A New Dawn

by Mast3rofd3ath

Summary:

After Harry Potter's fifth year, Dumbledore made the mistake of telling Severus what he truly had planned for the-girl-who-lived, counting on his spy's dislike for her father far too much, for he forgot, ironically, the power of love, and what it makes one do.
months later, Sebastian and Calla King arrive in Forks, Washington, and the lovely Potter Luck rears its head, landing the father and daughter duo in vampire shenanigans

Chapter 1: Welcome to Forks! Here be Vampires

I had often thought about my death. During long stints of starvation under the Dursleys' cruel care, after yet another beating, during my years at Hogwarts, I often wondered if death wouldn't be a relief to the hell I lived daily. 

A bit morbid, perhaps, for a child of six to fantasize about death. But wouldn't you, if you were subjected to days without food and the bare minimum amount of water? Deathly tests and tournaments and situations no child should be in? After such intense beatings you begged and prayed to be taken away by death's sweet embrace? 

Over the years, I've thought about death quite a lot. As the Girl-Who-Lived, it's quite ironic that I've spent more time thinking about death than actually living. 

But that's how Dumbledore wanted it, really. He wanted me to be a self-sacrificing martyr ready to waltz to my death. 

Unfortunately for him, he underestimated the love one man held for my mother.

Ironic, that he who preached love and acceptance would underestimate it. 

I had always suspected that I would die in the place of someone I love, just like my parents before me, stepping willingly into the embrace of Death. 

Into the embrace of an old friend. 

 

****

 

When Severus had returned to Hogwarts after the disastrous fight at the Ministry between the Dark Lord and Potter, he’d never in a thousand years thought he would be told such a piece of information by Albus. It had made his insides turn to ice, the blood rush in his ears, and only the years of spying under his belt had stopped him from lashing out at the old man. 

Severus had never liked Albus Dumbledore. Respected, yes, but never liked. The old man had never once cared for Severus throughout all seven years of his schooling, had never done anything to stop the abuse he and many others had been on the receiving end by his vaunted Marauders’. When Severus had gone to him close to the end of the first war to save Lily and her family, Albus had been all too happy to sign Severus’ life away by demanding he become a spy. 

For close to sixteen years Severus had danced to Dumbledore’s tune. He had abandoned his plans of opening an apothecary and nursery and become a professor in the very place many of his worst memories had occurred. He was monitored by the old man very closely, not at all trusted or even cared about. 

But Severus had his uses, according to Dumbledore. All of his little pawns had their uses, Severus most of all. 

After Lily and Potter died and Hadriana was found alive, Dumbledore had demanded an Unbreakable Vow to protect the little brat. Severus would have protected the girl anyway, as she was the last piece of Lily alive, but the Vow was merely yet another shackle to keep him beholden to Dumbledore and his Order of the Phoenix. 

Severus had been more than prepared to despise Hadriana Potter. Undoubtedly, she would be exactly like her swine of a father; but then she had arrived at Hogwarts, and all of his preconceived notions had died a grisly death. 

Hadriana Potter, while a Gryffindor and almost a carbon copy of her father, was more like Lily in personality than anything. She was kind, compassionate, and had a fiery temper whenever she witnessed an injustice. She was also far too small for a girl her age; that had made dread pool in stomach. 

Potter had befriended the Longbottom boy swiftly, ignoring the youngest Weasleys loud and boisterous nature and bragging about her fame and clear desperation to be her friend. She also, surprisingly, befriended his godson Draco Malfoy and several other of her year mates from other houses: Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott, Su Li and Terry Boot and many more. 

It wasn’t until the end of the first year – after Quirrell and the debacle with the stone – Severus discovered why she was so quiet and non-confrontational, even when he tried to get a reaction out of her in her first potions class; she’d merely grimaced at mention of her fame and mumbled the correct answers to his questions before falling silent, her mane of curly hair hiding her face. 

Potter was raised by Petunia Evans. 

The rage that filled him after discovering this truth had nearly caused his perfectly crafted masks to crumble, but he had managed – by the skin of his teeth – to hold it together. 

The years passed swiftly after the girls first year, and somehow – every year – the girl found herself in the middle of some sort of trouble, but Severus knew she didn’t look for the trouble. She was studious, introverted, and unfailingly polite. 

But then, second year, everyone got to see a side of Potter they hadn’t before when rumors began circulating about her being the Heir of Slytherin when it was revealed she was a parselmouth. 

It had been during dinner one evening, the youngest Weasley muttering dark insinuations about Potter being dark or in league with the Dark Lord when she slammed her utensils onto the table and shouted down the table at him, silencing the entire hall. 

“ Would you give it a bloody rest, Weasley? Your inane drivel is annoying on a good day, but these baseless accusations about me being dark or Voldemort’s right hand are absolutely ridiculous! If it’s failed to escape your notice, I’m a half-blood with a muggle-born mother! Why would I want to hurt anyone with muggle blood when I myself have it?” She had shouted angrily, “ Being a parselmouth is not evil, you idiot, just like being a Slytherin doesn’t make you evil. For goodness sake, we’re children, you fool !” 

Weasley had paled in humiliation, but many students had been impressed by Potters outburst. Severus himself had hidden a smirk of amusement in his tea as he sipped it. Minerva had ripped into Weasley and taken points, and Potter wasn’t bothered about being Heir of Slytherin again. 

Especially when she saved Ginevra Weasley from the Chamber of Secrets and returned with an angry expression and declared that if any more deadly, dangerous incidents happened, she would transfer to Beauxbatons. 

Albus’ expression had been very amusing. 

Severus sighed and shook his head at the thought of the girls third, fourth, and fifth year’s. She had gone through hell during those years, and it hadn’t ended well when Black – the imbecile – had gone and gotten himself killed. 

Severus had not liked Black, but he did sympathize with Hadriana - she had lost so much in her short life.

He glanced over at her, sleeping against the window, her dark hair curtaining her face, then refocused on the road. 

When Albus had admitted to him that the girl was the Dark Lords Horcrux and he hoped she would sacrifice herself at the right moment, Severus had drawn a very obvious line in the sand and made the decision to take Hadriana Potter very far away from the war. 

He owed it to Lily to protect her daughter. He owed it to Hadriana to protect her from Dumbledore and his machinations. 

The Dark Lord, however, had surprised him when he’d taken the information to him. He’d all but come up with the plan for Severus to take Potter away and protect her. He’d been different, ever since he returned. Saner and less curse happy. 

Before the Dark Lord's destruction, he had been an amazing wizard with many plans to revolutionize the stagnant British Wizarding World. He had lost his way at the end, and now Severus knew why: he had split his soul and rendered his magic and mentally unstable. 

The Dark Lord had contacted an old friend at MACUSA, the Magical Congress of America, and organized he and Potter political asylum. He had left it up to Severus where they went, most preferably a muggle town in which they could hide away from Dumbledore. 

Potter had been hesitant and wary when Severus had shown up to take her to Gringotts to finalize the move. He had then discovered that Potter hadn’t been informed about her heritage, namely her Inheritances. She had been angry but accepted her Ladyship rings for Houses Potter and Black and agreed to leave. 

Severus and Potter had changed their names and purchased a house in Forks, Washington, one state in America with the least magical population. 

Forks itself was located in the Olympic Peninsula of north-west Washington with a low population. Potter – now named Calla King – would be attending muggle High School while being taught magical lessons by Severus at night. 

Severus had chosen to be called Sebastian King, and he was pretending to be Po-Calla’s father. She had easily agreed to pretend to be father and daughter and go to muggle High school. 

Severus sighed softly and turned onto the street where their new house was. It was down a short drive in the woods on the edge of town and very much resembled a cliché witches’ cottage.  

The cottage had three bedrooms, living, dining, two ensuite bathrooms, kitchen, green house for potions ingredients, and a potions lab in the basement. The house itself was covered in vines and moss and looked cozy, a cobbled path leading from the drive to the front door. 

Severus parked the car and reached over to shake Calla awake. She hummed questioningly and blinked, stretching. “We’re here.” 

“Cute house,” she said, smiling at him. 

Severus huffed. “Let’s get everything settled.” 

 

****

 

The past three months had been a whirlwind for Ha - Calla . It all began when Snape - her pretend dad, now - had shown up on her aunt and uncle's doorstep and revealed to her that Dumbledore was plotting her death. Had been plotting her death for years.

That was the least surprising thing she learned in such short succession. The most surprising was how agreeable the dark bloody Lord had been when she and Snape met with him at Gringotts to talk. 

Shortly after things were settled in England, she and Snape - her dad now - had portkeyed to New York City where they were met by several liaisons to the Federal Magic Government and given political immunity and put into magical witness protection, just about. 

The plan to pretend to be father and daughter had been Snape's idea, and Calla had agreed. Their names were changed, as were their backgrounds and appearances. She now had dark brown hair, and she and Snape had identical hazel-green eyes.

While in New York, they had decided on the least magically populated small town to live in, and landed on Forks in Washington State, the last magical resident having died over a century ago, and a house had been purchased and moved to a plot of land for them.

Calla had had to take exams to place in muggle school, admitting after she placed ahead of her age group that she had continued studying muggle subjects during the summer holidays, and even during Hogwarts months. She would start junior year at Forks High come September, the only sixteen-year-old in the class.

Filling out the paperwork had taken the better part of a month, especially with the semi-permanent human transfiguration being done by vetted experts, and so they were finally in their new home, mere weeks before Calla was to start school. 

To Severus’ - dad's - relief, the agent in charge of their protection had agreed to let him sell potions by owl-order under a fake name with an owl outfitted with a bracelet with an anti-tracking charm imbued. 

Calla loved their house. It was small, but not too small, and truly did resemble a witch's cottage. Wards practically drenched the house, ensuring their protection, and was pretty well in the middle of the woods, pine trees and other foliage surrounding it. 

To the immediate left of the front door was a living room, with a sofa facing an open hearth, a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall above it. Either side of the hearth and TV were bookshelves full of books and knick-knacks; through the living room was the kitchen and a door to the backyard, where a greenhouse, and shaded area were. Just off the kitchen was the basement entrance, though it was to be magically warded so muggles couldn't see it, just in case they had non-magical visitors. 

A guest room and bathroom were also on the first floor, she and Severus' rooms upstairs with their own ensuite bathrooms. Both bedrooms were large enough for desks, as well, and fireplaces to combat the chill.

The rooms were undecorated, their agents leaving that up to her and Severus. In her room, there was a skylight above the unmade bed, and she smiled at it, anticipating nights she would lay in bed and stargaze. Her bathroom was small, but she loved the clawfoot tub, imagining many hot bubble baths in her future. 

After touring the house, she and Sev - her dad - went and unloaded the car. They had stopped on their way and done a grueling amount of shopping, knowing that they'd need a lot of things for their new home; they'd purchased bed sheets, duvets, pillows, clothes, food, other such necessities, as well as things Calla would need for school.

They also had to get Sev - her dads!!! - familiar, a Maine Coon cross Kneazle named Livia, out of her magical carrier and the crup cross German Shepherd Calla had been given to her by their agent after one too many panic attacks in his presence. Those had come after the discovery of loyalty potions she had been doused with, and the subsequent identity crisis. 

Otis was a service dog that specialized in sensing oncoming panic attacks and grounding, and he'd already helped her immensely. 

After unloading the car, letting Livia into the house to inspect it and Otis into the yard to sniff around, her dad went down to the basement to unload his potion supplies, so Calla put their bed sheets into the wash and went upstairs to unpack and set up her room.

Agent Frost had given them both phones and laptops that would work around their magic, runes carved into the bottom of them all to ensure it, so Calla, once she unpacked her belongings, parked herself at her desk and began to familiarize herself with technology by researching the town she now called home.

Calla was mostly indifferent about her and her dad's new lives. She appreciated how willing he had been to uproot his entire life to protect her, and she was more than willing to leave the Dursleys, but she would miss the friends she had no choice to leave behind. 

They would be notified through the letters she sent them about what was happening, but she couldn't risk Dumbledore finding them, so communication wasn't a good idea. She had refused to leave Hedwig behind, so Agent Frost had given her a glamor ring to put on her familiar's leg, ensuring that everyone who was unaware she was an owl saw a common pet bird.

Calla had often mused on running away and fading into obscurity. She had lived a life of forced isolation as a child, then thrust into the limelight of a fame she detested, because she only had the fame of being the Girl-Who-Lived because she failed to die the night her parents were murdered.

She had been both flabbergasted and furious to learn why she was so famous. Why people fawned over her and tripped over themselves. It made her hate the wizarding world, even if the world itself was full of wonder.

So moving to Forks and assuming a different name, well, that was pretty much the best thing that could have happened to her. She finally had a chance to be a normal teenage girl, a nameless, faceless girl in the crowd.

She couldn't wait .

 

****

 

The days passed swiftly after Calla and her dad settled into their new home, and all too soon her first day of muggle High School was upon her, leaving her stomach a mess of knots that refused to unravel. 

Otis sat by her side loyally, eyeing her with highly intelligent eyes and nudging her whenever her heart rate spiked, anxiety clawing at her throat. 

Severus had surprised her with a car, and had rolled his eyes at her effusive thanks, then taken her for her first drive, spending several days thoroughly teaching her how to handle a vehicle safely, even if she was only going to drive to and from school. 

The morning of her first day, Calla woke up at an ungodly early hour and busied herself by showering and meticulously picking out an outfit, delighting in the clothes she had purchased for herself for the first time ever .

She chose a pair of baggy jeans that were ripped at the knees, a pair of combat boots she had layered in cushioning charms, mentally thanking Agent Frost for giving her a dispensation to use magic under-age, and a long sleeve black shirt; over that she threw on a leather jacket and slid her family rings on, as well as a necklace holding her parents wedding bands.

Otis was put into his harness, which had patches on it explaining that he was working and not to touch, which she was so sure teenagers would listen to. 

Sev - her father - was in the kitchen making breakfast when she clattered down the stairs. Living with Severus Snape was shockingly easy, though she had been stumped by who he truly was outside of Hogwarts.

The Severus Snape Calla had met these past months was wildly different from Professor Snape . He detested mornings more than he did her birth father and needed at least three cups of strong coffee before he would even talk, and a full English breakfast. He spoke only in sarcasm and a morbid humor that often-had Calla wheezing. 

Oh, and his hair was curly ! The greasiness was from a potion he put into it to protect it from potion fumes and tame the curls. Without it, his hair hung to his shoulders in thick curls, something he often cursed about.

He truly was the worst potty mouth.

This morning, he wore an oversized black Elton John shirt, black pajama pants, slippers, and a robe over it all. His long hair was in a messy bun, his wand stuck through it.

Livia was sitting on the kitchen counter, eating fresh salmon daintily from her porcelain bowl.

She didn't even speak, merely got Otis’ breakfast, then slid into a seat at the table and smiled when a cup of coffee and plate of food floated over, settling in front of her. “Thanks,” she murmured.

Her dad grunted, sipping coffee as he scooped several sausages onto his plate. He turned the hob off and joined her at the table. “How did you sleep?” He asked.

She swallowed a mouthful of egg and bacon, shrugging. “Fine. I'm nervous, though.” 

“You managed to survive five years at Hogwarts,” he said dryly, dipping some toast into his runny egg. “Muggle High School will be a walk in the park. Just be cautious and stick to our cover story.” 

“I will,” she told him, constructing a sausage and egg sandwich drowned in barbecue sauce. She bit into it, humming happily, and made a face when her dad started on his baked beans. “That's gross.” 

He rolled his eyes. “You have no taste.” 

Calla snorted, grabbing her coffee to wash down her mouthful. “I have plenty of taste. Baked beans are gross.” 

He smiled at her, amused. “Have you got everything you need? Principal Greene told me that the school will provide textbooks, you just need notebooks and pens.” 

She bobbed her head, gesturing to the backpack she'd left by the stairs, Otis’ leash curled on top of it. “Got everything I need, and my phone.” 

“Good, keep that on you. Just in case.” He polished off the last of his breakfast and took her empty plate. “Drive safe.” 

She smiled at him and darted in to give him a brief hug. “Thank you,” she said, smiling widely when he huffed and hugged her back. “See you later!” 

Calla darted out of the house to her car, Otis hurrying alongside her, smiling at the black Ford Mustang sitting behind her dad's car. 

Life was looking good.

 

****

 

Calla swung her car into the parking lot of Forks High, grimacing when nearly every single person loitering in the lot swung their heads around to openly gawk at her. She ignored them, heading to the admin building to collect her schedule, parking her car out the front. 

Otis had his head out the window, panting happily as he inspected everything and everyone.

The woman behind the desk in the front office openly stared at her, a plastic smile on her face as she scrutinized her and Otis, and while Calla was beyond used to being gawked at, she still loathed the intrusiveness. she was sure the nosy receptionist would be gossiping about her to her colleagues during lunch, and the thought made Calla grit her teeth.  

“Hi, I'm Calla King,” she murmured, plastering a fake smile on her face, absently patting Otis' head when he leaned against her. 

The receptionist blinked. “Welcome to Forks!” she chirped. “Your accent is simply darling! Let me just print off your schedule and a map of the school.”

She managed to keep her fake smile as the receptionist, whose name was Mrs. Cope, nattered about her visit to England in the eighties with her husband for their honeymoon, making the right intrigued noises and nodding along like a bobblehead. Finally, after a grueling several minutes of babbling about her fake life story, Calla managed to escape the office with her schedule and map.

She drove back into the student parking lot and parked next to a sleek, silver Volvo, ignoring the whispering and openly curious stares sent her way by the other students. 

She shut and locked her car doors, then made her way to the building, not at all wanting to interact with anyone just yet. She evaded all the curious girls and boys by keeping her eyes glued to the map of the school, Otis obediently trotting next to her, and searching for her locker. Once she found it, she unlocked it and put her backpack inside, keeping a notebook and a couple of pens for classes, as well as a bottle of water and collapsible bowl for Otis.

Calla ignored the not-so-subtle whispering and inspected her schedule, huffing at her first period class: American History. it was the subject she'd struggled with the most, except for prewar of independence, when Britain was more involved in the states.

She shut her locker and, after perusing the map, made her way to class as the bell rang shrilly down the hall, making the gawking students scatter.

Calla found the classroom easily enough and hurried inside only to be stopped by the teacher, who glanced at Otis with recognition, then looked back at her. 

“You must be Calla King,” he said, smiling warmly. She handed him the slip he was supposed to sign, which he did, then handed her a thick textbook. “Take a seat next to Jasper Hale, Calla. Jasper, please raise your hand.”  

“Thanks,” she muttered, following his gesture to Jasper Hale, who was looking at her in confusion, hand raised, gold eyes tracking her and Otis as she made her way to the desk she would be sharing with him. She smiled feebly and sat down, tucking her hair behind her ears. Otis tucked himself beneath the desk and laid down, head on his paws.

Calla paused, then sneaked a glance at Hale, who was also side-eying her oddly. She met his golden eyes, blinking at how utterly perfect his skin was, at how his blond hair seemed not a strand out of place, how his nostrils flared. 

Bollocks. 

Hale was a vampire .

Calla didn't panic. Hale, while a vampire, was in a room full of humans, and despite that she had never held the same prejudices as everyone back home in England. To her surprise, she had learned at MACUSA that America was far more welcoming to creatures than Britain was; in Louisiana there was a pack of werewolves, even a pack of nearly extinct Rougarou, and several vampire covens across the country, all of them with agreements with MACUSA not to draw too much attention to themselves. 

She and her dad, however, hadn’t been told about a vampire, or coven, anywhere near Forks, but Hale's eyes were indicative that he was an animal blood drinker, and one of the human vampire species, not a magical vampire. 

She averted her gaze and opened her textbook, huffing at the chapter title. Oh, the irony of the class learning about the American War of Independence when it was her first day, and she was British. 

“I'm Jasper,” the vampire next to her whispered. 

She glanced at him, smiling. “Calla. Nice to meet you.” 

He eyed her, puzzled, but his smile was kind. “You, too.” 

“All right,” the teacher called, as the last few stragglers tiredly slung themselves into their seats. “This semester we'll be learning about the American War of Independence. Maybe our new resident Brit can tell us how it started?” 

All eyes swung to her, and Calla kind of wanted to melt into her seat from sheer embarrassment. 

 

****

 

The morning flew by, and Calla suppressed the urge to eat lunch in her car if only to hide away from the open, curious gawking of everyone , especially when she entered the cafeteria and everyone turned to watch her curiously, but Otis didn't deserve to be cooped up even more. 

She'd managed to share the bare minimum of who she was to a girl named Jessica, but she was sure many rumors as to whom she truly was were circulating.

She had also had a run in with a rude girl called Lauren, who'd nosily demanded to know why she had a service dog when there was visibly nothing wrong with her.

Calla had responded monotonously. “I watched my godfather be murdered right in front of me then was tortured by his killer moments after.”

The silence had been deafening until a teacher intervened and chastised Lauren within an inch of her life, utterly appalled.

After, she went up to grab some food and hastily escaped the building, choosing to sit outside despite the overcast weather. She claimed a picnic bench and dove into the two slices of pizza she'd selected after filling Otis’ two collapsible bowls with kibble and water then let him off his leash, lobbing a ball for him to chase.

“Hi!” A voice chirped, and she looked up into the cheerful face of a pixie-like woman with amber eyes and spikey hair. Beside her was Jasper, who smiled at her when she met his eyes.

Otis sprinted back, the ball between his jaws, and happily dropped it at Jasper's feet, who crouched to grab it.

“Hello?” She muttered, utterly confused. There was another vampire. Peering behind the girl and Jasper, she stifled the urge to groan upon seeing three other vampires. 

“I'm Alice,” the pixie chirped again, extending her hand for Calla to shake.

She did so, not flinching at how cold her hand was. “Calla.” 

“I know, Jaz told me,” Alice said, beaming brightly. Calla kind of wished she had sunglasses. “How are you liking Forks so far?” 

Jasper silently held up the ball, as though asking if it was okay for him to play fetch with Otis, and she nodded absently, answering Alice, “It's alright,” she said, shifting on the bench. “Reminds me of home.” 

Jasper tossed the ball, and Otis sprinted after it gleefully. 

