Before You Change (Harry Potter x Twilight)

33 - Gone

"What?" I ask, sniffling. "When you were ranting. Something popped into my head. Like a spark. I saw an image. It's not like the images I usually see when reading thoughts. There are three girls. Two of them are looking at me while the one in the middle, with light brown hair, had her back turned on me," he says. I look at him confused. "Try ranting some more," he says. "Alright," I said unsurely. "We first talked at a party at my house. That night, you asked me why I was blushing and it was because I felt so close to you. You made my heart race and I didn't realize it then, but I was falling in love with you. You gave me everything I wanted. A love that filled me with happiness and a life that promised adventure. I never thought you would leave so soon. If I had, I would've done more with you. Spent every second of the day with you. The last thing you gave me was a necklace with a picture of us. I've worn it ever since. I've never taken it off because that's how much it means to me. How much you mean to me," I say, voice cracking.

"I see you. Or a younger version of you. We're sitting on a couch and you're cheeks are pink," he says, shutting his eyes again. "Now you're on a bed and there's a book. Beauty and the Beast. And then we... kiss," he says. "What is going on?" I ask. "Maybe I am Cedric Diggory," he says, shaking his head slightly at the possibility. "Tell me more about us," Edward says. "Are you sure? You're with Bella now-" I start to say. "I will always love Bella. I just want to know what happened. I want to know about Hogwarts. And about us," he says.

I spend the day telling Edward about me and Cedric. "Maybe one day you can bring me to Hogwarts. That might be when I remember," he says. "Maybe I will. But I don't think I'd be welcome there. I'm no longer a witch," I say sadly. "You're still half a witch," Edward says. "And also half a vampire. I don't think that's allowed," I say. "Well. Bella's back," Edward says. He must've heard Renesmee or Jacob. "Thanks for today. I definitely needed to get all of those bottled-up feelings out," I say. "No problem," Edward says.

The next few days, Edward is a bit more distant than usual. "Did our conversation ruin our friendship?" I tease. "What do you mean?" he asks. "I don't know. You're more distant than usual," I say. "I am? I didn't realize that. It's just hard to take in. To think I was a completely different person before. That I had another life with a girlfriend and everything," he says. I open my mouth to say something when Alice suddenly drops a vase. "Alice?" I ask. "The Volturi. They're coming for us," she whispers. Edward gets up quickly and so does Carlisle. "Irina. Irina told them something," Alice says.

"Wait, we saw Irina the other day. In the forest. When I was with Jacob and Renesmee," Bella says. "Why would Irina report us?" Carlise asks. "Did Irina see anything?" Edward asks Bella. "No. It was just me, Jacob, and Renesmee," Bella says. "Of course," Edward whispers. "What?" I ask. "They think Renesmee is an immortal child," he says.

"An immortal child?" I ask. "An immortal child is very powerful and dangerous. One of their tantrums can destroy towns. The Volturi made it their job to kill all immortal children in order to keep vampires safe," Carlisle says. "So they'll stop at nothing to kill Renesmee if they believe she's an immortal child. Then they'll kill all of us as punishment," Edward says. "But Renesmee's not an immortal child, right?" I ask. "No, she's not. But they don't know that," Carlisle says. "How do we stop them?" I ask. "We'll need witnesses. Gather up as many supernaturals as you can. Maybe then, they'll stop to listen. However, if it comes to deaths, I will not ask my friends to fight our battle for us," Carlisle says. "Alright. We'll split up and start out tomorrow," Edward says.

I walk down the familiar alley to home. It wasn't as cheerful as it used to be. I remember growing up on this street and returning here every summer after I started going to Hogwarts. I take a deep breath as I knock on the door. "Brooke?" a guy asks. "Ernie?" I ask. "Welcome back to the land of the living sis," he says. "You changed. I hardly recognized you," I say. "What kind of sister are you? You don't even recognize your own brother," Ernie says, letting me in. The inside of the house didn't change much. It was the feeling that changed. It felt... empty. "Brooklyn?" another voice asks from the kitchen. "Heather? Oh my gosh, I've missed you!" I say, giving her a hug. "What are you doing here?" she asks, releasing me from her hug. "This is kinda my home," I say. "You went off the charts two years ago! We all thought you died!" Heather says, shoving me slightly. "What are you doing here?" I ask her. "I'm kinda dating your brother," she says. "Ernie? What do you see in him?" I joke. "He's kinda cute. We bonded over you and just started seeing each other," she says, blushing. "How's Poppy?" I ask suddenly.

The color disappears from her face. "Poppy's... gone," she says, voice cracking. "What do you mean gone?" I ask, not believing her. "She died. At the Battle of Hogwarts. She took a killing curse for George," Heather says, eyes filling with tears. "What the hell happened when I was gone?" I ask, shocked at this. "A lot. We lost more than just Poppy that day," Ernie says, handing me a cup of tea. "Voldemort attacked. And mom and dad being aurors joined the fight. Mom's gone as well. Some Deatheater killed her. And Hogwarts was basically destroyed," Ernie says. "Why did no one tell me about this?" I ask. "You went off the charts. No one could find you or reach you. We assumed that you either died or found happiness in a new life and we didn't want to take that from you. You've been through a lot, losing your soulmate and all, so we decided to let you be," Heather says gently. "So. Did you find that happiness?" Ernie asks. "I might've. Actually that's the reason I came today," I say.