Serendipity

A Harry Potter and Twilight Saga Crossover

By Tannin & Tele

Disclaimer: All rights belong to J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer voiding that of original content and characters.

Summary: The vision of a life-changing meeting at midnight catalysts a series of events that could potentially change Edward Cullen and Harry Potter's immortal lives...for the better. "Don't throw away all you hold dear for this one girl. You'll not only lose the love of your family and the safety of your home in the process- but you'll lose your one chance at real, true love, as well."

ser-en-dip-i-ty

/,serən'dipədē/

(noun)

Finding something good without looking for it.

I:

A Vision

A small house stood modestly at the end of a short, uneven driveway. A large red truck sat peacefully on the gravel while a wayward raccoon slowly crept under the axle. A perimeter of evergreens surrounded the Swan home from all sides, a lone oak tree standing tall besides the white-washed home. It's thick golden leaves rustled lightly in the wind, momentarily revealing the crouched figure balancing on a knotted branch, peering into the highest window for any sign of movement or distress.

"I must say, I find myself a bit disappointed." A soft voice pierced through the silence of night, breaking Edward's concentration. "For a centuries-old blood-sucker, you should know better than to broadcast your own angst so loudly. You never know who may be...listening in."

Caught unawares, the vampire jolted lightly, temporarily losing his footing. A pale hand shot out to grasp a branch for balance, supernatural strength nearly snapping the limb in two. A dark shadow crossed the grassy floor, rustling dried leaves and causing an otherwise inconspicuous song bird to erupt into the skies. Lifting his nose, Edward instantly caught the vaguely familiar scent of the foreigner. The aroma was attractive; something intensely dark, sweet and powerful, causing venom to suddenly pool in the vampire's mouth.

Swallowing tightly,Edward spared a furtive glance at Bella's closed window, before slipping down from the safety of his tree. He landed gracefully on his toes, and narrowed his burnt orange eyes as he searched the tree line for the outsider. From the shadows of the dark evergreens, a smallish boy with bright eyes and a mop of dark hair stepped into the moonlight, overdressed in a flowing black robe and...sneakers. His overly appeasing scent washed over Edward, and the vampire resisted staggering backwards, losing his breath for the first time in a century.

It was worse than Bella's scent...he thought. And yet somehow a thousand times better.

"What...what are you talking about?" Edward forced out, pushing past his incriminating thoughts. The green-eyed boy huffed out a laugh as he glided closer, dark robes billowing behind him. The boy circled Edward like a hawk, appraising the man with a gimlet eye.

"You know," the boy laughed suddenly. "It was really quite easy for me to surf through that beautiful brain of yours and pluck at your deepest, darkest secrets...I've been doing it for a while, but I believe your thoughts were the most despicably raunchy I've seen in a long bit- and I lived in a dorm full of hormonal war veterans for a year after gaining the ability! Who knew you had a thing for bondage?" the boy continued, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "That poor girl would have never stood a chance!"

"You-" Edward choked, and he was sure he'd be blushing if he could. Steeling himself quickly, Edward stepped forward, towering over the boy. "I don't know who you are, but if you value your life, I'd suggest leaving. You have no business here," he said resolutely.

There was a pause, before the boy gave a small, derisive snort. "Value my life? Value my life?! Oh, there's nothing left to value, trust me!" He raked his eyes up and down Edward's lean figure, before looking down at himself with another snort. "And I'm quite certain I could hold my own in a fight, if it comes to that."

Edward couldn't tell if the boy was serious or not. His brain was strangely muffled, his thoughts stifled by a dark, solid block that caused a pleasant tingle in the back of Edward's mind. He ignored this. "...you are treading on very dangerous ground, boy." Edward warned, stepping closer. "You don't know what you're messing with. I could snap you in two."

The boy merely looked bemused. "You can't possibly assume that you're the only special one around here, Cullen. 'Mind reading' and super strength isn't all that uncommon where I come from."

He smirked brightly as he saw a flash of curiosity in Edward's bright eyes. As Edward stared at him in astonishment, the boy lazily crouched down and plucked a yellow wild flower from the grass. The boy ran his fingers across the soft petals, pinching the ends with his thumb and forefinger. The tips of the flower petals began to darken at his touch- turning purple and then black- before wrinkling in his palm and falling to the ground. Edward watched in numb horror as the shriveled flower remnants erupted in the boy's hand in a shower of orange flame, golden ash collecting in his smooth palm.