Alice giggled, the sound like windchimes. “Would you like to sit with us?” She queried.

Calla blinked dumbly. “Uh-” 

The statuesque blonde woman behind Alice looked utterly furious with the question, making Calla hesitate. She glanced at the behemoth of a vampire next to the woman, who looked to be whispering to her. The last of the coven(?), a bronze haired guy, was eyeing her in open confusion, brows furrowed.

Calla felt abruptly dizzy looking at him, because he looked eerily like Cedric Diggory.

Wands out, d'you reckon?

Yeah-

Avada Kedavra! 

Otis once again returned, pausing his game to gulp down some water and munch on some kibble, the sound snapping her out of the memory of the graveyard.

She felt a sharp jab at her occlumency shields and abruptly tightened them, scowling at the dull ache in her head. She knew these muggle vampires had gifts, some more powerful than others; she eyed the bronze haired boy critically, especially when he winced upon her slamming her shields down brutally on the would-be attacker. 

Telepathy? Really ? 

“Alice,” the blonde ground out, glaring at Calla harshly, disdain in her yellow eyes. 

Calla was used to disdain, especially from complete strangers, so she merely raised a sardonic brow at the woman, annoyance bubbling in her gut. They didn't even know her, and she was showing such vitriol? Sure, blondie was probably worried about muggles discovering what they were, but Calla wasn't a muggle - not that they knew that.

Or did they? 

“Oh, Rose, calm down,” Alice said, waving a dainty hand. “Calla will be a great friend; I can see it.” 

There was something about the last part of her sentence, her assurance, the wisdom in her voice, that set Calla on edge. What did she mean she saw it? 

Calla sighed and stood, quickly gathering Otis’ things. “Fine,” she muttered. “Otis, come.”

She and Otis followed the vampires - Cullens and Hales, Alice happily told her - into the cafeteria, and sat between Jasper and the big guy, who introduced himself as Emmett. 

Otis crawled under the table and curled up at her feet, munching on his kibble happily, utterly unbothered by the vampires.

Traitor.

“And this is Rosalie and Edward,” Alice told her, gesturing to them. 

Calla bobbed her head, peeling the banana she'd grabbed from the buffet. “Nice to meet you.” 

“How come you moved to Forks from England?” Emmett asked, frowning. 

Calla blinked at him. “My dad and I needed a change of scenery after an incident a few months ago. My godfather died,” she told him, sticking to her fake backstory. 

Emmett looked like she'd punched him. “Oh, I'm sorry,” he said hastily. 

Calla managed a grimace-like smile. “It's all right. You didn't know. My dad and I needed a fresh start, so he threw a dart at a map and here we are.” 

Jasper looked amused. “The dart landed on Forks?” 

Calla smirked in amusement. “Well, Seattle, but dad and I don't like big cities, and I thought the town name was funny, so we chose Forks.” 

Her phone beeped in her pocket, so she pulled it out to see a message from her dad, checking in. She swiftly replied, there's muggle vampires at my school , and stuffed it back in her pocket. 

Alice giggled again. “It is funny. We used to live in Alaska, but our adoptive father, Carlisle, got a job at the hospital so we moved here.” 

A vampire doctor. Merlin, he must have ironclad control to be around blood so often, or he was one of the few ancients who had turned to animal blood, but with the Volturi's peace treaty with the plethora of Magical Governments, vampires feeding on animals was few and far between these days, especially with the older vampires. 

Calla had been fascinated by the Volturi ever since Remus taught about them in her third year.

“So you're all adopted, but together?” She asked, amused. 

Rosalie glared at her, as though daring her to show disgust. “What of it?” she said coldly, challengingly. 

Edward rolled his eyes at Rosalie, fussing with a packet of crisps. “Yes,” he said, eyeing her as though she was utterly fascinating. 

Calla shrugged. “Kind of funny how he unknowingly played matchmaker.” 

Jasper grinned faintly. “Yeah, it is.” 

Her phone beeped again, and she checked it, stifling the urge to cackle. Your infernal bad luck is irritating. Do they know what you are? 

She responded, don't think so. But I do think one is a telepath and tried to get past my occlumency shields. 

His reply was swift. Do you know their coven leader's name? We may need to organize some sort of agreement. I'll contact Agent Frost. 

They mentioned a foster father named Carlisle, and their last name is Cullen , she told him, swiftly putting her phone away, glancing up at the vampires. “Sorry, my dad - he's overprotective.” 

“It's okay,” Alice said cheerfully. 

To Calla's immense relief, the bell rang shrilly at that moment, and she hastily stood up, Otis following her just as swiftly. “Well, thanks for letting me sit with you. See you later, ‘bye.” 

She briskly strode from the cafeteria, ignoring the eyes burning into the back of her head from dozens of pairs of eyes.

It really was just her Potter luck that the town she and her dad had chosen was home to a coven of vampires.

Chapter 2: Infernal Potter Luck

Notes:

trigger warning; panic attack
we hear from Britain, Sebastian, Calla and the Cullen coven meet to discuss a treaty, and calla experiences the teasing of a father

HADRIANA POTTER, THE GIRL-WHO-LIVED, IS MISSING

Article by Rita Skeeter

 

Everyone’s favorite savior, Hadriana Potter, 16, has been officially declared missing after failing to show up to Hogwarts this past September. The last known sighting of Miss Potter was on Platform 9 & ¾ last June, several witnesses told Amelia Bones, Head of the DMLE, who was called not by Miss Potter’s guardians - muggle or magical - but rather a concerned friend, who shall remain unnamed due to being underage. 

When I stopped Headmaster Dumbledore, Miss Potter’s magical guardian, at the Ministry, he declared that he would not comment on the investigation less it brings any further harm to Miss Potter, stating that he had every belief that it was He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named that has abducted Miss Potter. 

I went to Miss Potter’s muggle home shortly after to speak with her aunt and uncle, and I must say I am utterly appalled by them. They barely gave me a moment to speak after I introduced myself, as they immediately began ranting about ‘freaks’ and ‘affronts to the good lord’ and Miss Potter’s uncle, one Mr. [REDACTED], threatened me with a rifle, a muggle weapon that shoots bullets that pierce flesh and can kill people! I swiftly departed the muggle home, utterly astonished that our savior was left to grow up in such a home!

Several days later, I received an owl from Miss Potter’s muggle cousin, Dudley, who informed me that Miss Potter left of her own accord, telling him she was unlikely to ever return to Britain, as she was done being the scapegoat for our society, and I must admit that I, too, am guilty for smearing Miss Potter’s good name, and extend my sincerest apologies to Miss Potter, wherever she may be.

Mr. Dudley [REDACTED] went on to inform me that Miss Potter saved his life, even when he had never been the nicest to her. Just moments before two dementors swooped upon them, Mr. [REDACTED] had been verbally insulting Miss Potter, and she had saved him anyway. 

“The dementors made me feel the way I made others feel when I bullied them, and I - I hated it. I realized then that I wasn't a good person, but I had time to change. I apologized to Harry when she came home, and she accepted it - I didn't - and still don’t - think I deserve it, but she gave me her forgiveness. She explained about what was going on, how her godfather died, the dark wizard was back - she doesn't deserve to be used like she is. I'm glad she left. I hope, wherever she is, she’s happy.”

I must agree with Mr. [REDACTED] in hoping Miss Potter, wherever she is, is thoroughly happy and lives a full life with no more danger. 

Wherever you are, Miss Potter, I wish you luck.  

 

****

 

Rosalie was furious, and no matter how hard Jasper tried, he couldn't calm her down. She paced the living room, her atrociously high heels clacking irritatingly on the floorboards as they waited for Carlisle to get home. She had insisted on a family meeting as soon as school had ended, and after she'd snapped and snarled at Alice for twenty minutes straight, annoying Jasper. 

Alice may not be his true mate, their relationship more for show, to keep unwanted attention off them, but he was still fond of her and didn't appreciate Rosalie yelling at her.

“Rose, come sit, babe,” Emmett tried, again , only to be hissed at irritably. 

Edward grimaced and rolled his eyes at Rosalie. “Rosalie, stop fantasizing about killing Calla.” 

Jasper stiffened, a growl catching in his throat before confusion swamped him. Why did the thought of Calla being hurt make him so angry, so defensive? He'd spent two periods with her, and lunch. He barely knew her, save for the fact that her favorite color was a deep, burgundy red and she had several best friends back in England she missed greatly. 

Jasper met Edward's puzzled gaze, shrugging lightly at his adoptive brother's curiosity. 

“Rosalie,” Esme began, voice gentle and soothing. “Please, calm down. I'm sure this Calla isn't even aware of what we are. Alice said there is no need for concern.” 

Rosalie ceased her pacing and pursed her lips. “Alice has been wrong before.”

“Well, I'm not this time,” Alice said firmly. “She and Jasper will be close.” 

Jasper had been puzzled by that, when Alice had told him. Sure, he hadn't felt the burning need to feed from Calla when she had sat next to him, and her close proximity had been a balm to his usual constant hunger and struggle for control, but she was a tough person to get to open up, so how close could he become with her? 

The sound of Carlisle's car crunching up the gravel driveway made Rosalie begin her pacing once more. “It's too dangerous, Alice.” She glared at her sister. “We have to attend school to blend in. We don't have to befriend the humans .” 

Jasper wasn't overly fond of humans, what with their messy, hormonal emotions and the constant urge he had to rip open their throats and feed, but the utter disdain and hatred Rosalie felt towards them made him uncomfortable. 

Carlisle entered the room, bemused. “What is going on?” He asked, glancing at everyone. He smiled when Esme flitted across the room and tucked herself beneath his arm. 

“Alice is trying to befriend a human, ” Rosalie all but spat. 

“She and Jasper are going to be like siblings to one another!” Alice protested. “Her blood doesn't appeal to him, and her proximity helps his control!” 

Carlisle blinked at the barrage of information. “You've seen this, Alice?” 

She nodded firmly. “And witnessed it firsthand at lunch. Jaz was more relaxed in the cafeteria than I've ever seen with Calla beside him. She isn't a danger to us, but Rosalie -” 

“Oh, yes,” Rosalie growled, interrupting. “Paint me as the villain in this situation when our whole coven could be destroyed because of one insignificant human learning about us if she gets too close.” 

Alice scowled at the blonde vampire. “She isn't insignificant.” 

Jasper swallowed the snarl that wished to erupt from his throat, glancing at Carlisle. He was confused by the small smile on the man's face. “What is it, Carlisle?” He asked, interrupting Rosalie's growling.

“It sounds as though you and this Calla shall form a soul-sibling bond, Jasper,” Carlisle explained, smiling. 

Rosalie growled. “So, she'll become one of us?”

Alice frowned and delicately shook her head. “I don't see her as a vampire.” 

“Perfect.” Rosalie's laugh was humorless. “If she ever discovers what we are, you know what will happen. We shouldn't risk it.” 

“I can't read her thoughts,” Edward chimed in, making Rosalie scowl. “It was odd. Chief Swan's thoughts are muffled to me, but with Calla it's like there's a brick wall separating her mind from me. I caught a wisp of a thought at lunch today, but then it was like the wall slammed up. It actually hurt .” 

“This girl might be dangerous, Carlisle,” Rosalie insisted, arms crossed tightly. “We shouldn't risk our safety.” 

“She's good for Jasper, Rosalie,” Alice snapped, huffing. “You know how he struggles with our diet.” 

Jasper understood Rosalie's point, he truly did, but he had enjoyed the hour of not fantasizing about killing the entire history glass while Calla sat next to him, her scent - one of warmth and home - flooding his senses. Lunch had been a breeze, too, even as the hunger of his family and the humans lingered at the back of his mind. 

But it had been manageable, tolerable. Not the usual searing thirst that plagued him, dialed up to eleven because he felt not only his own hunger, but his family's, too. 

Carlisle looked thoughtful. “Perhaps we take it day by day, see what happens for the rest of the week, and decide then. How did she react to you all?” 

“She was uncomfortable during lunch,” Emmett told their coven leader slash father. “But I think that was more because of being the new kid.” 

Rosalie huffed loudly. “If she puts our family in danger, I won't hesitate to eliminate her-”

Jasper snarled, cutting her tirade off, and she shot him a look .

“Someone's coming up the driveway,” Esme said softly, cutting through the tense silence.

 

***

After Calla finished school, she sat down with her dad, who had spoken to Agent Frost, and they agreed that a pre-emptive treaty of some sort with the Cullen Coven was the better option between that and leaving, so they figured out where they lived and made their way over, Calla’s leg bouncing anxiously as they drove out of town.

“Everything will be fine, Calla,” Severus - her dad - said.

Otis poked his head between the seats and nuzzled at her cheek, making her smile. She reached up and scratched his neck, ruffling his thick fur. “I know, I'm just nervous.” 

Dad nodded, turning left onto a long, winding driveway that led up to a monstrously modern house that looked more like it should be in an art show than the rainy forests of Forks. 

After dad parked, Calla unbuckled her seat belt and popped the door open. She let Otis out, who remained all but glued to her side, sniffing the air. They rounded the car, joining her dad, as a young, blond man and a woman with light brown hair stepped out of the house, polite but puzzled smiles on their faces.

“How can we help you?” The man asked, who Calla presumed to be Carlisle Cullen. 

Dad flicked a hand, silently summoning his wand to his hand, and Carlisle and Esme's eyes lit up with understanding, heads tilted. 

“You're wixen,” Carlisle murmured, shoulders relaxing. 

“We are, and we would like to make an agreement with your coven, Dr. Cullen,” dad said formally. 

“Of course, please, come inside so we may discuss things.” Carlisle stepped to the side and gestured to the house, his wife's smile positively beaming. 

Calla offered a small smile to the two. “Do you mind Otis being inside?” 

“Of course not, sweetheart.” Esme smiled down at Otis, whose tail wagged furiously. “He's more than welcome. Is he working, or may I pet him?” 

Calla appreciated her asking. “You can pet him,” she said, letting go of the short lead attached to Otis’ collar. 

Esme beamed and stroked Otis’ head, looking delighted. Likely because normal dogs would have bolted by now, but Otis had been thoroughly trained to accept all magical beings and creatures, even predators like vampires.

They all entered the house and made their way upstairs to the living room, where Rosalie was sitting on the sofa next to Emmett, an icy look on her face; Jasper sat in an armchair, Alice perched on the arm, and Edward was standing by the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the woods.

“Hi, Calla!” Alice chirped, smiling happily.

“Hey,” she murmured, waving awkwardly.

“Please, take a seat,” Esme murmured, gesturing to the empty half of the sectional sofa.

Calla and her dad sat next to each other, Otis sprawling at her feet. 

“Would either of you like something to drink? We keep coffee and some soda available,” Esme offered.

“Coffee would be great, thank you,” Severus told her, smiling slightly.

Esme returned the smile and looked at Calla. “Soda, please. Thank you, Mrs. Cullen.” 

Esme beamed and scurried off to the kitchen. Dr. Cullen perched on the other armchair, smiling politely. “What agreement would you like to discuss?” 

Her dad inhaled a fortifying breath. “Calla and Sebastian are not our real names. We are currently under Witness Protection with the Magical Congress due to…happenings in Britain currently, and we wish to ensure our living here remains secret.” 

Dr. Cullen looked surprised but nodded. “Of course-”

“Who are you both, really?” Rosalie all but demanded, rudely cutting Dr. Cullen off. Calla looked at her, annoyed by her attitude. “Will you being here cause trouble for us if your kind come looking for you?” 

Calla raised her brows, severely unimpressed. Dad leveled the vampire with a flat look. “Our true identity's remaining secret is imperative, and we do not know any of you well enough to trust you with that secret. No one from Britain knows we have left Europe. Those searching for us are currently looking in Switzerland, and from what information I have been told, are going to move onto France, then Germany. The agent in charge of our case has been working to lay down false trails of us across Europe, Asia, and Australia.”

Rosalie scowled. “You don't trust us, fine, but you expect us to trust you ?” 

“Rosalie-” Dr. Cullen uttered, a scolding tone to his voice. 

Esme returned, handing Calla and her dad their drinks, looking faintly worried. 

“We understand that this whole situation is difficult,” Calla said, abruptly, clutching the glass of cola Esme brought her with one hand and petting Otis with the other. “But we came here to iron out an agreement so we could come to trust one another. It's MACUSA and Volturi Law for neighboring Wix and vampires to have agreements in place.”

“She's right, Rose,” Emmett said, a placating tone in his voice. 

Dr Cullen gave Rosalie a Look, then turned to face Calla and her dad. “I, as Coven leader, am more than happy to sign an agreement with you both. My family and I will keep your secret, and you shall keep ours.” 

Calla dug into her pocket and stood, several blood pops in her hand. “Here, these are blood pops. They were made with vampires in mind and have dragon, hippogriff, and other magical creature blood in them as well as a blood-lust potion.” 

Emmett was the first to happily try it, looking utterly astonished when he stuck the lolly in his mouth. “Oh, my god,” he gushed, voice slightly muffled. “This is so good.” 

Jasper, Alice, Edward, and - reluctantly - Rosalie, all took them, eyes widening when they tasted them. 

Esme smiled, taking the handful Calla had left. “Thank you, sweetheart.” 

Dr. Cullen and her dad went to his study to iron out the agreement, leaving Calla with the “teenagers” to socialize, as he said, which earned him a betrayed look. 

“So, you're a witch?” Emmett asked, looking excited.

Calla huffed a laugh, nodding. “Yeah, I am.”

“Only Carlisle and Esme have met wixen before, and Jasper,” Emmett muttered, all but pouting. “Can you show us a spell?” 

“Emmett,” Jasper sighed, exasperated. “Calla isn't a dancing monkey.”

She snorted. “It's fine, Jasper. Hm…” Pulling her wand from her holster, she twirled it around her fingers, then twisted it in the air, conjuring happy memories, murmuring, “ Expecto Patronum!” 

A misty, white-blue tiger burst from the tip of her wand and roared soundlessly before prowling around the room, looking for danger. The vampires, even Rosalie, looked astonished and stared as the tiger circled back to Calla and butted its head against her knee before dispersing into wisps before disappearing.

Otis pounced on one of the wisps, whining softly when he didn't catch anything, making Calla laugh.

“What was that?” Alice asked, fascinated.

“My patronus ,” Calla explained, tucking her wand away. “It's a guardian of happy memories against the dementors - do you know what they are?” 

“Yes,” Esme murmured, shivering. “We know what dementors are.” 

Calla nodded a big grimly. “Yeah, when I was thirteen, I had the unfortunate honor of meeting one and found out I had a severely adverse reaction to them, so my professor at the time taught me the charm.” 

“You were exposed to dementors at thirteen ?” Edward asked, aghast. Calla nodded. “How?” 

Calla grimaced, grief welling in her heart. “They were at my school. A prisoner escaped Azkaban, and it was thought he was after a student, so the Minister placed dementors around the school - the bloody idiot.” 

“What the hell was he thinking? Dementors would thrive around school children,” Jasper all but snarled, furious.

“They did,” Calla said, going cold as she remembered nearly being kissed, of Sirius nearly being kissed, of Sirius falling backwards through the veil, a shocked smile on his face.

“ Good one, Lils !” 

She flinched slightly when Otis sat up and nudged her, urging her onto the ground. She slid from the couch, doing breathing exercises, as Otis sprawled over her legs, raising up to lay over her chest, grounding her. 

A cold hand took her left wrist, fingers pressing into her skin, and she struggled to fight the flashbacks.

“Calla.” That was Severus, her dad, his voice low and soothing. 

She struggled to focus on him, blinking rapidly, tears streaming down her face. Otis’ head lay on her shoulder, his weight a reassuring pressure on her.

“Tell me five things you see,” dad ordered 

“You,” she gasped, “Dr. Cullen, Otis, Mrs. Cullen, Jasper.” 

“Good. Four things you can touch.” 

“You, Otis, Dr. Cullen, the sofa,” she recited, her breathing slowly normalizing. 

“Three things you hear?” 

“You, Otis, the television,” she murmured, shame and embarrassment flooding her. 

“Two things you smell?” 

“Otis, Dr. Cullen's cologne,” she breathed. “I taste the cola.” 

“Good,” her dad said, squeezing her hand. 

Dr Cullen nodded, his fingers on her pulse despite likely hearing her heartbeat. “Your heart rate is normalizing.” 

“Thanks, I - sorry,” she said, pressing her face into Otis' fur.

“There's nothing for you to apologize for,” Dr Cullen insisted. 

Mrs. Cullen came over with a glass of iced water, and Calla clutched it, focusing on how cold the glass was against her palms and how cold the water was as it slid down her parched throat. 

“Better?” Her dad asked, squeezing her shoulder. 

She nodded. “Yeah, I'm good.” 

“Sorry, Cal,” Emmett murmured, looking as though someone had kicked his puppy. “We shouldn't have pushed.” 

“It's all right,” she insisted, letting Dr Cullen and her dad help her up onto the lounge. Dr Cullen urged Otis up beside her, the dog immediately sprawling his upper half over her lap, his weight grounding her. “You didn't know it'd trigger me.” 

Jasper looked pained himself, confusing Calla. He must've seen her expression, because he exhaled softly and explained, “My gift is pathokinesis. I can feel and manipulate the emotions of others around me.” 

“Oh,” Calla breathed, grimacing. “That must be hell for you, I'm sorry.”

Jasper shrugged lightly. “I'm used to it.” 

“I heard your thoughts,” Edward whispered, staring vacantly at the ground. Calla's gaze snapped to his face, and she hauled her occlumency shields back up; she hadn't yet learned how to keep them strong in the midst of her attacks. “I'm so sorry, Calla.” 

Her Dad eyed Edward. “Can you block out the thoughts of others?” He asked.

Edward shook his head. “No, I've tried.”

“I may have a solution,” he murmured, a thoughtful expression on his face. Edward looked suddenly hopeful. Calla couldn't even imagine hearing everyone's thoughts twenty-four seven, seeing as they were animal blood drinkers and likely too weak to fall into the sleep-like deep meditation most vampires could. “Leave it with me.” 

“Thank you,” Edward murmured, nodding. “I appreciate it.” 

