Potter in Forks

Chapter 8

October 31 thru Nov 20

"You're awfully quiet tonight." Carlisle murmured sitting across from Reese. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather be out with the boys at the party?"

Reese shook her head. "I probably should have just stayed home. I never am good company on Halloween."

"Nessie told us about your parents dying on Halloween."

Reese shifted to stare out into the darkness. "It isn't just that my parents died on Halloween. It's that something always seems to happen to threaten my life as well on this day."

Esme glided in and sat on Carlisle's lap. Her fingers stroked the nape of his neck. "What do you mean?"

Reese glanced around the room and saw the others had joined them quietly. Rosalie and Emmett were sitting on a love seat, Jasper leaned against the wall to her right; Alice snuggled against him. His chin resting on her head. Edward and Bella sat at the piano. Renesmee and Jacob cuddled on the sofa.

"First year at Hogwarts, I'm eleven. Halloween feast a troll gets into the castle nearly killing me and the two students who became my close friends...well, until I discovered they were pretending to be friends so they could spy on me for Dumbledore.

Second year, the Chamber of Secrets was opened on Halloween night and everyone decided I must be the Heir of Slytherin since I'm a parseltongue. I was ostracized the rest of the year.

Third year, Sirius Black escapes Azkaban. At that time everyone thought he was the one who betrayed my parents and killed thirteen muggles trying to escape capture. They thought he escaped to try and kill me. He snuck into the castle on Halloween and got into the dormitory while we were at the feast and ripped apart our beds and drapes. Turns out he was framed and trying to catch the real betrayer who was a rat animagus living as Ron Weasley's rat.

Fourth year, Halloween Ball with no one willing to be near me because they thought I put my name in for the Tri-Wizard Tournament when you had to be seventeen to enter. I finally left the Ball and wandered up to the Astronomy tower to be alone and someone hexed me from behind. If Dobby, the house elf, hadn't come when I called for him I would have bled out before I was found.

Fifth year, someone slipped poison into my punch and I was barely given the antidote in time."

The vampires all stared at her in horror. Finally, Emmett cleared his throat. "Isn't there seven years of boarding school? What happened the last two?"

Reese looked down nervously. "Well, you see..."

"It's okay, Reese." Alice reassured her coming to sit by her. "We won't be mad and we won't tell anyone."

Reese studied her a minute then swallowed and nodded. "This would have been my sixth year. I'm really just sixteen. I took an aging potion before leaving England so no one would bother me about living alone."

"You're just sixteen?" Jacob asked incredulously. "You've been lying to us?"

"Jacob, stop." Nessie ordered sharply. "Alice and I have known from before we met her who she is and how old she is. Alice saw a lot and I've touched her often and picked up a bunch about her."

Jacob glared then sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He nodded. "You're right. We have to keep secrets from people too. Lie about things related to shifting and vampires."

Reese relaxed slightly. Since Nessie had settled into being seventeen the Imprint bond had settled and deepened as well causing Jacob to relax and mellow a bit. "The people looking for me are looking for a sixteen year old not a twenty-two year old."