"Point proven. Now, regardless of my own peculiarities (fascinating as they are)..." he said, meeting Edward's inquisitive gaze, before shaking himself. "The matter at hand is that you are quite obviously a vampire- and, by nature, dangerous. While on the topic, your entire family is dangerous...but that's not important now. What is important, is your own choices."

The boy was suddenly less than a foot away. His raven-haired head barely reached Edward's shoulders, but his eyes were twinkling with a strange darkness, a power Edward knew better than to reckon with.

"You have two options, Cullen," the boy hissed, his nonchalant mood slipping quite abruptly. "I can either kill your entire coven of blood-suckers and drastically alter the memories of those who know- or even suspect- of your double life," he glanced momentarily up at the Swan house, and Edward tensed. "...or," the boy drawled, voice lighter. "We can strike a bargain."

Edward had to force himself to remain calm. This was just a boy. He reminded himself. A strange, magical boy; but a boy all the same. He couldn't possibly-

"-harm your family?" The boy finished Edward's thought, eyes gleaming in the silver moonlight. "Believe me, Darling, I can and I will...if need be."

Edward balled his fists tightly, lowering his golden gaze. "For years, we've lived in peace," the vampire said, voice low. "We haven't hurt anyone; we only drink from animals. We might slip up now and again," he conceded, before shaking his head. "But we don't mean any harm. And Bella; she hasn't done anything wrong! What could you possibly want from us?"

The boy snorted. "Us? No, no, no. This, Cullen, is between you, me, and Death. Your family and...Swan are merely..." he waved his fingers idly. "Collateral damage."

Edward drew in a breath, suddenly quite aware of the power swirling around the stranger. "I don't know what I did to anger you so," he said cautiously. "But I'll do anything-"

"Never say 'anything', vampire-boy. You'll regret it." The boy said seriously, before drawing up his shoulders. "To be frank, Death and I are both rather displeased about this...disgusting obsession you have with that mortal girl. You may be temporarily fascinated by Swan's closed mind and delectable smell, but trust me; it isn't worth it. War, death, sickness, hate, destruction...you have no idea what fire you're playing with.

"So, I'm here to talk you out of it!" he said, rather confidently. "If I hadn't moved into town, who knows what potentially disastrous damage could come about? You are very, very lucky I came when I did-"

Edward broke in suddenly, closing in quickly on the boy. He thrusted a finger into the boy's chest. "Lucky?! I don't even know you! Why should I trust you, over...over what I feel, for her? I've waited a century for-"

"For a mate, yes, I know," the boy interrupted sharply, slapping away the vampire's hand. "And you'll meet them, eventually! Your true 'mate', that is- but it's not her. The laws of nature practically defy it! Not only is it wrong on so many levels, not just where I'm concerned, butit's also quite cruel to 'Bella'. Swan'll want a family; a significant other she can rely on not to go into a blood frenzy at the slightest paper cut. She deserves to be safe and happy, and you can't provide that."

Edward looked overly flustered- he knew all of this, but what he felt, in his un-beating heart...it overruled everything. Sensing Edward's distress, the boy pinched his nose, breathing out heavily.

"But you're right." He said finally. "You have no reason to trust me; and I don't know what to do to make you believe me, so I suppose you'll just have to rely on your own conscience, common sense, and morals...even if they're all saying the same fucking thing as I am," he muttered darkly, crossing his arms. Edward huffed at his vulgarity, but didn't say anything.

"Edward..." the boy sighed, looking on at the vampire with a modicum of pity. "I understand that you've been alone for a long time, and after a century of being alone, you have every right to be selfish for once; but I simply cannot allow it when it begins messes with people's lives. When it comes to Death, I must step in, you realize. You'll live a long time, and you most certainly deserve to be happy...but I cannot watch by, when I know how badly it will end.

"And not just that, but I can't watch you throw away all you hold dear for this one girl. You'll not only lose the love of your family and the safety of your home in the process...but you'll lose your one chance at real, true love, as well. Please, don't make this mistake." The boy pleaded, emerald eyes bright with emotion.

After a long, pregnant pause, Edward turned away, eyes gleaming. "I'll...I'll think about it." Edward said, finally. "It's quite a lot to take in, and I...I care very deeply about Bella. But if you're right..." he sighed lightly, sparing a glance up at the Swan house.