Calla glanced at her dad, nodding at his questioning glance. “We should go.” He said, extending a hand to Dr Cullen. “Thank you for being so willing to sign the treaty.” 

“Of course, yours and Calla's protection is paramount,” Dr Cullen murmured softly, shaking her dad's hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Sebastian, and you as well, Calla.” 

Calla managed a smile for the doctor, but still felt awkward about the freak out she'd had in front of his entire family. 

Once on the road home, her dad glanced at her. “Carlisle knows who you are,” he said, making Calla's heart leap into her throat. “He has friends in the Magical World and they told him about you years ago. He recognized you.” 

Calla bit her lip. “Will he say anything?” 

“He swore a vow to keep your true identity quiet,” her dad assured her, reaching over to squeeze her arm briefly. “I trust that he will. He seems like a good man. He was also with the Volturi for several decades.” 

Calla's eyebrows shot up. “He was ? Did he change his diet after leaving?” 

“Carlisle said he has never tasted human blood. His father was a witch hunter nearly four hundred years ago, and he went after a known vampire. He was turned, and he spent days trying to destroy himself when he came across a herd of deer and attacked them,” Sev - Sebastian explained, shaking his head slightly. “He must have exemplary control to be a doctor.”

“They move areas often to feed, don't they? The last thing the area needs is an unexplainable drop in herbivores and predators,” Calla muttered, crossing her arms. “I don't know why they've chosen to feed on animals when there's a clear overpopulation of humans around, and after time they can control their blood-lust.” 

Her dad snorted, turning into their driveway. “I believe it's a moral concern,” he told her, cutting the car's engine.

“And there's plenty of despicable humans around I'm sure the world won't miss,” Calla said, climbing from the car. Otis jumped out after her, and she slammed the door. 

“We see the world in shades of gray, unlike some,” he murmured, unlocking the front door to reveal Livia, who loosed a yowl of greeting. He scooped her up, cradling her in his arms like a child. “We've always lived in the grayer areas of life, Calla. Some will never truly understand our point of view.” 

Calla crouched to take off Otis’ harness, ruffling his fur fondly. “Yeah, I know.” 

He ruffled her hair, smirking when she smacked his hand away and scowled up at him. “Maybe you'll get to meet the Volturi Like you've always wanted. I'm sure Carlisle would be glad to introduce you.” 

Calla's cheeks flushed, and she crossed her arms tightly after standing. She remembered the utter mortification that had flooded her after one of their occlumency lessons when he'd stumbled upon a memory of her admiring a photo of the Volturi leaders - Kings, unofficially - Aro, Marcus, and Caius.

It wasn’t her fault that they were unfairly bloody gorgeous men and ticked all the boxes of what she found attractive. 

Severus had begun dropping harmless, teasing comments to fluster her, and she hated how well it worked. 

She lifted her chin, huffing. “I'm going to get dinner started!”  

“Maybe the kings can sign that book of yours-!” 

Calla tossed a stinging hex over her shoulder, grinning when her Dad yelped and cursed when it hit him.

Notes:

if anyone's confused, I've moved the hp timeline to fit with twilights, so it's currently Jan 2005 (calla's turning 17 in July), right after winter break, before Bella arrives. I'll be kind of hurrying through the events of twilight and early new moon in a long chapter soon so we get to the volturi faster cause i love them idc lol

Chapter 3: Isabella Swan

---

Time passed, and Calla found herself enjoying Forks despite the reasoning behind why she was there. For the first time in a long time, she wasn't the accursed girl who lived, but just Calla, a young girl from England who'd befriended Jasper Hale, who didn't think she was a freak for having magic.

She was no one, and she loved it.

Days turned to weeks, and Calla soon came to think of Jasper as the brother she never had. They would sit together in classes, and often spent time at Calla's house doing their homework, then the evening before dinner running in the woods, Calla in her Animagus form and Jasper using his vamp speed.

Jasper's reaction to her animagus form had been hysterical, and Calla still giggled about it, much to his chagrin. 

Calla wasn't really close with the other Cullens/Hale. Edward was far too stuffy and uptight, and their personalities clashed. Rosalie was still frosty with her, full of distrust and disdain. Calla didn't particularly care about that, but steered clear of the blond. Alice was way too chipper and flamboyant, making Calla internally cringe and kind of want to melt into the floor whenever eyes turned their way. She also didn't appreciate Alice’s desire to turn her into some living dress-up doll, what with the pixie-like vampire insisting they go clothes shopping together. 

The only Cullens Calla was remotely close to were Emmett, Carlisle, and Esme. Emmett was teaching her how to use game consoles and be a normal, muggle teen; Carlisle had indulged her curiosity about medicine and the Volturi, and Esme thoroughly enjoyed cooking and baking for Calla, who never turned down a meal or sweet treat from the woman, whose cooking was phenomenal.

Calla had been utterly baffled as to why she opened up so quickly with Jasper, and trusted him so swiftly, but Dr. Cullen had gladly explained that vampires formed unbreakable bonds with people - human, vampire, or other.

Carlisle and Esme were True Mates, also known as Soulmates, which meant they were utterly perfect for one another, their personalities complimenting the other perfectly. Emmett and Rosalie were also mates, though despite being “together”, Alice and Jasper merely put on a front for the humans, so no one would approach them.

Edward had refused to do such a thing, willing to wait for his mate. 

Carlisle had gone on to further explain bonds that could form; parental, sibling, platonic, and romantic. He finished the explanation by telling her and Jasper that they had formed a sibling bond, meaning they were soul-siblings.

After that, Calla had spoken to her dad and pretty much word-vomited the truth at Jasper, who had only grown more horrified the longer she explained who she truly was, and why she was in witness protection.

Half-way through her explanation, Calla had dissolved into hiccoughing tears and Otis and Jasper had promptly scooted her onto the floor so her service dog could do his job, his own arm a steady weight around her shoulders as she cried.

Jasper hadn't cared that she'd snotted all over what felt like a cashmere sweater, or blubbered like a baby then dissolved into a panic attack and wheezed for nearly two minutes while Jasper and Otis helped her through it.

After, once she'd finished explaining, she and Jasper had become only closer, and he’d sworn a thorough Vow and allowed her dad to place an occlumency wall around the memory so Edward wouldn't find out. 

Jasper had also explained his past to her, which had in turn made Calla want to hunt down Maria and kill the vampire herself, much to Jasper’s amusement. He’d told her about how he, as a young orphan, had been forcibly dragged into a fight he didn't believe in (meaning the confederacy), and shortly after became a Union spy once he was promoted into the youngest Major of the Texas Cavalry at nineteen. He was smuggling women and children across the border when he ran into Maria and her cohorts and was turned. He spent decades as her second in command, turning and killing newborns more and more each day, slowly going mad due to the fact he could feel their emotions. 

It wasn't until Peter and Charlotte, his only soul-brother, that he had the courage to leave.  

Her dad had also been helping Edward learn occlumency and how to control his gift, something the eternal teenager appreciated immensely. Calla couldn't even imagine what it felt like to constantly hear people's thoughts; it would drive her insane. 

 

****

 

Almost two weeks after Calla’s arrival, she breathed a sigh of relief when Jasper relayed Alice’s vision of a new girl starting on the seventeenth. Her new and shiny appearance would, thank Merlin, soon be forgotten for the new kid, not that her yearmates had really had the chance to grill her about who she was, because after Lauren’s callous, thoughtless words she’d been giving them the cold shoulder.

That, and she sat with Jasper during lunch most days, so they steered clear of his eerie, gold stare, utterly terrified of him. It was highly amusing to see Lauren pale and all but sprint from the cafeteria whenever she caught Jasper’s cold, unimpressed gaze. 

Calla first saw Isabella Swan in the cafeteria, sitting with Jessica Stanley and her group of friends. She was friendly with Angela, who’d been paired with her in their French class, and had spoken to Eric Yorkie several times, but despite that they weren't really friends. 

Jasper and Calla had claimed their usual table, a few over from his siblings, and she was making her way through the caesar salad she’d brought with her that day, Otis snoozing beneath the table on a blanket. Jasper was on his fifth blood pop, reading a book at a normal, human pace and tearing the “history” of the civil war to shreds, to Calla’s amusement.

“Why do you read those books if they only annoy you?” she asked, amused. 

Jasper huffed. “Because it’s interesting to hear the opinion of others, even if they do get some things wrong. It isn't their fault, history is written by the victors, after all.”

“Mhm.” Calla hummed, spearing some lettuce and bacon on her fork. “It always is.”

Jasper glanced over his shoulder, eyeballing Isabella Swan. “She’s asking about my family and you.” 

Calla peered at the girl briefly. There wasn't anything overly remarkable about her. She looked like every other teenage girl in the room with them. She had long, brown hair and brown eyes. She was almost unnaturally pale, though, and staring over at their table with a curiosity in her eyes that made Calla uncomfortable. When she saw Calla staring back, she flushed and ducked her head, looking away. It didn't take long, though, for her to twist and all but oggle the other Cullens and Hale. 

Jasper’s mouth twisted wryly. “She’s asking about us,” he whispered, then rolled his eyes. “She insists she's not interested in asking Edward out.” 

Calla snorted, shaking her head. “I’m no empath, but even I can sense her curiosity.” 

Jasper snickered softly, closing his book with a snap. “We’ll have to nip that in the bud before it sprouts.” 

“Poetic, Jaz,” she retorted, shaking her head fondly. She opened the container of brownies she’d made the night before, humming happily as she dug in, the gooey chocolate all but melting in her mouth. Jasper looked amused by her antics. “Wha’? S’goo.” 

“I’ll take your word for it,” he said dryly. “You have biology with Edward next, don't you?” 

“Yuh-huh.” Calla nodded, then groaned. “I don’t like biology. It’s so boring.”

Jasper sarcastically patted her head. “There, there, Cal.”

Calla scowled at him. “Rude and disrespectful.” 

He grinned, flashing perfectly white teeth, and began gathering his things. She huffed and glanced at Alice, who looked amused and happy. The bell rang shrilly throughout the cafeteria, and Calla mourned her inability to finish her brownies before class. 

 

****

 

Calla made it to class before Edward, and slipped into her seat behind his bench, where he got to work alone, the lucky sod, though likely not for long if Isabella shared their class. Her labmate, Mike Newton, smiled at her brightly as he slid onto the stool next to her, and she returned the gesture with a grimace-like thing, uncomfortable with the way his eyes slid to her chest, seemingly on their own volition. 

Thankfully, Mr. Molina didn't take too long to show up, gushing about the subject he taught as per usual. It was kind of adorable of him, truthfully, even if most of the information went right over Calla’s head. 

Isabella strode into the class, leaving her coat on the rack by the door, and stepped up to Mr. Molina’s desk with a familiar slip in her hand. 

In front of Calla, Edward tensed and covered his nose and mouth with a hand. Calla’s phone buzzed in her pocket, and she subtly pulled it out to see Alice had messaged her. He won’t lose control, but can you help him? 

Calla pursed her lips and glanced at Mike, whose back was turned to her as he chatted with Tyler. She subtly flicked her wrist, her wand sliding into her hand, and whispered a spell under her breath, one her dad had shown her; it was a modified bubble-head charm, one that was invisible and filtered any and all scents from the air, specifically made for vampires. 

Edward’s shoulder’s visibly relaxed, and he glanced over his shoulder to meet her gaze. “Thank you,” he murmured. 

She smiled and pulled a blood pop from her pocket, slyly sliding it across the table under a ten dollar bill. Edward took both, nodding, and faced the front. He swiftly put the lolly in his mouth, relaxing even further, just as Isabella slid into the seat beside him, looking puzzled. 

Calla could have groaned. Of course, the new girl had to be Edward’s blood singer. 

 

****

 

Calla didn't actually meet Isabella until she and Edward idiotically began dating, something that boggled her mind and, oddly enough, was the catalyst of her and Rosalie’s friendship. They - and Jasper - were of the mind that Edward was being a bloody idiot dating his blood singer, tempting himself with her blood, let alone confirming her suspicions that vampires exist!!  

She was just glad that her dad had thought of secrecy contracts that ensured none of the Cullens could explicitly say, or write, that they were magical. If Isabella ever discovered their secret, they’d have to obliviate her and move away, something she most assuredly did not want to do. 

Edward may be blazè about he and his family's secret, their lives, but she was not so careless about herself and her father.

Carlisle’s seeming indifference about his son breaking their laws lowered Calla’s estimation of the kind of man he was. He had lived with the bloody Volturi, he knew that Isabella knowing about them without being either turned or, uh, silenced was against the Volturi’s most important law, besides creating immortal children.  

Jasper, Rosalie, Calla, and Emmett were of the opinion that Isabella should be turned immediately or silenced, but Edward strictly forbade it. What did he think would happen? That he’d get away with breaking the law? Lingering about his blood singer for the next eighty years, everyone else none the wiser? 

Calla was flabbergasted by his stupidity, and spent quite a while ranting and raving about Edward’s idiocy and foolishness just because he wasn't able to read the girl’s mind and he thirsted for her blood. He was stupid and a masochist, and any sort of friendly feelings Calla had for him died a grizzly death. 

Jasper and her dad were both the unlucky sod's to hear her many rants.

The day she met Isabella, call me Bella, she was at the Cullen’s house writing an essay with Jasper - well, he was helping her write an essay on the American War of Independence - when Edward and Isabella entered the kitchen, the girl looking awkward and pale, as though seconds away from bolting back down the stairs. 

Esme had begun cooking for Calla, and decided to make enough for Isabella as well. 

Rosalie was scowling as she held a salad bowl for Emmett, who was very pleased to be trusted to be in charge of the garden salad.  

“Bloody waste of tea, if you ask me,” Calla muttered, scowling at her laptop. 

Jasper snorted, loudly. “Of course that's your concern.” 

Isabella and Edward entered the kitchen, then, and Calla forcefully schooled her expression into neutrality. 

“Bella, we're making Italiano for you and Calla,” Esme greeted, smiling warmly. 

Edward nodded to Esme. “This is my mother, Esme, for all intents and purposes.” 

Bella fidgeted awkwardly. “Bon giorno?” 

Esme smiled. “Molto bene!” 

Carlisle tossed the diced bacon into a hot pan, smiling. “Calla's given us an excuse to use the kitchen for the first time; we're glad to add you to that list.” 

Isabella glanced at Calla, who smiled tightly. Esme clasped her hands. “I hope you girls are hungry.”

“For your cooking, Esme? Always,” Calla declared, smiling at the woman. 

“Oh. Absolutely,” Bella insisted, though Calla knew immediately it was a lie.

Edward stepped forward. “She already ate.” 

Calla's brows rose incredulously. Esme and Carlisle had informed him of the meal they were making, and told him to invite Isabella…

The glass bowl in Rosalie's hands shattered, lettuce and shards of glass flying everywhere. 

Calla stifled a snicker. 

“Perfect,” the woman said, furious. 

“I - I just assumed - I mean, you don't eat, uh-” Isabella stammered. 

“Food?” Calla suggested, amused despite the tense situation. 

“Y-yeah, and I-I didn't know Calla would be here-” 

“Of course.” Esme smiled, but it was tight. “That was very considerate of you.” 

Edward looked at Isabella. “Just ignore her. I do.” 

“Yes. Let's keep pretending that this isn't dangerous for all of us,” Rosalie snapped. 

Isabella hastily said, “I would never, ever tell anyone.” 

“That doesn't matter.” Calla shut her laptop and stood, approaching Isabella and Edward. “There's only one truly important law to vampires, enforced by their unofficial kings, the Volturi, and that is for any human who discovers the secrecy of vampirism to be turned or killed. There is no third option.” 

Edward glared. “Calla-”

“No. She should know, Edward, if she wants to be involved with you,” Rosalie all but hissed. “If the Volturi finds out that she's aware and you have no plans on turning her, we all die.” 

Isabella paled. “Wha-What? What about Calla?” 

“Calla is-” 

“That is none of her business,” Calla interrupted fiercely, glaring at Edward. She looked at Isabella. “Rest assured, Isabella, that I am quite safe from the law, as I have not broken it. The rest, you need not know about.” 

She looked confused. “But you're human, aren't you?” 

Jasper paused at Calla's side, giving her silent support. “Yes.” She sighed and crossed her arms. “I have laws of my own to follow, and I will not break them, even if Edward deems it okay to break his own.” 

Edward glared at her. “I'm going to give Bella a tour.” 

Calla watched them leave, a pit of dread forming in her stomach. 

This would not end well. 

Notes:

Next up, Calla meets the Quileute tribe and makes some new friends and finds family, Edward tries to get around the secrecy contract, and a baseball game is played

Chapter 4: The Witch Hunter

Calla unclipped Otis’ leash, giving him the go ahead to run about the woods like a maniac. He did so, but always remained within her eyesight. He sniffed at everything, chased bugs and small animals, and struck a triumphant pose when he jumped onto a fallen tree, panting gleefully. 

She laughed and ruffled the thick fur around his neck, giving him a treat from the pouch around her waist. “Good boy,” she said. 

Calla meandered through the woods after Otis, keeping an eye on him as he bounded around like a pup, stopping to inspect anything and everything he could, a small smile on her face. 

She liked the woods of Forks. They were peaceful, and the cool, damp air reminded her of the Forbidden Forest without the fear of running into centaurs or acromantula, or worse. 

Otis loved it, too, and was thoroughly enjoying himself. He'd chased a brace of rabbits from their den, barking joyfully, and tried to jump up to catch a bird, but failed hilariously, whining when it flew away twittering. 

Calla paused and glanced around, then smirked and fell onto four paws as the Animagus transformation fell over her, something she'd accomplished a while ago, hoping to surprise Sirius.

But then he died.

Otis barked happily and trotted over to her, sniffing at her happily. She'd spent a significant amount of time with Otis and her dad's familiar, Livia, in her animagus form so they didn't perish from heart failure every time she morphed into a huge, Siberian Tiger around them.

Calla had been surprised by her animagus form, but after reading what her form symbolized, she had to agree it was fitting for her, and her dad had agreed.

She butted her head affectionately against Otis, chuffing loudly, her version of a purr in this form. Otis’ tail wagged wildly, and she took off in a sprint, Otis following with a loud, wild bark of joy.

Calla leapt over fallen, moss covered trees and wove through the brush, Otis hot on her tail. He crashed into her, grabbing at her ruff harmlessly with his teeth, and they rolled about in the foliage on the ground, play-fighting with snarls and growls rumbling in their chests. 

She managed to pin him, licking his face and chuffing loudly. 

“What. The. Hell?”

Otis immediately stood to attention, staring at the young, half naked man standing not too far away. 

Calla rolled leisurely to her paws and blinked at him slowly, sniffing the air curiously. She could smell faint traces of canine, but it wasn't coming from Otis. 

She stood and transformed, smiling at the man's utter bewilderment. “Hi,” she said, waving. 

He gaped. “You're a shifter, too?” 

Calla tilted her head. “Kind of. What do you shift into?” 

“A wolf.” He stepped forward, then said, “Sorry, my name's Sam.” 

“Calla,” she said, thrusting a hand out. She gestured to Otis. “This is Otis, he's my service dog.” 

Sam shook her hand, his skin far hotter than a normal human. “Nice to meet you, Calla. You're close to Tribal land-”

“Oh, I'm sorry! Do I need to tell your chief, uh…elders? About me? And my dad?” 

Sam looked pleasantly surprised. “That'd be great. I'll take you to meet Old Quil and Billy Black.” 

“Black?” Calla queried, blinking rapidly as she fell into step with Sam. 

“Yeah, why?” Sam asked.

She swallowed. “Oh, I just - that was my godfather's last name. He adopted me.” 

Sam looked apologetic. “Sorry for your loss, Calla.” 

She managed a feeble smile. “Thanks.” 

They walked for a little while longer, emerging from the woods near a small, slightly run down house with red siding. Sam led her around the house to the front door, and knocked. 

A man in a wheelchair with long, dark hair and familiar gray eyes opened the door, a curious expression on his face. 

Calla's breath caught, and Otis pressed his cold, wet nose against her palm. 

“Hey, Billy, this is Calla, uh-” 

“King,” she croaked.

“Calla King,” Sam said, smiling at her. “She's a shifter like me, though she turns into a tiger.” 

Billy Black looked fascinated. “Really?” She nodded dumbly. “I'll call Old Quil and we can head over.” 

Calla nodded absently, too stuck on the fact that Billy Black had the same gray eyes as her godfather. 

 

****

 

Old Quil didn't live far from Billy's house, and he and another man sat on the porch with beers in their hand when she, Sam, and Billy arrived. 

“Hey, Sam,” the unknown man called, waving. 

“Harry,” Sam greeted, gesturing to her. “This is Calla King. Calla, this is Harry Clearwater.” 

She shook his hand, smiling. “Nice to meet you, sir.” 

Old Quil was, well, old, and smiled at Otis, who was sniffing about curiously. “Who's this handsome fella?” 

“Otis,” Calla said, smiling when the dog's ears perked up and he trotted over to her, panting happily. “My service dog.” 

Old Quil nodded. “May I say hello?” 

“Of course,” she said, clicking her fingers and gesturing to the man. “Otis, say hello.” 

Otis padded over, nudging at Old Quil's arthritic hands, demanding pets. “Beautiful dog,” the man murmured, petting Otis’ head.

Sam helped wheel Billy onto the porch and grabbed Calla a chair. She took it with a murmured thank-you and sat down, crossing her legs. 

“Sam said you're a shifter?” Harry asked.

Calla tilted her head back and forth. “Kind of. I can turn into a tiger, but there's more than that…that i can't really say.” 

Old Quil looked amused. “You're a witch,” he stated, confident and sure. Calla gaped at him, making him guffaw. “Pah, you're not the first witch we've met, Miss King. Several of our tribesmen and women have been blessed with magic before. Our tribe has long held a treaty with MACUSA. Billy here, his daughter went to Ilvermorny.” 

Sam smiled faintly. “My grandma was a no-maj born.” 

Calla smiled. “That's a relief. So magic is how you turn?” 

“Yes,” Harry said, nodding. “Even if most of us are squibs, the latent magic in our blood allows us to shift when the Cold Ones are nearby.” 

