ex-soldier.

 

Emmett laughed nervously as the temperature around them dropped considerably. “Come on, honey, even you have to admit there was something off about that human, if he's even that. You can't tell me that there was nothing off about that boy,” he said quietly, attempting to not offend anyone while still telling his point of view.

 

Rosalie looked at Emmett betrayed as she clenched and unclenched her fists. “Our cover could be blown,” she said softly though her eyes flashed violently with her anger. “Everything could be lost and for what? That stupid boy? Is it even worth it?”

 

Edward decided to speak up. “This isn't the time nor the place to speak of such things,” he said, looking at his siblings. “Let's get what we came here for and we'll talk about this at home with Esme and Carlisle.”

 

Rosalie glared at them for a while longer before whirling around in a huff. Emmett knew as soon as she paid for what she needed, she'd disappear into the trees and then run home by herself, as she often did when she was upset at him. He sighed and shook his head before walking towards the register with Jasper and Edward stiffly trailing behind, frowning all the while.

 

There was going to be a long talk when they got home.

 

Unbeknownst to them, Harry had heard the entire conversation. He bit his lip slightly, guilt welling up in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't help but feel bad that they had gotten into a fight, ultimately, because two of the other vampires had made nice with him. Harry let out a startled yelp when his pocket began to vibrate. He looked puzzled for a moment before remembering that Acastus had insisted he get a Muggle cellular device. Buckling his seat belt, Harry hurriedly answered his cell phone.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Is that the car I hear?” Acastus said, a frown in his voice.

 

Harry laughed a little. “Yeah, I was out exploring.”

 

“You shouldn't drive while talking on the phone,” Acastus replied, his tone admonishing. Harry rolled his eyes.

 

“You're the one that called me; besides, I'm a good driver.”

 

“Whatever; that's not what I called you for.”

 

“Oh? And what would be your reason for calling? Don't tell me you need more money.”

 

“Harry,” Acastus gasped. “You wound me! I recently received my allowance for the month, thank you very much!”

 

Harry chuckled. “It'll more-than-likely be gone within a week,” he teased, outright laughing at Acastus' shriek of outrage.

 

“Anyways,” the aristocratic vampire drawled, his tone suggesting he was annoyed, “I called to tell you hi!”

 

Harry blinked as he stopped the car and stepped out before grabbing his bags and lugging them inside his house. “That's all?” he asked, incredulously.

 

“Tch, no! As if I'd waste my time with such frivolous greetings. Especially when I can just say them to your face!”

 

Harry sighed, irritated, before hanging up the phone and walking to his living room. “What're you doing here?” he demanded, cocking an eyebrow at Acastus who was lounging over one of the couches.

 

“I missed you,” Acastus said with a pout, standing up.

 

Harry rolled his eyes. “I haven't even been gone for more than a day!”

 

Acastus sauntered up to him, wrapping his arms around Harry and burying his nose in Harry's neck. He took a deep breath and sighed happily. “You of all people should know about our bond. The distance wears us both out and only increases the need for contact,” he purred, smiling widely when Harry shivered.

 

Harry rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I wondered how long you'd last,” he murmured. “Help me put this stuff away.”

 

Acastus frowned slightly, as he searched through the bags. “Why do you buy these things?” he asked, gesturing at the canned food with disgust. “It tastes absolutely ridiculous!”

 

“Acastus, dear, are you whining?” Harry asked, smirking all the while.

 

“No,” Acastus denied. “I was merely stating my complaint in a perhaps less-than-acceptable tone of voice. But, as I was saying, I cannot see why you buy these things, let alone enjoy them! They taste absolutely horrid!”

 

“Let's think about this clearly,” Harry said slowly as if talking to a small child. “I am attempting to pass myself off as an emancipated, human teenager living by myself. My parents are rich, which is why I have this lovely house. Now, wouldn't it look suspicious if I had absolutely nothing to eat in my house?”

 

Acastus pouted again. “You're so mean to me.”

 

Harry rolled his eyes and smiled. “Come on and help me,” he repeated.

 

“A slave, that's what I am,” Acastus grumbled under his breath. “Never appreciated.”

 

Harry sighed before leaning over and placing a gentle kiss on Acastus' cheek. “Happy?” he teased, grinning.

 

Acastus beamed at him. “Immensely!” he chirped. “Now, let's get on to the reason of my visit.”

 

“Yes, please do. I was worried you'd never get to that.”

 

“Hermione is coming along further than anticipated,” Acastus said seriously.

 

Harry's playful demeanor changed completely. “Is she okay?” he asked worriedly. “Does she need me there again?”

 

Acastus waved down his fears. “She's fine, Harry. As I was saying, she's coming along further than we thought. More than likely, I think she'll burst in no more than a month. Because of that, I've decided to come and set up your Floo. I know you didn't want it to be connected, but—”

 

“Don't be stupid, Acastus,” he interrupted. “Of course, connect it. She'll be alright then, yeah?”

 

Acastus rolled his eyes and grinned. “Such a cute little worry wart,” he cooed, pinching Harry's cheek.

 

Harry slapped his hand away gently. “Get to work,” he said anxiously. “I'll be upstairs. Come get me when you've finished.”

 

Without waiting for a reply, Harry headed up the stairs and into his bedroom before sitting down on his bed and getting lost in his memories. He remembered when he had first introduced Acastus to Ron and Hermione. He had been so nervous about the vampire meeting his two best mates, but in the end his worries were just silly. The three of them had hit it off and Ron and Hermione didn't seem to care about Acastus' vampire status. It shouldn't have surprised him, really, what with them accepting Remus as a werewolf. Harry reached down and grabbed the photo album, flipping through it with a wide smile.

 

“Harry?”

 

Harry looked up and saw Acastus leaning against his door frame, grinning widely and looking completely sexy. “Finished already?”

 

“Don't insult me by assuming I'd work slower than a snail at a human's pace,” Acastus scoffed, buffing his nails on his shirt. He glanced at the book in Harry's hands and beamed. “You like it?”

 

“I love it,” Harry said softly. “I miss them, but I needed this change. Besides, I have a feeling it'll work out.”

 

“It will, Harry,” Acastus replied confidently. “Your gut has never let you down before; I doubt it'd start now.”

 

“Yeah, you're right.”

 

The two stood in relative silence, enjoying each other's company and unaware of the rather destructive argument taking place in the Cullen household.

 

A/N: Yeah, I know I took forever to update when I said I wouldn't, but life got in the way. As the saying goes, shit happens. That, and I have a monster head cold right now. I hope the characters aren't too OOC, if at all. I tried very hard not to make Alice seem like an all-knowing prophet like she's presented in many stories and this caused several re-writings of this chapter. I'm pretty satisfied with it now, though. Sorry to disappoint some, but this will not be completely DH-compliant. I loathe and detest Harry/Ginny and any product that pairing will create.

 

See, I enjoyed reading both the Twilight and HP series, but the last books (of both of the series) kind of killed me. I won't even get started on how bad I think Breaking Dawn was because I'll just make myself sick. I was unable to finish the book and I'm glad I didn't; I don't think I would've been able to handle it. As for Deathly Hallows, it was pretty good. Lots of action and such. I still think it would've been loads better if Harry stayed dead in the ending. That, and I hate the names Harry chose for his children. Albus Severus? Give me a break. And don't get me started on Renesmee.

 

Feedback would be greatly appreciated. I definitely won't take so long to update the story next time.