Flicking his eyes back to the slowly retreating figure, Edward's expression turned anguished. "Wait!" he called out suddenly. The boy stilled, robes twirling around his feet. "Before you go, could you at least tell me what you are? Friend, foe...vampire, sorcerer, fairy, demon..."

The boy gave a sad sort of smile, before shaking his head. "I'm not any of that. What I am is...indescribable. So for, now, call me...Harry." He stepped into the shadows, and Edward became abruptly aware of the darkness surrounding, previously flooded with light from Harry's very presence.

"...Just Harry." The voice echoed across the Swan yard, before a soft 'pop!' signaled the boy's disappearance.

Alice gasped as she emerged from the vision, her hand clutching the lunch table with enough force to leave a dent. Jasper cautiously pried her fingers from the wood, massaging her hand with tender concern.

"What is it?" Jasper asked, voice lower than the human ear could sense.

Alice flickered her eyes from Edward (who looked a bit constipated from seeing Alice's vision secondhand), to the two new students settling down next to Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton. The girl was nothing impressionable, with her dark doe-eyes and limp brown hair- but the boy...

Edward made the mistake of meeting his bright emerald gaze, and had to swallow hastily as venom pooled into his mouth. The boy's eyes widened at the sight of the five immortal teenagers, taking in their topaz eyes and flawless complexions. Something seemed to dawn on him, and he turned away, eyes glowing with ethereal light.

Alice shifted in her seat, leaning against Jasper's chest, thoroughly satisfied. Her boyfriend gave her a curious look. "Why so cheerful?" he asked, before wrapping a strong arm around her. "...not like I'm complaining."

Alice gave him a beaming smile as she watched Edward steal furtive glances to the new boy, his fingers tapping lightly against the table in an endearingly mortal expression of anxiety.

"The new kids, is all. They..." she hummed. "Have potential. It's two sides of the same coin, you see. One is dark, one is light. One brings nothing but destruction, while the other...may just be our missing piece." Alice observed as her brother in all but blood shot another glance at the green eyed boy, which made the younger of the two blush a bright pink. For such a powerful boy, he is awfully cute, Alice grinned to herself.

"...And it already seems that Edward has made the right choice. Whoa! One potentially disastrous future thwarted, and I didn't have to do a lick of work!" Alice cheered, lifting a fist in the air. A few interlopers stared at her in surprise, and Jasper slowly lowered her arm with a chuckle.

"Alright, Alice," he humored. "Whatever you say."

II:

A Boy and His Vampire

Needless to say, ten hours later found Edward sitting in another tree all together, staring pensively at the curtained window of Just Harry's modest, four-story manor. The Victorian-style home resided on the outskirts of town, tantalizingly close to the Cullen home, which caused many-a rumors to fly about the high-school.

Edward perked up excitedly as Harry entered his bedroom for the night, his nightly motions soothing to the anxious vampire. Ten seconds later, Edward nearly fell out of the tree as the window slammed open, and a shirtless, tastefully ruffled boy appeared before him, scowling deeply.

"For a centuries-old blood-sucker, I would hope you'd harbor a modicum of discretion," he snapped, brushing a hand hastily through his feathered mane. "And if stalking me is your version of 'romantic first meeting', think again, Cullen. But at least it's better than a midnight soiree in the Swan yard," he added with a mischievous crinkle to his eyes.

"You-" Edward stammered in surprised. "How-"

"You're not the only special one around here, vampire-boy," Harry said with a smug smirk. "Now, are you coming in for not? It's rather frigid out, and if you haven't noticed, I'm only half-dressed." Harry turned back into his room, conveniently reaching out with his Legilimency to capture a single, wayward thought:

Oh, believe me, Harry. I've noticed...

Hastily pulling out of the vampire's open mind, the wizard reluctantly caught the tale end of a rather perverse image involving Harry, his four-poster bed and the crimson window dressings. (Bondage, indeed.)

Somewhere, Harry was sure, Death was laughing uproariously.

"I saw that!" He screamed, slapping a hand over his innocent eyes. Edward paled farther, if that was even possible, as he remembered Harry's 'special abilities'. "You Merlin-damned pervert!" Harry swore, before collapsing onto his bed, hastily pulling the blankets over him as he noticed something rather...protruding.

"...Damn it."

Edward was practically salivating at the sight of a lightly aroused, shirtless eternal-teenager.

And Alice, Edward knew- she was laughing, too.

The End