Calla was fascinated. “That's amazing. So your wolf forms are to protect the tribe?” 

Old Quil nodded. “Yes. Sam is the first of his generation to shift.” 

Calla turned to Billy. “Do you happen to have ancestors from England?” 

Billy nodded, smiling. “My grandmother, Maria, was from England. She was cast out of her family for not having magic of her own. Her maiden name was Black as well.” 

Calla swallowed thickly. “My grandmother was Maria's sister.” 

Billy's eyes widened. “Truly?” 

She nodded, smiling through the tears in her eyes. “We're family.” 

 

****

 

Calla's dad was wryly amused that she had stumbled across her long lost family members, but happy for her all the same. He knew how lonely she felt, technically being the last of her family. All of her grandparents had died before she was born, and she remembered little about her mum and dad. 

Sirius had been the last true connection she had to her family, and Bellatrix had killed him without care. If she was to get really technical, she was related to the Weasleys and Neville, but Billy, Rebecca, Rachel, and Jacob Black were her closest living relatives. 

Billy had introduced her to Jacob, who was unfairly tall, but had been happy to meet her and showed off the car he was working on. He'd sent emails to Rebecca and Rachel, too, passing along her number to them, so they could get to know one another despite the distance. 

Rebecca lived in Hawaii with her husband, Solomon, who was a professional surfer. She was a painter - magical and muggle - and often traveled with her husband for his competitions. 

Rachel had gotten a scholarship to Washington State University and was living on campus, rarely finding time to come home, but often called to talk to her dad and brother. She had messaged Calla first, welcoming her to the family and suggesting that if Calla was around her school they should meet for coffee.

Jasper had been highly amused to discover her relation to the Black family, dryly remarking that fate truly did love screwing with her.

Calla honestly could not have agreed more emphatically. 

Despite finding family she was excited to get to know, Calla had been keeping an eye on Edward and Bella, suspicious that the teen vampire was trying to get around the secrecy contract, because she had seen Bella with some odd books and eyeing her intently, an unsettling amount of curiosity in her gaze.

The girl was truly getting on Calla's nerves. She acted as though she was entitled to know Calla's secret, as though it was some fun challenge rather than literally breaking the law. 

Also, she was furious with Edward. Who did he think he was, trying to reveal her secret, putting not only her, but her father in danger? The man who had given up everything to protect her from Dumbledore? 

The audacity of the bloody Merlin be damned man-child infuriated her, and even her dad had looked furious when she told him of her suspicions.

“I will speak with Carlisle and reiterate the importance of keeping what we are secret,” he all but hissed.

Calla nodded, aggressively buttering her toast. “One of the books was about magic users.” 

Dad loosed an impressive growl, for a human. “Dunderhead. Does he not realize that we shall have to wipe his pet human's mind if she discovers our secret? 

Calla bit savagely into her toast, chewing quickly. “I'm half tempted to send an owl to the Volturi myself. She's not even his mate. She's his blood singer. What happens if he meets his mate while they're together? He just dumps her and leaves her human?”

He gave her such a droll look that she nearly choked on her sip of tea. “Carlisle must take him in hand, or he threatens the safety of his entire coven.”

Calla snorted derisively. “Carlisle is acting all chipper and happy as though Edward has found his mate. Maybe it's because Edward was the first vampire he turned, I don't know, but Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper aren't amused.”

“No, I don't imagine they are,” dad murmured. “Perhaps writing to the Volturi is a good idea.” 

Calla shrugged. “I don't know what to do.” 

“I will contact Carlisle after our lessons this morning,” her dad said, getting up to make himself another cup of coffee. This morning he was wearing a Black Sabbath shirt. “You should go get yourself ready for them. I'll meet you in the basement.” 

Calla nodded and polished off the last of her tea and toast. She dumped the dishes in the dishwasher then hurried upstairs to get changed. 

Her dad had formed a schedule for her magical education, which included all of the core subjects as well as dueling and mind magics. Agent Frost had helped by having vetted and oath-sworn professors at Ilvermorny put together information packets for him to go off, including assessments and quizzes. 

Calla had to admit she preferred it to muggle school, but she understood the necessity of blending in, and a teenage girl not going to school would draw unwanted attention. 

Being in the U.S and doing the Ilvermorny coursework had made Calla annoyed by the severe lack of standards at Hogwarts. How her old school had the status it did boggled her mind, because Ilvermorny's curriculum was far more advanced and in-depth. 

Calla had always hidden her intelligence out of necessity, otherwise the Dursleys would have likely gone through with their threats of drowning her if she did better than their precious Duddy, and preferred to learn alone and away from the classroom; that hadn't changed at Hogwarts, because the one time she answered a question right and received the top position in her year, Hermione Granger had accused her of cheating and thrown a tantrum. 

The allegations of cheating had been disproven, but that had brought up some very unwanted memories, so Calla had stopped actively participating in class, not wanting Granger’s suspicious, gimlet glare on her any longer. 

Her dad wouldn't allow her to sabotage her education, though, and neither would the Ilvermorny professors who marked her essays and quizzes; her dad had been furious when he learned that she purposely dumbed herself down in his class, and had her start potions from scratch.

He had almost grinned at her perfect cure for boils potion she had made for him, looking slightly terrifying. 

Dueling was Calla's favorite lesson, as she got to utilize the defensive and offensive spells she had learned about. Her dad was a brilliant duellist, and rarely went easy on her, but everything he did was a lesson. 

Jasper had watched one of their duels one day, and looked seconds away from fainting after dad got her with a bone-breaking hex to the leg, and she’s sure she hadn't made it better when assuring him that she had had worse injuries.

Even her dad had looked furious.

That morning, though, Calla managed to trip her dad up with a flurry of spells in quick succession, a sneaky, silent exspelliarmus thrown in at the end that had his wand arcing toward her. 

“I win!” She chirped, throwing up a shield as dad tossed a wandless stupefy her way. 

He shook his head, amused, and held out his hand for his wand. “Very well done,” he told her.

Calla beamed, pleased with herself. “Thanks!” 

Her dad's nose wrinkled as he took an exaggerated sniff. He gently shoved her shoulder. “Go shower. You stink.” 

“Me?!” She gasped, feigning offense. “You stink!” 

 

****

 

Calla did indeed take a shower, and once she was clean she and Otis left for the preserve, running through the forest to reach the Black house together. Jacob was in the shed working on his car, so she slunk inside and roared at him, snorting when he yelped, hands flailing. 

A wrench flew across the shed, making Otis bark when it landed with a loud clang. 

“Calla!” he protested, planting his fists on his hips.

She rolled onto her back, chuffing, and eyed him with the most innocent expression she could muster. Her cousin rolled his eyes and crouched next to her, scratching her chest for a second. She rumbled happily, pressing a huge paw against Jake’s cheek. “Alright, kitty-cat.”

Otis, finished his sniffing inspection of the shed, joined them and licked Jake’s other cheek, panting gleefully when Jake pet him, too. 

Calla rolled back onto her paws and shook herself, then turned back, stretching with a grin. “Hey, Jake,” she murmured, snorting at Otis’ extremely pleased expression as Jake rubbed his belly. 

“Cal,” he greeted, standing. She scowled up at him, because despite her heeled ankle boots he still towered over her. He grinned at her expression and ruffled her curly hair. “Pipsqueak.” 

“Oi, respect your elders!” She snapped, ducking away from his absurdly huge hands. She righted her hair, running her fingers through it, and stepped away, eyeing him with feigned annoyance. 

“Oh, yeah, ‘cause the year between us is so huge,” he remarked dryly, going to fetch the wrench he’d thrown in his fear. 

“I’m seventeen in four months!” Calla said, chuckling. “I’ll be an adult then.” 

Jake scoffed, hunching over the engine of his car. “And so much wiser, I'm sure.” 

Calla poked her tongue out at him, dropping onto an overturned milkcrate turned chair. “What’s Billy making for dinner?” 

“He’s ordering pizza; it’s an actual crime that you’ve never had it before.” he poked his head up, eyeing her. “Don’t let my dad convince you that pineapple on pizza is normal, though. That's sacrilege.”

Calla blinked. “It sounds tasty though.” 

Jacob straightened, staggering with a hand over his heart. “Argh! How could you say such a thing?! Disgusting!” 

“Drama queen!” She guffawed.

 

****

1988

 

The castle was lively, and Marcus ensured to keep his expression perfectly schooled in his usual ‘trial mask’ as his brothers called it, one of utter boredom. Didyme, Sulpicia, and Athenadora were busy scurrying about the ballroom, Chelsea, Heidi, and even Jane gladly helping decorate for the ball Aro had declared would be held, for only the gods knew what reason. 

Beside him, Caius looked as though he had smelt something terrible, arms crossed. “And why did our brother declare this an imperative event?” he queried, voice crisp with annoyance. 

“It’s Aro, Caius,” Marcus uttered drolly, brow raising as Jane snapped in fluent Italian at her twin brother, who had placed a centerpiece crookedly. 

Caius made a face as thought to say ‘fair enough’ and continued watching the females scurrying about. 

Poor Alec looked terrified and hastily corrected his mistake, shooting dark looks at Afton, Demitri, and Felix, who were snickering at his plight. 

Five, four, three, two, one, he thought dryly, sighing when Jane predictably had the three of them on their knees, squealing like children with her power. No one laughed at Alec but her. 

Marcus and Caius shared a dry, exhausted look, exacerbated as their brother flounced into the room, a pleased smile on his face. “Ah, it looks wonderful, my dears!” 

Didyme flitted to her brother's side, beaming cheerfully. Thena and Cia followed, besotted expressions on their faces for their mate. “Thank you, fratello!” 

Aro smiled indulgently at his sister, who in their human years had been significantly younger than him, and kissed her cheeks. “As always, Didyme, you have outdone yourself.” 

“Father, tell your cretins to cease annoying me,” Jane complained, pointing an accusing finger at Afton, Felix, and Demitri, who all straightened and affected their own ‘trial masks.’ 

Marcus sympathized. 

Caius scoffed. 

Aro tutted gently. “Jane, be kind to your brothers, please.” 

Jane harrumphed, arms crossed.

Marcus lost focus, blinking in astonishment as a curling ribbon of purest gold appeared in the room, fracturing thrice and twining toward he and his brothers. He gasped as it hit his chest, right over where his unbeating heart lay. 

Caius and Aro echoed the sound, hands flying to their chests, mimicking Marcus’ own movement. 

“Fratello?” Didyme queried gently, placing a hand on Aro’s arm. 

“Mate,” Marcus breathed. 

Caius’ head whipped around to look at him, pale blond hair flying. “What?”

Aro was delighted. “Marcus?” 

“Our mate was just born,” he whispered, astonished. He had long ago given up hope of ever finding a mate. But they had just been born. 

And he shared them with his brothers. 

The gods were cackling at him. 

“Oh, you’ve got to be joking,” Caius hissed, rubbing his chest. “We share a mate?” 

“Oh! We’re to have another king or a queen!” Thena cheered, elated. 

“Let us hope it’s a queen,” Sulpicia uttered dryly, “There are far too many males around here as it is.” 

“Hey,” Alec complained, frowning. 

“Not you, darling, you’re an angel,” Thena assured, kissing his cheek. 

Alec beamed, cheeks dimpling. 

Marcus slowly smiled, a wondrous expression on his face. “What is todays date?” 

Aro huffed. “July thirty-first, nineteen-eighty-eight, brother, honestly. You must cease forgetting the date…” 

Marcus tuned him out, more than used to his rants. He was too busy imagining his mate, whoever they may be, and when he might meet them. 

 

****

 

Calla jumped from Jasper’s arms and skipped toward Esme, who looked amused by Emmett’s boasting of his home-run during their last base-ball game. She ignored him and approached Rosalie, who was eyeing her mate with warm eyes. “Where’s Edweirdo?” 

Rose snorted. “He’s bringing his human pet.” 

Calla groaned loudly, tipping her head back to glare at the sky. “Ye gods, why dost thou forsake me?” 

Rosalie laughed loudly. 

Jasper joined them, twirling an aluminum baseball bat in his hand absently. “Don’t blame the gods, darlin’, blame our brother.” 

She grumbled insults under her breath, dropping petulantly onto the ground with her arms crossed, Otis sprinting past after the ball Emmett must’ve tossed for him. Alice was tossing a ball up into the air and catching it across the field, expression absent as she…prophesied or whatever. 

Thunder rumbled, as did Emmett’s jeep as Edward pulled up. She watched as Bella nearly tripped twice as they approached, and facepalmed to hide her exasperated expression.

“Bella, I'm glad you're here. You can help Calla and I umpire,” Esme greeted, gesturing for Calla to join them.

She reluctantly dragged herself from the damp ground and padded over, dodging Jasper's prodding with the baseball bat.

“Hi, Calla,” Bella muttered shyly.

Emmett passed by, laughing. “Esme thinks we cheat.” 

“Jasper told me you do!” Calla called, snickering at the hurt look Emmett tossed Jasper.

“Call ‘em as you see ‘em, Bella,” Esme said reassuringly.

The game commenced, and Calla cheered for Rosalie as she sauntered up to bat first, the vampire throwing her a smirk. 

Calla was beyond amazed to watch them play without holding back. They were fast, their agility and speed beyond compare. She may have met a magical vampire once, but she'd never seen his supernatural abilities besides strength in play.

Rosalie growled and sneered at Bella when the human girl insisted that Rose had been too late getting back to home base, making Calla snicker.

She high fived Rose as she passed, enjoying that they had gotten over their differences. They weren't nearly as close as she and Jasper, but they also had lost the animosity that had once been between them.

They had mostly bonded over their shared dislike of the Bella situation, but bonded nonetheless. 

“Show off,” she muttered when Jasper stepped up to bat, her soul-brother flipping the bat around with a smirk.

Jasper shot her a smirk.

They took a break for a while after Jasper scored a home-run, and that's when Alice gasped and stiffened, eyes wide with shock.

“Stop!” The seer shouted breathlessly. 

Everything ground to a halt, and Calla called Otis to her side. Jasper flashed over to her, body taut with tension.

“The Nomads - they were leaving and heard us.” Alice flitted over, expression full of stress. 

Calla flexed her right hand, heart lurching into her throat. She glanced over when Edward began fussing over Bella, scoffing when he had her change jackets with Esme and take her hair out to cover her neck, the most scent-potent part of her.

“Like that'll work,” Rosalie scoffed derisively. “I can smell her across the field.” 

Edward looked mournfully down at Bella, whose expression was terrified. “I'm sorry. I never should have brought you here.” 

Jasper met Calla's gaze, his eyes apologetic. She flicked her right hand, her wand sliding into her palm. “It's not your fault,” she murmured in heavily accented French. Fleur Delacour would be horrified. “I can protect myself.” 

Jasper looked pained, but nodded and glanced over at the three red eyed vampires waltzing toward them. There were two men, both wildly different from one another; one was a tall, beautiful black man with long dreadlocks and the other was shorter, muscular, and blond. The only female was a redhead, and stunningly gorgeous.

All of them were eyeing the Cullens curiously, without malice save for the natural, predatory air all vampires had.

Calla angled her body, hiding her wand behind her leg. Otis’ ears were pricked, his hackles raised, as he sensed her distress.

The black male held up a baseball. “I think you lost this.” 

He tossed it, and Carlisle caught it easily. “Thank you,” he said, smiling easily. 

“I am Laurent,” he introduced, a faint French accent lacing his words. “This is James and his mate, Victoria. We're just passing through.”

“This is my family,” Carlisle introduced, gesturing to everyone. “Your eating habits have caused something of a problem for us.” 

“Our apologies,” Laurent, the supposed spokesperson, uttered, placing a hand on his chest. “We did not know anyone held a permanent residence here.” 

“We have a residence nearby.” Carlisle gave a friendly smile.

“The humans were tracking us, but we led them east. I'm sure you'll have No troubles.” Victoria smirked, eyeing them all with interest.

Laurent smiled. “Do you have room for a few more?” 

Carlisle smiled and nodded. “Of course, a few of us were just leaving.” 

James was alternating between watching Bella, Alice, and Calla. His eyes remained on Calla, who tightened her grip on her wand.

A cool breeze whispered through the field, and Calla stiffened, heart pounding, when James bared his teeth in a smile and inhaled deeply.

“Witch,” he purred at her, eyes slowly turning black with hunger. 

Notes:

Next up; Calla is being hunted, again, this time by a vampire who delights in taunting his victims. Bella gets them in trouble, and we find out what vampire venom does to magicals
We also check in with the volturi, and how our Kings have spent the past nearly 17 years since their mate was born (Calla is gonna meet them soon hehe)

Chapter 5: Mates

Calla wanted to scream in sheer exasperation as Jasper moved faster than her human eyes could perceive, crouching in front of her, lips peeled back from his teeth, and a growl rumbling like thunder in his chest. 

Rosalie and Emmett bracketed her, their own teeth bared and snarls ripping through the air. Carlisle, Esme, Alice, and even Edward slipped into defensive poses around her and Bella, eyeing the nomads intently.

Laurent held his hands up, looking panicked. Even Victoria looked worried, hand gripping James' arm tightly as her mate crouched slightly, eyes all but glued to Calla.

Calla subtly fingered the bracelet on her wrist, pressing down on the charm and sending a pulse of magic through it to alert not only her dad, but Agent Frost, that she was in danger.

“The girls are with us,” Carlisle warned.

“We can see that,” Laurent assured, hands still held up. “We don't mean any harm.” 

Calla scoffed and gestured to James. “Tell that to him.” Bella glanced at her, stunned and terrified. “He's practically drooling.” 

Jasper slowly glanced over his shoulder at her, disbelief writ across his face. 

Victoria looked amused by her words, but insistently tugged at James’ arm. “James. Let's go,” she murmured.

James remained still, staring Calla down with naught but hunger in his black eyes. She met them fearlessly, twirling her wand in her hand, as though daring him to try. 

Laurent shifted. “James. We're leaving.” 

Victoria pulled James away, and in a blur of motion the three nomads were gone just as twin cracks of aparation echoed, her dad and Agent Frost stalking towards them with their wands drawn.

“What happened?” Her dad barked, looking unimpressed.

“Nomad vampires. One sniffed me out,” Calla explained briskly, sighing heavily. 

Agent Frost, a man one would severely underestimate at first glance, huffed a huge breath. “Of course.”

Edward stepped forward. “I read his mind. He delights in hunting…your kind due to the magic in your blood.” 

Agent Frost looked furious. “Really,” he deadpanned.

Calla gestured to a frightened Bella. “You'll have to obliviate her,” she told her dad, who looked crossly at the girl. 

Bella stammered. “I-I won't tell anyone-”

“That does not matter,” Agent Frost said crisply. “It is against the law for no-maj's to know about us, so until you are turned you mustn't know. Sebastian, will you do so once this matter is settled?” 

Edward tried to protest, but failed, and went silent under her father and Frost's cool stares. Carlisle put a hand on his arm.

“Will you take Calla from Forks?” Jasper asked, his southern twang thicker due to his distress.

Her dad scoffed, crossing his arms. “No. That would be doing what the Hunter wants, making the chase all the more exciting for him. You should take Ms. Swan home.” 

Edward glanced at Carlisle, who nodded reassuringly, so he took Bella's hand and led her to the jeep, the human girl stumbling after him.  

“What will you do?” Rosalie asked, arms crossed tightly. 

Agent Frost smiled.

 

****

 

Edward texted Carlisle all he'd gleaned from the hunters mind, detailing the wixen the vampire had drained of blood over the years, making him MACUSA's most wanted within mere seconds. 

Agent Frost pulled out a phone and began speaking into it, pacing the length of the Cullen’s living room. 

Calla slouched in an armchair, honestly unphased by the fact she was once again being hunted by someone. It was pretty much a normal day for her, having someone after her for some reason or another. 

Jasper looked annoyed by her nonchalance.

“My partner is going to Italy to inform the Volturi of James’ pastimes,” Agent Frost remarked, flipping his phone shut. 

Rosalie perched on the arm of Calla's chair. “Why don't we just find James and kill him?” 

Agent Frost looked disapproving. “We have laws for a reason, Ms. Hale, and we follow them. James’ crimes mean he's to be imprisoned for several years in our prison, not torn apart and burned, if the Volturi allow us jurisdiction over this particular case.” 

“Why did James hunt down magical people?” Emmett asked curiously, absently petting a dozing Otis.

Calla glanced at him. “Because of our magic, our blood is considered a…delicacy to your kind. Even more potent than a blood-singer. It also heightens a vampire's senses tenfold, because of our magic.” 

Alice snapped out of her daze, blinking. “James is making too many decisions and scrapping them for me to see what course he'll take.” 

Agent Frost nodded, humming. “We will catch him, but I thank you for your efforts, Ms. Cullen.” 

“So it's illegal for vampires to feed off Wixen?” Emmett queried.

“Without consent, yes,” her dad explained. “Wixen react differently to your venom than a normal human. Over the centuries, our magic has…evolved, if you will, due to us being indiscriminately hunted for our blood. The Romanian Coven, before they were overthrown, kept wix as blood slaves.” 

The Cullens looked disgusted. Esme placed a hand over her mouth, eyes wide and damp with tears that would never fall. “What? That is barbaric.” 

Agent Frost looked wryly amused. “Because we do not turn, nor do we scream in agony as your venom enters our system, and the delicacy that is our blood, the Romanians took advantage of that and kept hundreds, thousands of men, women, and children for them to feast on over the years they were in power,” he explained. 

“What does our venom do to you?” Alice asked, as though worried about the answer.

Her dad answered her, “It makes us feel euphoric, as though we are high on drugs. The compliance that comes, the addiction, makes it very easy for vampires to take advantage of us and use us as blood slaves.” 

Rosalie looked thoroughly disgusted. “What happened when the Romanians were overthrown?” 

Agent Frost shifted. “The Volturi and the Triumvirate of Wix* came to an agreement to ensure no magical persons would be used like that again. Some wix enjoy allowing vampires to feed off of them, and as such the law states that no vampire may feed off Wixen without consent.” 

Calla nodded along. “We learned about it at school in Third year. The youngest person found in the Romanian's clutches was seven. She'd been born there.” 

Rosalie looked utterly disgusted. “Well, then, I'm glad the Volturi overthrew them.” 

Agent Frost nodded dryly. “As are we Wix. The Volturi has treaties with dozens of Magical governments globally, save Britain.” 

Calla made a face. “The Wix Ministry in Britain is slow to change. They're stuck in their ways and refuse to acknowledge that magical creatures are just as human as the rest of us, with a few quirks.” 

“You would think blood drinking is a quirk,” Jasper quipped, having remained silent for the explanation. 

Calla smirked at him, amused. “Well, it is.” 

Agent Frost's phone rang, and he swiftly answered it, listening in for several moments, nodding along to what his partner had to say. “Very well. I shall keep you informed.” He hung up and met Calla's eyes. “Caius Volturi and several of the Guard are coming to liaise with us.” 

Calla very maturely ignored the amused, teasing grin her dad sent her at the news that the Caius Volturi would be coming to Forks. 

 

****

1988

 

Predictably, Caius wished to find their mate immediately. Aro, Marcus, and Didyme promptly refused him, insisting that their mate was an infant human, and no one in the castle truly remembered how to take care of one, and their mate deserved a normal, human life before an eternity of vampirism. 

Caius very begrudgingly agreed.

Aro's ball went on, coven leader's from all over the globe converging on Volterra for the impromptu celebrations; it was something they had done more often, when the world was not so advanced, but now the humans would surely discover them if droves of vampires were to, like clockwork, converge on Volterra once a century.

Marcus managed to survive the ball, and even enjoyed himself - marginally. He had never been one for social events, and detested simpering fools even more than Caius did on a good day. False flattery grated upon his nerves. 

He spent most of the evening eyeing the golden ribbon connecting his brothers to a nameless, faceless mate somewhere in the world.  

Eighteen months later, he and his brothers had to fight their instincts, Aro even ordering Felix and Alec to hold them back as their mate bond strained, agony and pain ricocheting through them.

What was their very young mate experiencing for them to feel it? 

It was the first time they'd felt such a thing, but it would surely not be the last.

 

****

1989

 

For ten years, he and his brothers had felt low-level pain coming from their matebonds. They endured it, all of them resisting the urges to flee Volterra in search of their mate and whoever harmed them, their instincts all but screaming at them to hunt down the perpetrators of their mates pain and rend them limb from limb.

Alec became accustomed to using his powers against them, over the years. 

Marcus had always been fascinated by mate bonds, and not just because of his ability to see them. Vampires always felt the bond stronger than humans, so it was safe to say their young mate was none the wiser of their existence, yet Marcus, Aro, and Caius felt every hurt, mental or physical, their poor mate felt. 

At the end of 1990, they were all very neatly brought to their knees from the pain their mate was experiencing. Alec, once again, had to use his powers to stop them from doing something rash and dangerous, even if Caius snarled insults for forty minutes.

 

****

1990-present day 

 

It continued, because of course it did. The pain came and ebbed away, sometimes more agonizing than before, but it never truly went away. 

Aro gave Caius permission to search for their mate on their sixteenth birthday, in 2004, which positively elated Caius, who had been nagging for years to be allowed to do such a thing.

Marcus merely rolled his eyes and bid him good luck, because how was his mercurial brother supposed to find one human in a veritable sea of them? The humans were dangerously close to overpopulation, which was not surprising. They bred like rabbits. 

Marcus wished his brother luck, honestly. He knew their mate would find their way to them one day. It was fate that they were to meet, as all True Mated pairs - or, in this case, a mated quad - were.

For close to seventeen years they had waited, and it seemed as though the gods themselves were rewarding their patience when Agent Graves came to inform them of a vampire hunting wixen in the states.

Caius volunteered to go himself. He had been restless of late, chomping at the bit for a good fight. Alec and Dimitri were dispatched to go with him, as their abilities would be imperative to finding the Rogue nomad. 

Caius also wanted to use the opportunity to look for their mate in the United States, having already scoured several European countries with no luck. He had mused about searching Australia next, though that country was ever tricky to navigate due to the constant sun.

Marcus and Aro sent their brother off with Agent Graves, wishing him luck in finding their mate. 

Jane appeared. “Uncle, Father, a nomad was brought in for feeding within the walls of Volterra.” 

Aro sighed loudly. “No rest for the wicked, as they say.” 

“And you're the wickedest of us all, brother,” Marcus quipped, laughing at the offended squawk Aro loosed.

Jane giggled, skipping ahead of them to the throne room. 

“Dear brother, you wound me,” Aro declared, as dramatic as ever. 

Marcus smirked. “Will our sisters be joining us?” 

“Of course.” Aro nodded. “Caius insisted that dear Thena take over his duties. They truly are soul-siblings, she is just as vicious as he is.” 

“Yes, I am.” 

Aro would deny until the end of time that he squealed in fright at Athenadora's abrupt appearance. 

Marcus and Thena shared an amused look, which Aro of course pouted about until they reached the throne room doors. 

They donned their masks and pushed the doors open, revealing Felix holding down a blood-stained nomad.

There truly was no rest for the wicked.

 

****

Present day

 

Bella was scared, but she knew that she would be safe in her house. Edward had to leave, to check in with his family and Calla about what was happening, and she had promised to stay inside and keep the doors locked while he was gone. 

After all, it wasn't her being hunted like an animal. The hunter, James, had barely paid attention to her, something Edward reminded her about before he left.

She was mostly in shock, because Calla was a witch, and by the sounds of things, Bella would soon have that information wiped from her mind with magic. It was as mind boggling as discovering vampires were real; what else existed? Werewolves? Fairies? Dragons? 

Bella wasn't sure, but she couldn't wait to find out. 

She realized that Edward had been trying to help her, giving her books that held a wealth of information about witches and wizards - or wixen, as they preferred - and so she sat down with one of the books open in her lap, devouring the contents curiously. 

A thud came from downstairs, and Bella slowly rose from her bed, heart pounding in her chest. “Ch - dad?” She called, voice trembling slightly. 

Charlie’s voice didn't answer her, someone else's did. “No.” 

Bella whirled, gasping when her eyes met the deep, blood red of James’. She stumbled back, crying out when her foot slipped off the top step of the stairs.

James' hand lashed out and grabbed her wrist in a bruising grip, a sly smirk on his lips. “Don't want you to fall and break something…or bleed.” 

Bella trembled like a leaf in the wind. “Wh-what do you want?” 

“I want the witch,” James hissed slowly, “and you're going to help me find her.” 

“I-I-” she stammered, but James merely tightened his grasp and glared.

“Or your father dies,” he purred, and Bella's heart leapt into her throat. 

“Wha-what do you want me to do?” she asked, terrified. 

“You're going to draw her out of her house, which is warded against me. Once you've done that, I'll let you and your father go,” James murmured, leaning close to inhale her scent.

“Where is he-?” Bella demanded.

James’ hand wrapped around her throat, teeth bared. “Do not question me, human.” 

Bella snapped her mouth shut and nodded meekly.

James smiled. “Good girl.” 

 

****

 

Calla stood on the porch, eyeing the trees surrounding the house she had begun to think of as home. Her dad and Agent Frost - who insisted she call him Derek - had strengthened the wards, and she knew where they began, and was going to remain behind them even if the self-sacrificing part of her was screaming to leave and act as bait so no one else got hurt.

Otis was sticking close even as he sniffed around to go potty, making her jittery. In the house, her dad, the Cullens, and Agent Frost were talking about what to do when Caius and his guard arrived. 

She hated waiting. It was agonizing, but her dad had been helping her to stop thinking so lowly of herself, to stop thinking that she alone had to take on the weight of the world, to fix everything and save everyone. 

She didn't. She was one teenage girl in a world full of more than capable adults, and she was learning to rely on them. Her dad had never really given her a reason to doubt him, especially not after he gave up everything to save her life. 

Otis stalked the border of the wards, hackles raised, growling. Calla's breath hitched, and she stepped forward, eyes wide as she searched the dense treeline. 

In the house, she could faintly hear everyone talking, but that didn't matter, because suddenly Isabella fucking Swan appeared looking pale and terrified. 

“What are you doing here?” She demanded, approaching the wards. 

“H-he has my dad,” Bella stammered, terrified. “Please, he has my dad. Y-you have to help me.” 

Calla huffed. “Bella, he's probably tricking you-” 

Bella looked frustrated, and stupidly reached forward and grabbed Calla's arm, her hand cold and shockingly strong. She pulled, and Calla, caught by surprise, stumbled over the wards.

Otis began barking like mad, especially when James appeared with a Cheshire cat smile.

“Hello, witchling,” he purred, grabbing her and Bella around their waists.

They vanished before Alice's vision even ended. 

 

****

 

Caius resisted the urge to double over and groan once the portkey was over with. He loathed wizarding travel, it made him unbelievably nauseous, something nearly impossible for vampires, and he instinctively, as a vampire, shied away from accursed floo travel. 

Even Alec and Demitri looked a bit ill from the sickening twisting, and they had perfected their blank expressions centuries ago. 

They arrived to utter chaos. The Cullens were there, one looking nearly feral as he shouted at whom he knew to be the telepath.

“What the hell is going on?” Graves barked, catching their attention. 

“Caius,” Carlisle greeted, tone warm despite the worry on his face. “Calla was taken by the hunter.” 

“A human girl, Isabella Swan, helped him. We think she was threatened into doing so,” Agent Frost explained briskly. 

Caius tilted his head in a predatory manner. “You have told a human of our existence, Carlisle?” 

Carlisle looked chagrined. “Caius-”

“We shall speak of it once we find young Ms. King.” Caius waved a hand, though he pinned his supposed ‘old friend’ with a cold look, severely unimpressed. “Do you have Ms. King's scent?” 

“Won't James’ be masking it?” The seer Aro was obsessively fascinated by asked.

Caius sighed, even more unimpressed. “Because I am a human blood drinker and quite a bit older, my senses are significantly stronger than yours.” 

A man with dark hair and hazel eyes full of fury straightened and flicked a dark wand, a shirt flying into his hand. “This is Calla's shirt.” 

Caius nodded, knowing who the man truly was, who Calla truly was. Agent Graves had been thorough in his explanation, and even more so with secrecy, politely requesting that the Volturi sign a secrecy contract. 

He took the shirt and raised it to his face, inhaling deeply. The girl's scent coated the shirt, and it was the most heavenly scent Caius had ever smelt, and he had met ten blood singers throughout his three thousand years of life.

Her scent was all of his favorite things; oil paints and turpentine, freshly laundered clothing, old parchment, ink, and the sea.

He peeled his eyes open, not having realized he closed them, and blinked. “I and my guards will find her,” he all but snarled.

The man he knew as Major Jasper Whitlock stepped forward. “My king, I humbly request to aid you. Calla is my soul-sister.” 

Caius nodded, hand clenched in Calla's shirt. “Very well.” 

The four of them exited the house, eyeing the forlorn looking dog sitting on the back porch, staring at the woods with intelligent eyes. The Major paused and petted the animal. “We'll bring her back,” he murmured.

The dog whined and lay down, its head on its paws.

Caius descended the stairs of the porch and unclasped his cloak, letting it fall to the ground. He approached the wards, inhaling deeply, and felt a growl rumbling in his chest when he smelt his mates scent pungent with fear.

“Master?” Demitri queried, eyeing him oddly. 

Caius tilted his head. “I smell her.” 

“She's your mate,” the major stated, staring at the side of his face. 

“Yes.” Caius sprinted into the woods, his guard and the Major following him, determined to find his mate and tear the fool who took her apart.

 

****

 

Calla had never been drunk before, but she was pretty sure it felt like how she was feeling now, James’ venom coursing through her veins, her neck bleeding heavily as she swayed where she sat, hand pressed against the wound.

She felt like nothing mattered, like she could fly without a broom; it was euphoric and wonderful and she kind of never wanted it to end. 

She now understood why people volunteered to do this. It was great.

James was tormenting Bella for believing his lies about her dad, and Calla couldn't help but giggle at the girl's foolishness. 

She idly wondered where Laurent and Victoria were. Had they plead wilful ignorance and left James up to his antics? Most likely. 

It wouldn't matter when Caius got there, ‘cause he'd probably kill all three of them. 

The thought made her giggly again. Caius Volturi, like his brothers, was stupidly pretty and she was fascinated by him just as much as Aro and Marcus.

She listed onto her side, laughing uncontrollably as the tree canopy above her spun and twirled, her vision blurring. 

Hands grabbed her arms, and she blinked blearily, smiling dopily at James, who looked smug and amused. 

“I do love your kind's reaction to our venom. It makes it easier to draw out the pleasure of drinking you dry,” he purred, baring bloody teeth.

Bella was staring at them in horror, face pale, as James sank his teeth into her neck again, making Calla gasp in ecstacy when his venom hit her bloodstream, driving her higher and higher.

She sighed, leaning against him, her knees going weak.

She vaguely knew she should fight back, but she could barely stand on her own, let alone draw her wand and fight, especially when she was seeing double.

James pulled away from her neck, and Calla whined softly. “You're so delicious,” he murmured, grasping her chin. “Even more so than others of your kind. You must be powerful, when you're not drunk off my venom.” 

“Uh-huh.” She nodded like a bobble-head, internally screaming at herself to shut the hell up.

James tilted his head, bloodied lips curling into a smirk. His gaze caught on her face, and his eyes widened as he traced the faint, barely there scar that couldn't be wholly glamored. “I don't believe it,” he whispered. “The Girl Who lived.” 

Calla clumsily covered his mouth. “Shh. ‘Tis a secret.” 

James grinned behind her hand, but abruptly she was dropped to the ground, and he was there, slamming James into the ground, snarling viciously into the vampire's face.

Calla rolled onto her back, giggling like an idiot, and stared up at the young, pale face of someone she didn't know. She kind of recognised him.

“Alexi? No….Alex? Uhhhh…” She mumbled.

“Alec,” he stated, looking slightly concerned by the amount of blood gushing from her neck. 

“Yes! That's it!” She cheered, the world spinning as Alec helped her sit up against a tree. 

Caius was slowly ripping James’ head off, fury etched across his pretty, pretty gorgeous face. Alec laughed, and she intently focused on him. “I said that out loud, didn't I?” 

“Yes,” Alec said, tearing a piece of his cloak to wrap around her neck tightly, to stem the blood flow. 

“I informed her father.” Another vampire knelt by them, expression tense. “How high are you?” 

“Good, how are you?” She asked, eyeing him with wide eyes when he guffawed. She spotted Jasper next to a sleeping Bella and perked up. “Jaz! Jasper!” 

He flashed to her side and knelt on Alec’s other side, taking her hand. “Hey, Cal, how are you feeling?” 

“So good,” she said, blinking slowly as dark spots danced across her vision. “Oh. Not anymore. Feel bad, might pass out.” 

An arm flew passed her head, and she turned to stare at it in surprise. A loud crack echoed, and she startled, gasping happily when her dad knelt in front of her, expression severe. “Dad!” She cheered. 

His expression softened slightly. “Drink,” he ordered, thrusting a potion at her. Blood replenisher. She dutifully downed it, grimacing at the horrible taste. 

Calla tilted her neck when her dad gently grabbed her chin, and frowned when he cursed as he removed the makeshift bandage Alec had put over the bite mark. He murmured a spell she wasn't familiar with, and she groaned as she felt the venom being forcibly drained from her bloodstream, pouring down the front of her shirt from the wound in her neck.

“That is so gross,” the unknown vampire stated plainly. 

A vicious, deadly snarl tore through the clearing, and Alec moved swiftly, dragging her dad and Jasper away from her. She stared, confused, as Caius bloody Volturi stalked toward her, eyes black as pitch, blood splattered across his clothing. Her blood, from when he'd torn James apart.

Her breath hitched when he knelt in front of her, hands coming up to frame her face, though he didn't touch her. She was utterly bewildered, confused as to why this - this king looked so concerned for her. 

“They're mates,” Alec told her dad, who looked distressed. 

Calla felt abruptly light-headed again, and gaped at Caius, whose dark eyes were glued to her neck. “Alec,” he bit out sharply. “Prepare the hunter for transport to Volterra.” 

“Yes, master,” Alec said promptly, beginning to gather the limbs of the vampire.

Caius’ eyes met hers. “Are you well, mio caro?”

“I - um - yes,” she stammered, heart racing, because Caius Volturi was her mate. She was Caius Volturi's mate. “Hi.” 

Caius’ full lips curled into an amused smirk. “Hello,” he murmured, holding his hands out. She slowly grasped his hands with her own, squeezing her eyes shut as he helped her to her feet. 

She gasped, eyes flying open, when her feet left the ground. She tried extremely hard not to blush, but knew she probably failed, because Caius looked even more amused, and when she caught his eye, her dad was smirking at her. 

She huffed and rested her head against Caius’ shoulder, closing her eyes. She was so tired.

“Rest, darling,” Caius told her, “you're safe now.” 

Calla nodded. She had never felt safer in her life, in the arms of a deadly, ancient vampire.

How bloody ironic. 

Chapter 6: Consequences

Calla woke up in her bed at home, the covers tucked around her and Otis snuggled up close next to her. She slowly sat up, breathing a sigh of relief when the world didn't spin. 

Otis perked up and bullied his way onto her lap, licking happily at her face and whining lowly. She laughed and buried her fingers in the thick fur at his neck, returning the kisses all over his face. 

“Hey, boy,” she murmured, absently checking her neck with her hand. The skin was smooth and unbroken. She assumed her dad had healed her, and also put her in some clean pajamas, which was a relief. She didn't fancy sitting around in bloody clothes. “Where is everyone?” 

“Downstairs.” 

Calla gasped and flung a hand out, her wand flying into her hand from where it had lain on her bedside cabinet. She pointed it at the pale man by her window that overlooked the backyard, heart racing in her chest. 

“Peace,” Caius told her, holding his hands up. She lowered her wand, heart rate slowly going down. Otis grumbled at Caius, who looked amused. “I did not mean to alarm you.” 

“It's okay,” she murmured, trying not to blush like a fool. “How long has it been?” 

“Three hours,” Caius told her, arms crossed languidly over his chest. He wore a loose, silk shirt that was open at the collar, revealing a pale chest and a few necklaces around his throat, one of which was the Volturi crest. He also wore slacks and a pair of shoes that probably cost more than the entire contents of her bedroom. “The Cullens left to hunt and returned a short time ago. Agent Graves returned to Italy to bring my brothers here, for a trial.” 

Calla's breath hitched at the thought of all three Volturi Kings being in her home. She remembered, very vividly, hearing Alec tell her dad that Caius was her mate. Is that why she had felt drawn to the Volturi for so long? So fascinated by them? 

“If you are well enough, your testimony is needed against the hunter even though I found him…feeding from you,” Caius bit out, his beautiful face twisting with anger. 

She nodded and pushed the duvet from her legs, urging Otis up and off her at the same time, and stood, wobbling for less than a second before Caius was there, holding her elbows. 

She smiled at him, blushing only slightly. “Thank you,” she murmured, glancing down at her clothes. She was wearing a pair of track pants and a graphic t-shirt; it was a Led Zeppelin shirt she'd grabbed after her dad introduced her to them. “I should change.” 

“There's no need,” he told her, stepping back. “Wear what you are comfortable in, Calla, this is a private trial, due to our…bond.” 

She bit her lip and nodded, stuffing her feet into the slippers by the bed, and made her way downstairs, feeling oddly safe and comfortable with Caius, who was several inches taller than her, walking behind her when, if anyone else did so, she'd have cursed them.

Maybe it was the mate bond? She had so many questions. 

The modestly sized kitchen was full of vampires and wixen and, ugh, Isabella, who looked terrified as she clung to Edward, whose expression was cold and icy.

Her dad was chatting amicably to Aro and Marcus Volturi, making her want to kind of pinch herself to see if she was dreaming. 

He caught her eye and straightened, excusing himself and hurrying over to her. She didn't say anything, merely wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his shoulder once he was close enough, relief flooding her. She was home, she was safe.

There was a certain violation to being bitten by a vampire against one's will, especially because of the reaction wixen had to a muggle vampire's venom. 

It was akin to being roofied at a party, and Calla felt vulnerable after James’ attack. 

Sebastian hugged her back, cupping the back of her head gently. He didn't rush their hug along, as he usually would when she'd cheekily hug him, merely held her to him and let her decide when to end it. 

She stepped back, finally, and wiped at her damp eyes. “Hi,” she murmured, feeling embarrassed. Otis nosed at her palm gently. 

“Are you alright?” He asked gently, squeezing her shoulders. “We can postpone-”

“I'm okay, promise,” she said, smiling faintly. 

Her dad nodded and stepped back, and his trust in her decision made her feel warm. She smiled at Aro and Marcus, the former looking positively delighted to meet her, the latter holding nothing but warmth in his gaze as he looked at her.

She felt warm and fuzzy, and blinked dumbly at the two. “Oh,” she breathed. 

Aro smiled, seemingly having realized that she had realized that she wasn't only Caius’ mate, but he and Marcus’ too. 

“I am simply delighted to meet you,” Aro said, a beaming smile on his face as he approached her. 

He's so pretty, she thought stupidly, but said, “Hi,” and waved. Like a dork. She shot Jasper a look when she heard a muffled snort, her soul-brother giving her a shit-eating grin in return, though his eyes were warm with relief. She cleared her throat and extended her hand. “Nice to meet you, too.” 

Aro eyed her hand, then her face, looking unsure. “My dear, I, ah, am capable of touch telepathy.” 

“I'm an occlumens,” she assured him, smiling. 

“Oh,” he breathed, looking relieved, and gladly clasped her hand and bowed over it to kiss her knuckles. “The pleasure is mine, darling.” 

Okay, yes, she was blushing, sue her. She dared anyone to not blush when an annoyingly beautiful man, no, king, kissed their hand like that. 

Marcus rolled his eyes, though the gesture was fond, and dipped his head and kissed her hand, too. “Hello, tesoro, I look forward to getting to know you.” 

His voice is so deep, oh, my god. “I - me too,” she all but squeaked.

This time it was Rosalie who snorted at her, looking amused but understanding when Calla glanced her way. “I’m glad you’re alright,” she murmured, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder gently. 

“Thanks, Rose.” She smiled, but it morphed into a scowl when Emmett had the audacity to ruffle her hair, snickering at her wholly ineffectual glare. “Oi, Gigantor!” 

“Perhaps we should get the testimony over with, hm?” Sebastian suggested lightly, “Do any of you want a drink?” 

Calla stifled the urge to laugh when Isabella’s eyes bulged in stupefaction. She ignored her, though, furious with the girl for all but handing her over to James to become the man’s personal Capri Sun for the gods knew how long, even if she had been tricked; Calla firmly believed that Isabella wouldn't make it in the magical-slash-supernatural world. It was cutthroat and you had to have ambiguous, gray morality to truly survive. It was a lesson Calla had learned the hard way, but appreciated nonetheless. 

“Oh, I do enjoy a firewhiskey,” Aro said, smiling appreciatively. 

“Blishen’s or Ogden’s?” Sebastian asked, opening a kitchen cupboard as the Cullens filed into the living room, led by Calla. 

“Ogden’s, thank you.” 

Calla claimed the window seat that overlooked the front yard, jerking her wand at the hearth to light it. Several of the Cullen’s flinched at the flame, so she explained, “It's a magical flame, it won't actually burn you - just warm the room.”

Jasper perched next to her, eyeing her intently. “You okay?” 

She offered a small smile. “As okay as I can be after being used as a vampire’s juice box.” 

Jasper snorted and rolled his eyes, whereas Emmett dissolved into raucous guffaws of amusement. Her dad and the kings, along with their guards, entered the room holding crystal tumblers of whiskey, her dad trailed by a floating tray. 

Calla accepted a huge mug of strong tea, cradling it between her hands. None of the guards accepted alcohol, even though it would take gallons to affect them, and stood behind the kings, all of whom kept glancing at her while the wine and scotch was passed to the Cullens. Isabella was handed a can of soda, muttering a thank you under her breath. 

“Has the hunter's mate made contact?” Marcus queried. “She surely would have felt his….dismemberment.” 

“No, but their acquaintance, Laurent, waylaid us as we were hunting,” Carlisle revealed. “He warned us that James and Victoria were both…unhinged, and less civilized than most of our kind have become.” 

“Oh, great,” Calla groused, sipping her tea. “Will she come after me next?” 

“She had better not,” Caius all but snarled, stiffening where he sat. “She would not survive the encounter, I assure you.” 

“Master Caius, I would be honored to hunt down the female to protect our queen,” Demitri, the vampire who'd been in the clearing, said.

Calla choked on a sip of her tea, staring at Demitri, flabbergasted. “Q-queen?” She asked, voice slightly shrill. 

“Of course,” Aro nodded, calm as you please, as though Calla wasn't currently having an existential crisis.

Jasper petted her back, likely in an attempt to be comforting, but his smirk said that he found the whole situation absolutely amusing. She elbowed him, frowning when he feigned pain, grabbing at his ribs.

“What happened, Ms. Swan, that made you think it was a good idea to hand Calla over to the hunter?” Aro asked the human girl, who quailed under his intense stare. 

“He - he threatened my d-dad,” she stammered, heart likely pounding. “He told me that he had him, and if I didn't help, he’d kill my dad.” 

“And you complied,” Caius stated, voice icy. 

“She didn't have a choice,” Edward all but spat, making Calla’s brows raise incredulously. Where did he find the audacity to speak like that to the literal kings of his kind? “James would have killed her, and her father, and found another way to get to Calla.” 

“Ah,” Aro sighed, eyeing him with disappointment. “And then there is you, who broke our most sacred law; never tell a human about us unless they are your mate or you plan on turning them. I confess I am rather disappointed, Carlisle, in the way you lead your coven, if your first sireling believes himself above the law.” 

Carlisle bowed his head slightly. “Aro, my friend, I-” 

“I do not wish to hear your excuses.” Aro stood, placing his empty glass on the coffee table, and approached the leader of the Cullen clan, hand extended. Carlisle, with an expression of resignation on his face, placed his hand in Aro’s, and she watched, fascinated, as Aro’s gaze seemed to cloud slightly. It was over within moments, and Aro dropped his ‘old friends’ hand swiftly. “I see.” 

“Well, brother?” Marcus inquired. 

“Young Edward has no plans to turn Ms. Swan, though Carlisle has made the decision, privately, to do so himself if necessary,” Aro explained.

Calla watched as Isabella glanced at Edward, pained, while the vampire glared at Carlisle, as though betrayed by him. 

“Our laws, though few, are very clear,” Caius said, glaring at Edward. “The girl must be turned or silenced. She is a liability. She is not your mate, boy, but your singer. You put our kind at risk by…fraternizing with her.” 

Calla bit her lip savagely to keep from laughing aloud, only to glare, irritated, when Edward - the fucking man child - all but sneered at Caius. 

Protectiveness rose inside her, and she glared, hard. “I’m the first to admit I have a problem with authority, but those I dislike I usually have a reason to. What the hell is wrong with you, Edward? You broke the law because you're fascinated by your inability to read her mind. Caius, Aro, and Marcus are trying to protect your kind from being discovered, and that includes keeping vampire-kind a secret.” 

Edward turned his sneering glare onto her, only for Marcus, of all people, to snarl at him - viciously. Silence reigned, all eyes on Marcus as he stood and stared Edward down. “The next time you glare at her will be the last time. Respect your queen, boy.” 

Calla was a thousand times more attracted to him because of his actions, and valiantly ignored the blush undoubtedly on her cheeks. 

Aro clasped his hands. “Due to the complicated situation of two governing bodies having jurisdiction, perhaps we might speak of this without those present who must not know?” Agents Frost and Graves nodded. “For now, i give you one year to turn Ms. Swan into a vampire or silence her, permanently, lest we return. I understand an unwanted investigation would occur if she was to go missing now, due to her father’s being in law enforcement. Agents, if you please.” 

Calla watched, curious, as her dad and the agents had Isabella stand, the girl looking terrified, only for her expression to slacken when her dad spoke. “Obliviate!” 

Edward growled, standing stiffly beside them. “Is this necessary?” 

“Yes.” Graves tilted his head, staring. Calla had to withhold the urge to squeal - she admired the man greatly, especially his near miraculous survival after Grindelwald and the determination to keep fighting against him. She also admired his husband, Newt Scamander, who had been given permission to live amongst the Volturi for several months to document their species. She kind of wished to ask for an autograph. “You may not wish to obey and respect your laws, but the wixen in this room respect our own.” 

Calla shared a look with Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmet, impressed and highly amused by the dig. 

Her dad cast a sleep spell over Bella, then deposited her into Edward’s arms. “Take her home and then return. I have a stricter secrecy contract for you to sign, as it is clear you cannot be trusted whatsoever.” 

Edward glared, though it had little effect on her dad, then vanished out the kitchen door, bella unconscious in his arms. 

 

****

 

Calla’s testimony of events didn't take long, and Frost and Graves conceded in the end, handing the responsibility of what would happen to the hunter to the kings, understanding their instincts would not allow for James to live after he hurt Calla.

It was surreal, honestly, to acknowledge that Aro, Caius, and Marcus were her mates. She had never really thought she’d have a future with anyone, thinking she would likely die young, but now she had a chance, and they didn't want to be with her because of her fame or money, they had enough of both ten times over, but because she was merely herself. Because they would compliment one another.

It was both surreal and utterly amazing. 

After the Cullens left to go home, with firm reminders of their laws, the Volturi guards all seemed to relax entirely, and Aro gladly brought Calla over to introduce her. “My dear, these are our elite guards; Jane and Alec, twins; Jane has the ability to inflict the illusion of pain on people, very handy, whereas Alec robs a person of all their senses.” 

She raised her brows, impressed. “Pleasure to meet you both. Your powers sound amazing.” 

Alec, a tall, willowy young man - he must’ve been turned at sixteen at the least - with dark hair, smiled and bowed. “Thank you, my queen, the pleasure is ours.” 

Jane nodded, offering a polite smile and bow. She was a woman of few words, it seemed, as she only said a customary polite greeting before stepping aside. Calla merely nodded and turned to the other two guards, one even taller and muscular than Emmett, the other wearing a flamboyant waistcoat under his cloak. 

“This is Felix, he is uncommonly strong, even for a vampire,” Aro explained, smiling. “And Demitri, our tracker; he merely needs the tenor of one's mind, their scent, and he can capture them.”

Felix gently took her hand in his and bowed over it. “‘Tis an honor to meet you, my queen.” 

“You too,” she said, smiling. 

Demetri folded himself into a flamboyant bow, one arm sweeping out while the other was folded over his abdomen. “My queen, it is quite delightful to meet you,” he proclaimed. 

Aro sighed. “Demitri is quite eccentric.” 

Demitri snorted. “You’re one to talk, boss man.” 

Calla loosed a surprised laugh, though she was glad to have her suspicion of the volturi being different behind closed doors confirmed. She also noticed Felix and Demitri’s gazes seemed to be drawn behind her, and turned to see they were ogling her father, who was speaking with Marcus, Frost and Graves. Gods, she hoped he wasn't telling him anything embarrassing - wait!

She looked back at Felix and Demitri, eyes narrowing slightly. She glanced at Aro, who merely raised a brow, smirked, and nodded. She grinned, and perhaps it was only slightly evil. 

“Would you do us the honor of joining my brothers and I on a walk, mia cara?” 

Her answering smile was a little shy. “I’d love to.”

 

****

 

Otis adored the kings, which was a good thing for them. They seemed to like him, too, which was yet another good thing, because Calla would have never let the mate thing go further if her mates didn't like her dog, or her dog hated them. 

“It is not often an animal shall allow us this close,” Marcus revealed, gladly taking Otis’ ball and throwing it. 

“They sense the predators we are and flee,” Caius explained, helping her sit on a fallen tree. 

“Otis was trained to recognise the difference between a friendly vampire and non-friendly,” she told them, smiling as Aro, uncaring of the dirt, knelt to pet Otis, murmuring nonsense to him. 

Otis soon tired from fetch, and sprawled on the forest floor after sniffing out some water and taking his fill. 

Calla glanced at each of the vampires around her. “What do you want from the bond we share?” 

“Whatever you are willing to give,” Aro said promptly.

She shook her head. “That's not fair. If we're to make this work, we have to agree on how to go forward. I also have to tell you-” 

“We know who you are, Hadriana,” Marcus murmured softly, gently taking her hand in his.

Her breath hitched at the mention of her birth name. She hadn't heard it in nearly a year, and it felt strange to be called Hadriana again, but no matter how much she might wish she could, she couldn't outrun who she truly was.

“Agent Graves told you?” She asked, staring at Marcus’ hand; the difference between animal and human blood drinkers was stark. Jasper's hands were usually ice cold and hard, unyielding. Marcus’ was cold, but not freezing, and definitely not as hard - it was more human-like. 

She liked how it felt holding her own. 

“He felt it necessary to inform us,” Caius explained, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, his pale blond hair falling into his face slightly. He absently ran his hand through his hair, the rings on his fingers glinting in the light. “To highlight the importance of protecting you.”

Calla felt abruptly dizzy. 

“Thank you for coming,” she said, smiling at them. “I didn't say so earlier, but I appreciate it.” 

“No need to thank us, tesoro,” Marcus murmured, raising their joined hands to kiss the back of hers. Yep, definitely dizzy. “We will always be there to protect you.” 

“S-so,” she stammered, valiantly ignoring the vampires’ smug smiles. “I'm, um, I - I can't return with you to Volterra immediately, but I can come this summer, so we can…get to know one another?” 

Aro looked put-out, but understanding. “Of course, la dolcezza.” 

She beamed. “I've always wanted to visit Volterra. I've only ever seen the photos Mr. Scamander took when he stayed with you, but it looks beautiful.” 

Caius smiled at her warmly. “It is, il mio, and we shall be glad to show you around Volterra. You and your father, as well as Otis, are more than welcome in Volterra.”

Calla, despite everything, couldn't help but be utterly glad she had come to Forks, otherwise she wouldn't have met her mates, perhaps ever, but she had, and she couldn't be happier.

 

****

 

It was hard saying goodbye to the kings’ and the guard. In the few days they had remained, she had spent as much time as possible with them, getting to know them all, and insisting the guard call her Calla, not ‘my queen’ all the time.

She had also watched, highly amused, as Felix and Demitri shamelessly flirted with her dad the whole time, making the renowned Severus Snape actually blush. It was as fascinating as it was hilarious.

Calla moped a bit after they all left, but Jasper was called in by her dad to drag her out of the house and distract her, which he succeeded at successfully by driving them to Seattle for the weekend, splurging on a fancy hotel room. 

They went on a tourist walk around the city, ending up at the Space Needle, where Calla gleefully took too many photos and ignored the complaining about Otis’ presence. 

After that, they went on an underground history tour, and Calla couldn't have expired. She was so excited and happy.

On Sunday, they lounged about their hotel room, then Jasper surprised her with a lavish - and stupidly expensive - spa day for her to relax further. 

By the end, she had been pampered within an inch of her life and her skin was silky smooth. The ladies in the spa had even had food and water for Otis, and happily clipped his nails and massaged coconut oil into his paws, then brushed out his fur, something he'd given an abundance of kisses for.

On Monday, Calla nearly did a happy dance in the middle of the cafeteria when she realized that Isabella barely acknowledged her, the memory wipe having worked.

She was free to go about with the girls unnervingly hungry, curious gaze following her. 

Edward had signed an ironclad secrecy contract, too, written up by goblins, and the consequences were truly nasty, not limited to a hundred years in the goblin mines.

Oddly enough, Calla and Rosalie were now friends. It had been half her idea for Jasper to pamper her all weekend after her ordeal with James, and Calla appreciated it deeply, so they exchanged numbers and texted almost as much as she did with Jasper and her mates, who had returned to Italy safely. 

Calla was counting down the days until the summer.

 

****

 

HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED CONFIRMED DEAD BY GOBLINS AND HIS OWN SON, LORD CORVINUS SLYTHERIN 

Article by Rita Skeeter 

 

In a rather shocking turn of events, the son of the Dark Lord has revealed himself to the Wizengamot this past week to claim his seats and informed the august body that his father, who stylised himself Lord Voldemort, is undeniably dead after Lord Covinus himself performed a disinheritance that seemed to have killed his father, the magical strain too much for the weakened Dark Lord. 

Lord Corvinus had this to say on why he remained hidden for so long:

“My mother told me who my father was when I was a boy. I confess that I was thoroughly disgusted and ashamed of even being related to the monster who terrorized Britain for so long, who was to blame for the deaths of so many witches and wizards. I had considered remaining hidden, but I wish to aid in building a better world in memorial for those harmed by my fathers actions.” 

Not everyone is happy with Lord Slytherin's arrival in Britain, including Headmaster Dumbledore, the former Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump of the ICW. 

Controversially, Headmaster Dumbledore, who sits an unbiased seat on the Wizengamot with no votes, declared that Lord Corvinus Slytherin was none other than the Dark Lord himself, attempting to hoodwink us all and one day rise up to overthrow our government.   

To ease concerns, Lord Corvinus’ identity was proven by the Goblins of Gringotts and a family tree was presented before the Wizengamot, proving unimpeachably that Lord Corvinus is not the Dark Lord, and truly does want to fight to make the world a better place.

This begs the question: has Dumbledore finally lost the plot? Is he becoming senile, seeing dark lords where there are none? If so, how can we allow this man around our children?

Chapter 7: schools out for the summer

The last few weeks of school dragged by at an agonizingly slow pace, and Calla grumpily went about her days, counting down the moment she and her dad would be portkeying to Volterra to spend the summer with their mates, respectively, because her dad had dropped the bomb that he was mates with Felix and Demitri Volturi. 

Jasper was supportive of her summer plans, helping her formulate a list of things to do and ask her mates to get to know them; when he wasn't teasing her for every soppy smile she directed at her phone when one of the kings would text, of course. 

Rosalie was wary, but supportive. She was a wary person, and Calla respected that, but she took no slander or insults toward her mates, something Edward had taken to doing whenever they happened to be at the Cullen house together.

Calla had cursed him mute for several hours, given him donkey ears, and even turned him into a mouse for two days because of the vitriol he had spilled about her mates.

Surprisingly, Carlisle had put his foot down with the coven, insisting that, once Isabella was turned, he would not tolerate any more law breaking, because he truly did cherish his friendship with Aro, and did not want to damage it further. If Alice or Jasper's mates were human, they would be told of vampires and turned immediately.  

Edward the mouse had squeaked angrily for several minutes before Esme kindly asked Calla to turn him back, which she reluctantly had done, only to have to blast Edward through one of the floor-to-ceiling windows when he lunged at her, snarling furiously.

Jasper had punched him for attacking her, eyes black with fury, and not even Esme had spoken in defence of Edward, her expression one of deep disappointment. 

Safe to say, she and Eddie boy were not friends at all, and she was fine with that. 

Un surprisingly, Alice was firmly on Edward's side, because Isabella was her best friend, and, despite Calla, Jasper, and Carlisle telling her not to, she was using her gift to ‘keep an eye on’ the ‘untrustworthy’, and ‘evil’ Volturi.

After that enlightening conversation - argument - Calla had refused to return to the Cullen house until Alice and Edward pulled their heads from their arses, which she and her dad didn't anticipate happening any time soon. 

School was a drag, but she did want to get good grades, so she let Jasper bully her into studying whenever he got the chance, either at her house or at the school library, because he respected her decision to stay away from his house. Even he had taken to spending more time at her house, to avoid Edward’s angst and Alice’s obsessive need to keep an eye on the Volturi. 

Calla, when she wasn’t nearly tearing her hair out from studying, kept texting Caius, Aro and Marcus. She had created a group chat with all of them, but also spoke to them individually, and was utterly fascinated by the things they had seen and done over the centuries they had been alive.

She had fangirled an embarrassing amount when Aro’s sister, Didyme, admitted over a Skype call she invited herself to that she had met Anne Boleyn, one woman Calla admired greatly despite the bad rumors about her, rumors Didyme exclaimed never happened. 

Caius then jumped in, admitting he had known Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, which Calla had gaped at dumbly before blurting, “Wow, you guys are old.” 

Marcus had loosed a deep, rumbling laugh at Aro and Caius’ offended expressions, and she had overheard Jane Volturi’s twinkling laughter in the background. 

Jasper was truly living up to their sibling bond and teasing her relentlessly about how infatuated she was with her mates, but she merely took it in stride, because she wasn't embarrassed about how she felt about her mates, and her feelings were only growing with every text, call, or gift they sent, even if they were beyond expensive and she felt greedy for accepting them, but she knew that was residual trauma from living under the Dursleys oh, so loving care.

Calla wanted to tell her mates about the Dursleys when they were face to face, so had mustered through opening the gifts they had sent her. Aro had sent her a sinfully soft cashmere sweater she adored, Marus had coordinated with him and sent her an equally soft scarf, but Caius had done something different and painted her and Otis together from memory; she had, admittedly, burst into tears upon seeing it and it now hung on the wall of her bedroom proudly, and she smiled goofily at it whenever she looked at it. 

Other gifts included the highest quality harnesses and leashes for Otis, toys for him, ancient, historical books they had translated themselves for her to read, as the originals were either undecipherable to her human eyes, or written in a language she didn't know. She had even been gifted, by Marcus, a book of poetry by William Shakespeare addressed to her mate by the playwright himself, for the true love of Marcus’ life. 

Calla had been flabbergasted to realize that, not only had the poet held the selfsame book in his hands, but he had known about vampires, too. 

Was William Shakespeare a vampire?! 

Marcus wouldn't answer her, no matter how many times she asked. 

 

***

 

Other than her mates, Calla had also been bonding with the rest of the Volturi coven. It started when Didyme sneakily took her number from Aro’s phone and shared it with the rest of the coven, then started a group chat. 

Waking up with over a hundred text messages wasn't what she had expected, but Calla had a shockingly good time joking and getting to know them all, growing closest to Didyme and her mates, Athenadora and Sulpicia, Jane, Alec, Afton, Santiago, Heidi, Felix, and Demitri. 

Their group texts were hysterical, and they had started sending funny anecdotes about her mates, but they were caught after Aro saw the memory in Demetri's head, and her mates had promptly called her insisting that their covenmates were horrible liars who lied, making her cackle until she was breathless.

It was heartening to see the relationship her mates, literally the kings of the vampires, interacted with the rest of their coven. Behind closed doors and away from prying eyes, they were regular people, joking and teasing one another. Jane and Alec considered Aro, who had saved them from being burned alive as witches, their father and openly called him such privately. They called Marcus and Caius ‘uncle’ and Didyme and her mates ‘auntie.’ They all referred to the kings by their first name outside of court, as they called it, then they called them ‘master,’ as a show of respect and unity against outsiders.

The Volturi had cultivated their reputation as a coven to be respected and, yes, feared, but they weren’t monsters. Newt Scamander had deemed them the most civilised vampires of the 20th century, and spent months there with his husband befriending the coven; he had been given exclusive information about them, but nothing too personal. 

Calla had dug out her copy of Scamander’s book for Jasper, which he’d read aloud in fascination.

“ The Volturi Coven rose to prominence over two thousand years ago in Greece, though they now reside in Volterra, Italy, and overthrew the Romanian Coven due to the leaders, Vladimir and Stefan, posing a risk to not only the secrecy of vampirism, but magic, too. 

At this time, it was discovered that magical beings had an odd reaction to the venom non-magical vampire’s possess. Rather than the blinding pain and subsequent turning, we experience a sense of euphoria and drunkenness from a vampire’s venom, and due to this the Romanians took to keeping Wixen blood-slaves, as our blood is richer in flavor to non-magical vampires and considered a delicacy.” 

Jasper paused and screwed his face up, looking at her. “But you don’t smell like food. I can barely detect a hint of blood from you, unless you bleed.” 

Calla nodded, shrugging. “A defence mechanism, I think. Our magic cloaks the scent of our blood unless it’s spilt, but some vampire’s have learned to sniff us out because we all have the underlying scent of ozone because of our magic.” 

Her brother had leaned forward and sniffed her, making her snort, but agreed he could smell ozone on her, but he’d believed it to be her natural scent. He continued reading, his southern drawl soothing. “ Shortly after the destruction of the Romanian Coven, the Volturi leaders Marcus, Caius, and Aro drew up an agreement with the Triumvirate of Wix - an early form of magical government in Rome, an offshoot to the Senate, now called the Parliament of Magic - that decreed that non-magical vampires were prohibited to feed off of Wixen unless given permission, and that they would deliver any who did such a thing to the Italian Parliament for punishment. 

During my time with the Volturi, I found them to be night time patrons of art, whether it be music, paintings, or the opera, with few laws put in place, the strictest being that no mundane human discover vampirism lest they are to be turned shortly thereafter.” 

Calla met Jasper's gaze and nodded. “Yeah, the former Romanian leaders are the most wanted vampires in the wizarding world, but MIP have struggled to find them for years.” 

Jasper's brows rose. “MIAF?” 

“ Magical International Auror Force,” Calla explained, “an offshoot of Interpol. The Magical World has branches in all major departments like that. MFBI, SIA, MI5, MI6.” 

Jasper hummed thoughtfully. “Magical FBI, Intelligence, and British Magical Military Intelligence.” 

“The magical branch of the CIA is international and called the Sorcerers Intelligence Agency; they work under the International Confederation Of Wix, which is like our United Nations,” Calla explained, smiling at Jasper's expression. “The Magical World has been hidden within the mundane ever since the first Witch hunts, Jaz. If the world ever discovered us, there'd be anarchy.” 

Jasper nodded. “Humans fear what they don't understand. And then, once the fear runs out, they want to understand to the point of idiocy.”

“They'd experiment on us for sure.” Calla nodded, nose scrunched.

Jasper scowled. “I wouldn't let them touch you.” 

She beamed and nudged his thigh. “I wouldn't let them touch you, either.” 

 

****

 

Marcus watched, amused despite himself, as Aro and Caius squabbled like children. They had been at it for a while, ever since Calla had called to confirm something Caius had told her.

Aro had met and flirted with Henry VIII.

Calla had been morbidly amused, cackling as Aro protested and tried to explain himself, insisting it was after poor Anne Boleyn had been executed and Aro wanted Henry to fall in love with him so he could crush his soul and spirit.

It hadn't ended that way, with Henry desperately - in secret - trying to seduce Aro to the point he'd had one of their allies at the time, gifted with compulsion, to erase Henry's memory of them all. 

Calla had sounded close to hyperventilating on the phone; she had been so amused.

Aro was pouty because it wasn't a moment in his life that he was proud of. Gods, he had been friends with William the Conqueror and Emperors. Henry VIII being in love with him, infamous for his six wives and being an all around horrible human, was not something to boast of.

Their time at the English court had been decided on a whim by Aro, who had delighted in such things in medieval times, especially during the Wars of the Roses when it was so easy for them to feed on the dying soldiers in the battlefield. 

Aro had also enjoyed befriending royalty, and watching as the nobility sneered at him for rising so high.

Marcus believed that Aro was, as they said, a bitch .

“Oh, brother, do shut up,” Caius insisted, laughing. “Calla doesn't think any less of you because that fool fancied you. She wants to know more about his wives whom we befriended. She is fascinated about the Wars of the Roses.” 

Aro huffed, arms crossed over his chest, but begrudgingly let it go. “ Fine . What did you want to know, my dear?”

“ Did you try to stop Anne dying?” She asked promptly.

Marcus smiled. “Who says she is dead?” 

“ No way! First Shakespeare, who you won't confirm or deny is a vampire, and now Anne Boleyn?!” 

Caius shot him an amused look. “History is written by the victors, love. There are plenty of people who are said to have died but didn't.” 

“ Tell me everyone you saved!” She cried, sounding breathless with excitement. 

Marcus smiled fondly at the phone. “As you wish, mia cara.” 

 

****

 

There was only two weeks left of school, and Calla had Jasper and her new friend Angela in near hysterics about how excited she was. Angela merely thought she was excited about spending summer in Italy with her dad, but Jasper knew the true reason and snickered whenever she crossed yet another day off her calendar. 

Even her dad was getting antsy, wanting to see his own mates again, which Calla sympathized with. She had spoken to Felix and Demitri herself and found them to be pretty much perfect for her dad; Felix was similar to her dad, but had a morbid sense of humor that often had her wheezing. Demitri was much more flamboyant, but that was good for both Felix and Severus due to how reserved they usually were. He made them laugh a lot and loosen up a bit.

“Twelve more days,” Calla said as she entered the house, pausing to remove Otis’ vest. He shook out his fur and trotted down the hall and into the kitchen. She followed, smiling at her dad, who was petting Otis in greeting. Livia meowed loudly at them both from her perch on the windowsill, basking in the rare Forks sunshine. 

Her dad chuckled softly. “Yes, Demitri called to say the same earlier. How was school?”

“Eh, fine. I got an A on my French essay,” she announced proudly, digging into her backpack to pull out the essay in question. “Otherwise, boring without Jasper there cause of the sun.” 

Her dad accepted it, smiling at the circled, red A in the top right corner. “Well done.”

Calla beamed, opening a bag of crisps. “Thanks. How was your day?” 

“Well, the experimental potion I began is provisionally successful,” he explained, “I invited Carlisle over to test it, and he was able to stand in the sun for some time after ingesting the potion without sparkling.” 

“That’s awesome!” Calla insisted, smiling. “How long did it last?” 

“Two hours,” Sebastian said, sighing. “I’ll have to adjust several ingredients, perhaps add some stirs…”

“Dad, I love you, but you know all of that goes over my head,” Calla interrupted, frowning at the expression on her dad’s face. “What?” 

“You just told me you loved me.” 

Calla felt her cheeks heating. “Well, I thought it was obvious. Don't make a big deal about it.” 

His lips twitched. “Of course, not. Brat.” 

Calla smiled, though, because that was dad-talk for I  love you, too .

Notes:

next up, Calla and Sebastian are finally in Volterra, and their summer begins. back in Forks, Edward and Bella are as in love as ever, jasper is rethinking his place in the coven, Carlisle is cursing his past of going to easy on his first sireling, and in England Dumbledore is trying, and failing, to find his missing pawn

Chapter 8: Volterra

Calla would have collapsed from the portkey if not for the cool hands grasping her waist to steady her. She blinked the fuzziness from her eyes and smiled up at Caius, uncaring of the audience they likely had and threw her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly.

“ My dear,” he sighed happily in Italian, hugging her back just as tightly. 

She grinned, waving at Aro and Marcus behind Aro, both of them beaming at her in return, relief on their faces. “Hi, Caius. Aro, Marcus.” 

“ My darling,” Aro murmured, all but floating toward them. He prodded Caius in the back, and he reluctantly let her go, only for Marcus to swoop in and gather her in his arms and twirled her around, making her laugh. Aro looked so affronted she couldn't help but giggle at him. “ Brother. Ugh, how rude.” 

Otis padded over, panting happily, and pawed at Aro's leg. He smiled and patted his head. “Hello, sweet boy.” 

Marcus put Calla down and kissed her forehead, making her face warm. She smiled up at him, beyond pleased to be finally seeing her mates once again in person. 

Aro turned and pulled her into his arms, stroking the back of her head. “Finally, my heart, you are here.” 

“For three months,” she said, hugging him back. 

Aro stepped back and clasped his hands together, a pleased, warm smile on his face. “How wonderful! Let us show you to your room. I believe that's where Felix and Demitri are taking your father now.” 

Calla glanced over her shoulder, snorting when she realized her dad was gone, his mates with him. She faced her mates and nodded. “I'd like that.” 

Aro offered his arm, and she looped hers through his, smiling in amusement at how gentlemanly the gesture was. “We have prepared rooms in our wing of the castle. I'm afraid my sister Didyme may have gone slightly overboard in, er, decorating.” 

“It looks like a decor catalogue threw up on the room,” Alec chimed in, falling into step behind them as they left the throne room through a side door. “Hello, my queen.” 

“Hi, Alec.” She smiled at him, and Jane, both of them giving her tiny smiles in return. “Hi, Jane. Please, call me Hadriana while I'm here.” 

“You do not mind being referred to by your true name?” Marcus queried, glancing back at her while still walking in a perfectly straight line. 

“No.” She shook her head. “I trust you all, and your coven.”

Warm, pleased smiles formed on her mates faces, and even Jane’s smile had softened at the edges. They continued down the hallway, her mates explaining that they had built the town of Volterra around the castle centuries ago, and that Aro’s sister Didyme, and her mates Athenadora and Sulpicia, had been in charge of decorating it over the years; more recently they had been modernising the castle, adding newer technology and ‘removing the dreariness’, according to Aro’s mocking, though fond, imitation of Didyme.

Her mate's wing was, of course, the most defensible and guarded wing of the castle. Each of them had separate rooms, but shared a large office\library. Her room was between Marcus and Caius’ rooms, and when Aro pushed open the doors Hadriana’s jaw dropped incredulously, because it wasn't just a bedroom, but a bloody suite of rooms; the double, mahogany doors opened into a small but lavish sitting room with furniture Hadriana was sure had been preserved since medieval times. Through another set of double doors was her bedroom, in which a king sized, four poster bed sat covered in satin bed sheets and a veritable mountain of pillows and cushions. 

Hadriana audibly gasped when Caius led her into the walk-in wardrobe, which was full of clothes from jeans and pyjamas to actual ballgowns and sky high heels. She brushed a hand over a bejeweled, emerald gown and bit her lip when she spotted the tag. She peered at the price and promptly felt a bit dizzy. The dress cost more than the entirety of her belongings. 

“This -” she began faintly, but Caius gently took her hand and cut her off. 

“Hadriana, darling,” he murmured softly, raising their joined hands so he could kiss her knuckles. “I assure you, we can more than afford a few gowns. Allow us to spoil you.” 

Hadriana swallowed thickly. She had never been spoiled in her life, but the thought wasn't as abhorrent as she’d expected. She knew that vampires, especially human blood drinkers, had a high instinct to not only protect, but provide for their mate. 

“Okay,” she agreed, smiling when Caius beamed, and Aro and Marcus flashed into the wardrobe, which was larger than her room back in Forks. 

“We will be throwing a ball this summer to inform our allies and friends across the world that we have found our mate,” Aro informed her, practically vibrating in his excitement. 

Hadriana resisted the urge to promptly refuse to attend, and forced herself to relax. She would be fine, even if she was going to be the center of attention at this…ball. “Hence the ballgown.” 

Aro nodded rapidly, beaming like an excited child, and Hadriana felt herself soften even more. He was so bloody adorable, as excitable as a kid, and she didn't want to take that away from him. Even Caius and Marcus looked excited, and she realised they were excited about her, to show her off and celebrate their finding their mate. 

She leaned forward and kissed Aro’s cheek, grinning at his stunned expression. “I’m looking forward to meeting your friends.”

Marcus snorted at Aro, who was staring at her with wide, dark eyes, and took Hadriana’s hand. He gently pulled her from the wardrobe and across her room to show her the bathroom. Inside, it was made of dark marble veined with gold and silver. Half the room was the shower, with a huge bathtub inside, and she couldn't wait to soak in it later. 

“These rooms are amazing,” she murmured, squeezing Marcus’ hand firmly. 

He smiled down at her, squeezing her hand back. “I’m glad. Didyme shall be pleased you like them.” 

“When will I meet everyone?” she asked, curious.  

“Didyme insisted everyone give you and your father space to settle in before they all overwhelm you,” Aro explained as she and Marcus joined them in her room. Caius was crouched by Otis, whose eyes were half closed in pleasure as her mate scratched him behind the ears. 

Hadriana relaxed slightly, cursing herself when she yawned. She had struggled to sleep the night before due to excitement, and now she was here she felt the lack of sleep catching up to her. 

“Are you tired, my dear?” Aro asked, looking worried. 

“I was too excited to sleep last night,” she admitted sheepishly. 

“Rest now, for a while, sweetheart,” Marcus insisted, then frowned. “Where are your bags?” 

Hadriana reached into the pocket of her leather jacket and pulled out four tiny bags. She set them on the bed and flicked her wrist, her wand sliding into her palm. She flicked it at the bags, and they resized immediately. 

“Oh, I love magic,” Aro sighed.

“Very handy,” Caius said in agreement. 

Marcus smiled at her. “We shall leave you to rest-”

“Can’t you stay?” she blurted, face warming slightly. 

Aro sighed. “Unfortunately, we do have court, my love, and at least two of us must be there; but Caius can stay with you.”

Hadriana met Caius' gaze and smiled, nodding. “Okay.”

Aro and Marcus left shortly after, kissing her cheeks, and left her alone with Caius, who looked amused by her clear nervousness and indecisiveness. 

“I’m going to change,” she blurted, grabbing one of her bags.

“I’ll be here,” he assured, sitting on her bed with a smile.

She flashed a smile and darted into the bathroom, mentally chastising herself. 

After quickly changing into some more comfortable clothes, removing her makeup, and throwing her hair into a messy bun, Hadriana stepped out of the bathroom and nervously stared at Caius, who was lounging on her bed as though he were a model. How did he make lounging look so merlin damned attractive and effortless? 

Caius smiled at her as she padded over, climbing into the bed beside him. She laid down, facing him, and tried not to look as awkward as she felt. He raised a pale brow, then, faster than her eyes could see, moved. She gasped sharply when she found herself pressed against his side, her head resting on his chest, with his arm wrapped around her shoulders. He kissed her forehead.

“Don’t be hesitant with us, darling,” he murmured, rubbing his hand up and down her back, soothing her nerves. “We will never hurt you, or push for something you’re not ready for. We have waited thousands of years for you, we would wait a thousand more.” 

Hadriana looked up at him, relaxing fully against him, a smile forming on her lips. “Thank you. I just - I've never been in a relationship before - Caius?”

Caius’ eyes, which he’d closed as he sighed through his nose, hard, opened to reveal dark, blood red eyes. “Darling, vampires are very, very possessive creatures. To hear that you have never been with anyone before is very…hmm, pleasing.”

Hadriana felt herself blushing, and tucked her face against Caius’ throat, shivering when a growl rumbled through him. “Caius.” He hummed. “Are you purring?” 

“Mhm. We do it when we’re happy,” he explained, unashamed. The rumbling, growling pur started up again. 

Hadriana smiled. “Vampire cats.” 

Caius gently pinched her side, making her squirm and laugh. “Cheeky. Rest, darling.”

She snuggled against him and closed her eyes, a smile on her face. 

She had never been happier. 

 

***

 

The scene that met Jane in the kitchens was highly amusing, though she merely stared blankly at the new queen, who was clutching a cup of coffee between her hands as though her life depended on it as she watched her father cooking them both some human food. 

“My queen, Severus,” she greeted politely, lips twitching minutely as her queen startled, sloshing coffee over her hand. “Apologies. I did not mean to startle you.” 

“It’s alright,” her queen said, accepting the tea towel Severus handed her with an amused look. “Hi Jane. Did you need something from me?” 

“No, my queen. I merely wished to welcome you to Volterra.” Jane slid smoothly onto the stool beside Hadriana, who smiled at her warmly. Jane was still slightly confused about her new queen, though she had grown closer to her through the text messages they had shared for the past month. 

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Hadriana accepted the plate of utter unappetising food Severus handed to her. “Is court over?” 

“Yes, I’m sure we’re about to be inundated-” the doors swept open, interrupting Jane, and the kings, Alec, Demitri, and Felix swept into the room followed by three tall, statuesque women; one looked startlingly like Aro, one had light blonde hair, and the third had chestnut curls that tumbled artfully down her back to her tailbone. “-with everyone.” 

“Ah, my dear, you are awake,” Aro said happily, beaming at Hadriana. 

Jane tilted her head, smiling faintly when Alec pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Sister. You missed out on a rather amusing court hearing.” 

“What happened?” Hadriana asked, swallowing a mouthful of her food. 

“Yet another young vampire feeding within the walls of Volterra,” Caius explained, eyeing her food curiously. “She tried to attack me. What are you eating?”

Hadriana choked on a sip of coffee. “Attacked you? Are you alright?” 

Jane shared an amused, approving look with Alec at their queen’s clear concern for their Uncle Caius, who merely smiled and kissed Hadriana’s forehead. “Perfectly fine, my soul . It has been centuries since a young vampire was able to surprise me with an attack.” 

“What happened to the vampire?” Severus asked, placing his dirty plate in the dishwasher. 

“Dismemberment for ten years,” Marcus explained, pouring himself a cup of blood red wine. “She knew the laws and despite the sentencing tried to attack one of her kings. We doubled the punishment.” 

Hadriana scowled. “Maybe I should be there next time a vampire tries to attack one of you.” 

Didyme beamed. “Oh, you’re simply adorable, Hadriana. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person.” 

Hadriana realized she was meeting her mates’ blood sister and soul-sisters in her pajamas and blushed slightly, standing. Didyme hugged her tightly, kissing her cheeks. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Didyme.” 

“These are my mates, Athenadora and Sulpicia,” Didyme introduced, gesturing to the tall blonde and brunette. 

“Nice to meet you both,” Hadriana said, smiling. She extended her hand, yelping when Sulpicia yanked her into a tight, warm hug. “Oh, okay.” 

“Apologies, but I’m a hugger,” Sulpicia said, sounding completely unapologetic.

“I’m not,” Athenadora deadpanned, extending a pale hand. Hadriana grinned at her and shook it, amused. “Pleasure to meet you, Hadriana. It is about time you arrived; Caius was driving me absolutely insane waxing poetic about you and moping about the castle. He was worse than Aro.” 

“I was not!” Caius protested. 

Aro merely pouted at Athenadora, who smirked at him. 

“She’s right, Aro,” Demetri quipped, sipping from a crystal glass half full of whiskey. 

Hadriana snickered when Felix sent Demetri a Look. “Like you were any better, giggling over every text Sev sent you, twirling your hair and kicking your feet.” 

Severus blushed slightly when Demetri shrugged unapologetically. “Yes, I did. I am completely unashamed.” 

“As ever, Demitri,” Alec quipped. “You are completely shameless.” 

Demetri tipped his glass at him. “That’s me.” 

Jane rolled her eyes, relaxing slightly. “You did bug Heidi and I about your wardrobe choices for the three months Severus and our queen shall be here.” 

Hadriana snorted. “Just call me Hadriana in private, please. All the ‘my queen’ing may get a bit much.” 

“Of course,” Jane murmured, nodding.

“I’m stealing Hadriana away for the afternoon,” Marcus announced, taking Hadriana’s hand and pulling her toward the door. 

“Marcus,” Aro complained. 

“She’ll be back for your dinner plans, Aro, fret not, brother,” Marcus called, sending Hadriana a cheeky smile that had her fighting the urge to giggle like a little girl. 

“Where are we going?” She asked, biting her lip when Marcus laced their fingers together tightly and squeezed her hand. 

“That, my darling, is a surprise.” 

“What should I wear?” she asked, peering up at him intently. 

Marcus smiled faintly at her rather sad attempt to figure out where they were going. “I had Heidi choose something for you and lay it out on your bed. You have time to shower, if you wish. I will meet you outside your rooms in an hour.” 

Hadriana nodded, pausing outside her room. She looked up at Marcus, then boldly pushed up onto her toes and kissed his cheek. “See you soon.” 

Marcus smiled at her, slowly releasing her hand. “See you soon, my dear.” 

 

***

 

Hadriana stared at her reflection, silently thanking whatever gods existed for Heidi and her eye for fashion and makeup, because although Hadriana was experimenting with her style and make-up, she was still rather abysmal at it. 

She ran her hands over her stomach, enjoying the feel of the emerald, silk blouse that she wore that brought out her eyes - her real eyes, since her dad had removed the semi-permanent transfiguration they'd undergone. Heidi had done her hair, making Hadriana blush as she complimented her thick, voluminous curls. 

“Beautiful,” Heidi declared, holding a long, calf-length coat open for her. 

Hadriana smiled a little bashfully and slid her arms into the coat, shrugging it on.

“Thank you,” she murmured, tilting her head as Heidi gently gathered her nearly hip length hair and pulled it from the coat collar.

Heidi smiled and squeezed her shoulders. “Have fun tonight.” 

Hadriana faced her. “Do you know where we’re going?” 

“My lips are sealed,” Heidi quipped, winking and laughing when Hadriana pouted. “I do know that you’re going to love it, though.”

Hadriana nodded, butterflies bursting to life in her stomach when there was a knock at the door, then Marcus pushed it open and stepped inside wearing a dark suit with a blood red, silk shirt underneath. “Hi,” she said dumbly.

Marcus smiled, nodding to Heidi as she slipped past him out the door with one last wink at Hadriana. “You look beautiful,” 

“Thanks,” she said, running a hand over her shirt. “So do you - i mean, well, yeah, er-”

Marcus chuckled, gently taking her hand in his. “Thank you, my dear.”

Hadriana scrunched her nose, knowing full well that her cheeks were likely bright red from embarrassment. “Will you tell me where we’re going now?” 

“Hmm, no, but I will tell you that we’re taking a portkey your father made for us,” he told her, their laced hands swinging gently between them. She huffed, making him smile down at her. “I’m sure you will love what I have planned for this evening.” 

She squeezed his hand. “I know I will, Marcus.”

He leaned down and kissed her head, making her smile, then held out a Volturi pendant on a strip of black velvet. “The portkey. Severus told me you have an adverse reaction to portkeys, are you alright taking one?”

“Yes,” she said, gently taking hold of the edge of the large V, her fingers brushing Marcus’. “Just don't let me fall, please.”

Marcus smiled and gently brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “Never.” 

Hadriana flushed, biting her lip. “Shall we go?” 

Marcus looked smug as he murmured. “ Pitti Palace.” 

Hadriana gasped sharply as the usual tug of the Portkey tugged at her gut, and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly as she and Marcus were sucked through a tight, uncomfortable straw before the gut-wrenching spinning finally stopped.

She slowly opened her eyes, breath catching in her throat when she realized just what she was looking at. It was, as Marcus had said as the portkey activation, Pitti Palace, the original home to the banker Luca Pitti; but how she knew about it was because of Cosimo I de Medici and his wife, Eleanor of Toledo purchasing the palace and turning it into the new Grand Ducal residence in fifteen-fifty. It later housed the Habsburg-Lorraine’s from seventeen-thirty-seven, who succeeded the Medici’s, then after the Habsburg-Lorraine’s was the Savoys from eighteen-sixty-five. 

“I - oh, my god -” she blurted, turning to gape at Marcus, who looked immensely amused. “Pitti Palace?!”

“I have rented the palace for the day, so I might give you a personal, private tour,” he explained, gently lacing their fingers together.

She squeezed his hand, bouncing a little on her toes. “Marcus, this is amazing - the best gift anyone has ever given me; thank you!” 

Marcus’ smug expression softened into a genuine smile, his blood red eyes shining with affection. He kissed her forehead. “Shall we?” 

“Yes!” Hadriana nodded rapidly, excited beyond belief. 

“I thought we might begin our tour in the Palatine Gallery,” he murmured, “where they keep the Medici’s collection of paintings and baroque frescoes.” 

Hadriana’s smile widened as Marcus continued, murmuring quietly about how he, Caius, and Aro often frequented the Palace when it was inhabited by all three families; the de Medici’s, Habsburg-Lorraines, and Savoys. It was remarkable, to be holding the hand of a man who had lived during those times, and she was slightly impatient and giddy about picking he, Aro, and Caius’ brains about the eras they had lived through, the historical figures they had met and interacted with. 

Hadriana was also full of warmth and gratitude that Marcus knew how much she liked history, and decided to rent an entire bloody palace for the afternoon so he could show her around in private, letting her gush over the innumerable art works, jewels, fashions, and the actual rooms used by the royals in their time. 

She had never been happier.

Notes:

can y'all tell i'm a history nerd and projecting onto hadriana?
next up: Caius has a surprise for his mate, Aro and Hadriana have a moment, first kisses are shared, and news comes from England and forks both

Chapter 9: Surprise!

Caius was waiting for her and Marcus the second the portkey dropped them back into the kings’ shared office. To Aro’s consternation, Caius swept her from the room before he could even speak to her.

Hadriana laughed as Caius led her by the hand down the hallway toward his chambers. “Caius, where are we going?” 

“You’ll see.” He smirked at her, slowing his pace so she could keep up. His long, pale fingers laced through hers, the rings on his fingers cool against her skin. 

“I don't like surprises,” she protested, scrunching her nose when he snickered at her.

“You’ll like this one. You may have noticed,” he murmured, waving his free hand negligently at the wall of likely ridiculously old and expensive art on the wall to her left. “My brothers and I are collectors of fine art; from paintings to books to the sheet music of Johann Sebastian Bach.” 

Hadriana’s brows rose. She hadn't known that they’d collected Bach’s original music notes. Fascinating. Caius smirked at her. “Athenadora has gathered many historical gowns over the years. Sulpicia has kept every letter she ever received over the centuries. Marcus has his books, Aro certain people he saved, even if history says otherwise, and I, well, I collect weapons.”

Hadriana’s mouth dropped open when Caius paused before a set of double doors at the end of the hall where her and the kings’ rooms were. He smiled at her and pushed the doors open without dropping her hand, revealing a huge armoury. 

“Oh my god,” she whispered, staring at the array of swords, axes, bows and arrows, armour, and other such things hanging on walls or on stands. She spotted a Greek helmet and gasped. “Is that-?” 

Caius smiled at her, amused by her reaction. “Yes, I found it shortly after the Macedonian wars.” 

“How many battles have you seen?” She asked, amazed.

“Far too many to count. By Aro’s reckoning, I was born in or around 1,300 BC.” Caius chuckled at her stunned expression. “Aro was born around the same time, but Marcus was younger than we were when he turned.” 

“How old were you?” Hadriana asked, curious. 

“I was in my late thirties, I believe. Aro was in his mid-twenties, and Marcus was nineteen,” Caius explained. “Aro was much older than Didyme when he was turned, but once she turned seventeen he returned and offered her the choice of immortality; she agreed, rather than be married off for a flock of sheep.”

“I don't blame her,” Hadriana muttered. That was one thing she loathed about history, girls and boys being married before they were old enough for such things. She glanced around the room, openly gaping at the wall of swords. “Who do they belong to?” 

Caius reluctantly released her hand and gestured to the very well preserved swords, though they had rusted due to age despite the care Caius obviously used. “The sword upright in the middle is one I believe you’d be familiar with; Excalibur.” 

Hadriana turned and gaped at Caius. “Excalibur?”

Caius grinned at her. “Yes. King Arthur gave it to me himself in order to protect it. It was enchanted by Merlin, and if it fell into the wrong hands, well, it would be disastrous.”

Hadriana held up a hand, itching to touch the sword to see if the enchantments remained. She glanced at Caius, who nodded, eyebrows raised. She gently pressed her fingers to the gleaming blade, gasping as a faint, barely there tingle shot up her arm, warming her. “I can still feel the enchantment. It's faint, but for it to have lasted nearly twelve hundred years is impressive.” 

Caius smiled and checked his watch, sighing softly. “Aro is likely to find us soon and throw a tantrum if we dont go get ready for his little dinner party.”

Hadriana’s eyes widened. “A party? With the whole coven?” 

“Something like that,” Caius said, smirking faintly. He gently placed his hand on the small of her back as they turned and made their way to the door. 

“Like a fancy dinner party?” Hadriana asked, panicking a little. 

Caius snorted. “No, not tonight. It’s a casual dinner, love. Just dress smartly, but casually.”

Hadriana heaved a sigh of relief, lacing her fingers through Caius’ when they came to the doors to her chambers. He raised their linked hands and kissed the back of her palm, smirking when she blushed. “See you soon, darling.” 

She managed, by the skin of her teeth, to withhold sighing dreamily as Caius walked away from her, but I was a close thing.

Damn vampires. 

 

***

 

Hadriana decided on an off the shoulder, white peasant dress that cinched at her waist and flowed around her legs. She left on the necklace Marcus had used as their portkey earlier, which was the Volturi crest, and added her House rings and some others she’d found in the - immensely - stocked jewelry box in the wardrobe. Her mates truly had gone all out on spoiling her, and a part of her liked it despite a larger part of her brain squirming at the thought of so much money being spent on her. 

She left her long hair in loose, thick waves and slipped a pair of ballet flats on her feet before she opened the door to her rooms, gasping when she came face-to-face with Aro, who smiled brightly at her. “Apologies, my dear, I didn't mean to startle you. I was about to knock.”

“It’s okay,” Hadriana said, huffing a laugh. Aro bent his arm and held it out to her, making her smile widen as she looped their arms together. He was dressed down, too, though she knew that his clothes were likely thousands of dollars; he wore a deep, emerald silk dress shirt and black slacks and shoes. His hair was half pulled back, the length pulled over his shoulder. 

In short, he looked amazing and she kind of wanted to scream at how unfairly attractive he was. 

“Is the whole coven going to be there?” she asked as they made their way through the castle. 

Aro glanced down at her with a secretive sort of smile that had her eyes narrowing slightly. “No, many are out of the castle at the moment, on assignments. Marcus, Caius, your father, his mates, my sister, her mates, and the twins shall be there.” 

Hadriana nodded, turning to look ahead only to smile when she saw Marcus and Caius. The former was wearing a similar silk shirt to Aro’s, only in blood red that made his eyes almost shine. He smiled upon seeing her, his solemn face lighting up entirely. She fought the urge to blush and giggle at the thought that it was her, her mere presence, that made him so happy. 

Caius was wearing a cream coloured, loose fitting shirt and leather trousers that fit him like a glove. She swallowed thickly and bit the inside of her lip, mentally cursing and complaining how bloody unfair it was that all three of her mates were drop dead gorgeous. 

Caius smirked at her, as though he knew what she was thinking, then bloody well winked at her, making her breath hitch. “You look beautiful, darling,” he drawled, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

Aro huffed. “Caius, brother, do not fluster our mate, please.” 

Marcus gently took her hand and pulled her closer, raising her hand to kiss her knuckles. “Darling.”

“Marcus,” Aro nearly whined.

Hadriana inhaled a fortifying breath and exhaled roughly. “You’re all going to be the death of me.” 

“Such a sweet, little death, though,” Caius all but purred, and Hadriana squeaked at the innuendo. 

Aro smacked his arm. “Brother. Decorum.” 

Caius very maturely poked his tongue out at Aro, who was now rubbing his temples as though he had a headache. Marcus took her hand and laced his fingers with hers. “You do look stunning, my love.” 

Hadriana smiled and reached up to smooth her hand over the collar of Marcus’ shirt. “You look very handsome.” 

Marcus leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Thank you.” 

“ - just jealous - ”

Hadriana turned at Caius and Aro’s bickering, smiling at them in a way she knew was besotted. “You two are ridiculous.” 

Caius gaped at her. “Excuse me?” 

She pushed up onto her toes and kissed his cheek. “You look handsome, and so do you, Aro.” 

Aro beamed, looking inordinately pleased. “Thank you, sweetheart. Shall we go in?” 

Caius whipped out a blindfold. “Yes. Hadriana, put this on.” 

Hadriana frowned. “Why?” 

Caius stepped forward, staring down at her beseechingly. “Please?”

Hadriana sighed, then nodded. “Okay, but don't let me fall.” 

“Never,” Aro promised.

Hadriana smiled and closed her eyes, pulse jumping when Caius moved to sand behind her and wrapped the strip of silk around her face, tying it gently at the back of her head. 

Unbeknownst to her, her mates shared intrigued looks when they heard her pulse jump in excitement when the blindfold was placed on her face. Interesting. 

Hadriana shifted impatiently, jolting slightly when cool hands grasped each of hers, and hands settled lightly on her bare shoulders. She heard the doors groaning and squeezed the hands in hers. 

Why had her mates wanted to blindfold her? What surprise did they have for her now?

She was led forward several steps into the room, and her mates slowly let her go, and she held her hands out unsurely. “Can I take it off now?” 

“Yes,” Aro said, voice tight with excitement. 

Hadriana pushed the blindfold off her face, blinking in order to clear the spots from her vision, then froze when she realized what she was seeing. 

Neville, Draco, Susan, Hannah, and Luna stood in front of her, all of them smiling happily at her. She gasped and launched herself forward at Neville, tears burning her eyes. “Nev!” she cried, hugging him tightly.

“Hey, Ana.” Neville laughed, patting her back and hugging her back just as tightly. 

She let Neville go and wrapped her arms around Draco, who grunted and reciprocated. “Ugh, Potter,” he uttered, though it was endlessly fond. 

“Shut it, Malfoy,” she muttered tearily. 

Next she hugged Susan and Hannah at the same time, then at last engulfed Luna into her arms, spinning her around happily, making her laugh lightly. Luna had always been like a little sister to her, and she’d missed her immensely. She’d missed them all so, so much. 

“What - how?” She spluttered, clutching Luna's hand tightly in her own as she glanced first at her father, who smirked at her briefly before turning back to speak with Lucius and Narcissa, both of whom nodded politely to her, then at her mates, all of whom looked beyond pleased. “Did you bring them here?” 

“Of course,” Aro told her, smiling brightly. “You told us how much you missed your friends and so we sent word to them all, as well as Portkeys obtained from the Italian Parliament of Magic.” 

Hadriana felt tears pricking at her eyes and beamed. “Thank you,” she said, briefly letting go of Luna's hand in order to hug and kiss her mates’ cheeks. She then turned to her friends, all of whom looked happy for her. “Guys, these are my mates, Aro, Marcus, and Caius Volturi.” 

“You can't do anything by half, can you, Ana?” Neville said, highly amused. 

 

***

 

By the end of the night, Hadriana was beyond happy to have seen and spent time with her friends. They had caught her up on everything she had missed since she and her dad left, and to be completely honest, she was hardly surprised.

Granger and Weasley had begun trying to slander and besmirch her name once it came out that no, she hadn't been taken against her will, and yes, she had left willingly. 

“They go around calling you a coward and other such rubbish,” Suzie muttered, scowling as she stabbed some lasagne onto her fork angrily.

“I'm hardly surprised, Suze,” she replied, sipping her wine. “They never liked that I refused to sit silently and obediently into the mould Dumbledore created for me.” 

Hannah huffed. “Yes, well, they're not offering to go toe-to-toe with You-Know-Who, are they?” 

“Mhm. They’re all talk, you know that, Abbott. They insist Potter has to be the one to face the Dark Lord but would surely wet themselves at the mere thought of doing so themselves.” Draco sniffed disdainfully and daintily sipped his wine.

“Draco's right,” Luna said arily, scooping up a mouthful of her vegetarian risotto. “They truly are awful people; completely infested with Nargles.” 

Hadriana smiled fondly at Luna. “Their opinions of me don't bother me at all, little moon.” 

Neville leaned toward Hadriana slightly. “Dumbledore tried to speak to my Gran about me possibly being the one the prophecy spoke about, and she nearly clobbered him with her purse.” 

Hadriana laughed. “Gran would do something like that. She's never had any patience for Dumbeldore.”

“This man is the Headmaster of your school?” Jane asked disdainfully, sneering. “He sounds quite delusional. Who tries to recruit children into a war he began?” 

Susan nodded. “I completely agree, Jane. He's utterly mental, but because of the reputation he's built for himself, he's nearly untouchable.” 

“He threw quite the tantrum when Lord Slytherin entered the Wizengamot,” Draco told them slyly. “Constantly and loudly insisted that Lord Slytherin is the Dark Lord, but the Goblins have backed his claims.” 

“He's quite brilliant,” Hannah murmured. “He has already begun championing werewolf and vampire rights, as well as wanting Wizarding Child Services to have a complete overhaul; he insists that the Department is neglectful and overlook dozens of abused muggle-born and muggle-raised half-bloods whose parents treat them badly.” 

Hadriana raised her brows, impressed. “I hope he succeeds. Magical beings are treated awfully in Britain, and many abused children fall through the cracks.” 

Neville gently squeezed Hadriana's hand. He - and Luna - were the only two friends of hers to know what she had experienced living under the Dursleys roof.

She smiled at him gratefully, glancing up when cool hands clasped her shoulders. “Caius.” 

“Hello, darling,” he murmured.

“Finished showing off your library to Lord and Lady Malfoy?” She asked, amused. 

Caius sniffed and resumed his seat next to her, nodding at Neville, who'd shuffled back to his own seat. “Lucius insisted that his family library was more impressive and Aro took exception to that.” 

Draco chuckled. “He was baiting Lord Aro, my lord. He wished to see it, and yet did not wish to ask, and so insisted ours was better.” 

Caius pursed his lips, amused. “And Aro fell for it,” he all but purred, making Hadriana shift in her seat. “Oh, I shan't let him ever forget this.” 

Hadriana snorted lightly, lacing her fingers with Caius’, gently playing with his rings with her other hand. “Slytherins,” she muttered.

Draco saluted her with his glass of wine. “At your service.” 

Marcus appeared to her left, leaning over to kiss her cheek. “Aro is quite delighted that Lucius fooled him so expertly.” 

“Of course he is,” Hadriana said fondly, then tried to muffle a yawn in her hand. “Sorry.” 

“Don't be,” Hannah told her, glancing at her watch. “It's nearly midnight.” 

“Is it really?” Susan asked, shocked. “Oh, Auntie Amy will be sending a patronus any moment. I should get going.” 

Hadriana rose to her feet and began hugging her friends good-bye, insisting they write to her if they could, and to keep safe back in England. 

Once their portkeys had swept them away, Draco waving while his parents nodded regally, Hadriana yawned loudly and shivered, yelping when strong hands swept her into strong arms.

“Aro!” She said, poking her tongue out at Alec, who was chuckling at her. Jane merely smiled, but from her it was equal to laughter.

Her dad rolled his eyes fondly at her. “Good night, Ana.” 

“Night, dad,” she murmured, huffing and leaning her head on Aro's shoulder. 

Marcus and Caius flanked Aro as he carried her to her bedroom, where he set her on her feet. She smiled at them, her chest aching with affection for them all. 

“Thank you so much for tonight,” she said, “I missed my friends so much, and to see them…it was the greatest gift I've ever gotten.” 

“Anytime you wish to see them while you are here, let us know, my love,” Marcus murmured, clasping her hand. He raised it and kissed her knuckles. 

Hadriana's heart stuttered, and she felt her cheeks warming. She stepped forward, and stood on her tiptoes.

Marcus’ eyes darkened when she cupped his cheek with her free hand, gently stroking his cheekbone, before she threw all caution to the wind and kissed him, heart lurching into her throat.

Marcus remained still for all of three seconds before he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed against her, his lips gently coaxing hers into movement.

Hadriana threaded her fingers into his hair, gently tugging. Marcus’ answering growl rumbled through her entire body, making goosebumps rise on her skin. 

Too soon for her liking, she needed to breathe. She leaned back, breathing heavily, and met Marcus’ eyes, which were pitch black. 

“My darling,” he rasped in Italian.

Hadriana smiled and pressed one last chaste kiss to his lips before turning to Aro and Caius, gasping when she was suddenly in Caius’ arms, his nose brushing up her throat to her jaw.

“My love, my heart, my mate,” he all but chanted, making her heart positively thunder in her chest. 

Hadriana cupped his face and kissed him, melting against him, feet dangling because her mates were freakishly tall, when he grasped her by the nape of her neck and deepened the kiss immediately, his tongue brushing against her bottom lip.

Hadriana gasped and moaned when his tongue met hers, her fingers digging into his scalp. She half wanted to devour him in that moment, her heart pounding with so much love and affection, her gut tightening with desire.

Her back met something solid, and her eyes flew open. She leaned back, gasping for air, and realized she was leaning against Aro, not the wall as she'd assumed.

Aro's hands brushed over her hips and up her sides, tightening on her waist. She shifted and wrapped her legs around Caius’ waist, moaning when his mouth attached itself to her neck, tongue brushing over her heated skin.

“Caius,” she gasped, clutching the back of his neck.

Aro pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. “You smell marvellous, my love.” 

Hadriana flushed when she realised that they could smell her arousal. “I-” her breath hitched audibly when Caius’ teeth scraped against her skin. 

“Too much?” Aro queried, and she heaved a breath, twisting her head to kiss him silent. He groaned, kissing her back immediately, hand tangling in her hair.

Caius gently bit her neck, not breaking skin, and her hips bucked against her will. He chuckled against her throat, and the vibration made her shudder. 

“You are beautiful,” Aro murmured, breaking their kiss. 

Caius straightened, gently letting her go. Her knees wobbled, but she managed to stay standing on her two feet. Marcus emerged from the bathroom, looking amused. 

“The bath is ready for you,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss her.

Hadriana blinked. “I - thank you.” 

Aro chuckled. “Have we left you speechless, my love?” 

She nodded, unashamed. “Yep,” she murmured, padding into the bathroom. She smiled at the scene inside; Marcus had run the bath while Aro and Caius all but mauled her, and he'd added bubbles and lit several candles. On a stool by the bath was a pair of folded, silk pajamas and a clip for her hair. 

“Thank you, Marcus,” she murmured, turning to face him. She grabbed a fistful of his silk shirt and pulled him down for another kiss, beaming at him. 

Marcus smirked, brushing her cheek with the backs of his fingers. “Enjoy, my queen.” 

Blushing, Hadriana closed the bathroom door and pressed her hands to her flushed cheeks, a giddy laugh spilling from her mouth.

 

****

 

After spending half an hour in the near scalding bath, Hadriana dried herself off then changed into the pajamas and underwear Marcus had left for her, releasing her thick, curly hair from the clip she'd used.

Only Aro remained in her bedroom, reclining on her bed and perusing what looked like a stack of letters. He glanced up at her, smiling warmly. “Hello, my dear.” 

“Hi,” she murmured, striding across the room to her bed. She lifted the blankets and crawled in, smiling when Aro lifted his arm. She curled against him, her head on his chest. “What's that?” 

“Letters from covens,” Aro explained, showing her the letter. It was written in a language she didn't know. “From the Kumamoto coven in Japan. They reported a small group of Newborn vampires wreaking havoc in their territory, but have since dispatched them.”

Hadriana nodded. “How many covens are there?” 

“Globally? Hundreds,” Aro answered, kissing her forehead. “Some rarely check in with us, but those are the more remote covens, like those in the Amazon, who refuse to use modern technology as we do and rarely visit human settlements.” 

“Hmm.” Hadriana glanced up at him. “Would you let me attend court with you, Caius, and Marcus?” 

Aro hummed thoughtfully. “Of course, my love, you are the queen.”

Hadriana huffed a disbelieving laugh. “Queen. Right, I forgot.” 

Aro stroked her back. “You have time to get used to the title, my love.” 

Hadriana leaned up and kissed his jaw. “I know. I'm happy to finally be here, with you, Marcus, and Caius.” 

Aro's grip tightened around her slightly. “As are we, love. So much so we might never let you go.” 

She laughed. “I do want to graduate high school, but I reckon dad and I will move here permanently once I do.” 

Aro kissed her head. “That makes me very happy to hear.” 

“Aro?” 

“Hm?” He hummed.

Hadriana girded her loins, swallowing thickly. “I love you,” she murmured.

Aro stilled, then tossed his letters onto the floor and turned to wrap himself around Hadriana, pressing his nose into her hair. “Oh, my love, my darling mate, I love you, too.” 

Hadriana beamed, pressing her hand to his cheek. She kissed him, wiggling as closely as she possibly could. 

Aro's arm tightened around her, hand splayed between her shoulder blades. “You would tempt a saint,” he muttered, pressing their foreheads together.

“Me? You and your brothers are going to make me spontaneously combust soon.” 

Aro chuckled. “Sleep now, my love.” 

Hadriana tucked her head beneath his chin and snuggled against him. “Good night, Aro.” 

“Sleep well, darling,” Aro murmured.

Notes:

Next up; Hadriana receives a call, then a newspaper. We see what's going on in England from Remus' perspective, and invitations are sent to the covens inviting them to a ball at volterra

Notes:

so ive been taking an unofficial break from the hotd fandom and this kind of just sprouted??? have fun ig lol