Carlisle took a deep unneeded breath in an attempt to calm himself before knocking on the door in front of him. Resolving himself that he could no longer put off the conversation he was about to have he raised his hand. Before his knuckles could even touch the wood the door opened on its own.

A deep chuckling came from inside the chamber, "No need to stand there all day Carlisle, I don't bite."

"That joke gets old, Albus," the vampire sighed stepping into the Headmaster's office. Looking around he noticed the many portraits that lined the walls, all the people in them curiously seemed to be asleep.

"Everything gets old eventually Carlisle including this aged man," Dumbledore said touching his hand to his chest. "You'll have to forgive me as my jokes I'm afraid are as out of date as I am but they continue to bring me a little laughter in the darkness."

Shaking his head Carlisle wondered how every time he encountered this wizard he instantly felt like he was the younger of the two even though he had lived a century longer than the man. "Age is hardly something I can hold against someone," he said continuing to take in the room around him. The shelves were filled with various trinkets and books. There was even an old worn pointed hat that seemed to take a breath before going still once again.

"Quite true," Dumbledore replied holding his hand out to the chair in front of his desk, "Though you may not need it, perhaps you would like to sit so we may catch up. It's been awhile since we have had so much time my old friend."

Nodding Carlisle settled himself in front of his old companion. "It has been Albus and I'm afraid a lot more has transpired then you let on…"

"Times have not been so easy my friend and you were rather adamant that correspondence was discreet," the old wizard replied leaning back in his chair. "Even with magic I can only do so much."

"Surely there had to have been a way to keep me more informed."

"I did what I could Carlisle. I have a school to run, a Minister who has made daily calls to my office for years, a Wizengamet of which I am the Chief Warlock and most importantly I have a young lady in the castle who seems to find herself in all sorts of adventures." Bringing his hands together the older wizard glanced to where a sword was mounted on the wall, "I informed you to move to Forks, I had Remus insist that Charlie call you to come with him, what more would you have me do?"

"When we last spoke you had shown up at my old office to tell me my family was needed in Forks. We went but you could have explained more, given me a little more warning about what was going on."

"I had very little time that day if you remember, I was in America for a conference and was expected back in the Wizengamet within an hour. I was merely able to slip away for a short time without it being noticed and if memory serves me right you were rather upset with my presence before you rushed off for an incoming patient who was being 'air lifted in', as you called it."

Carlisle ran a hand through his hair in frustration, Albus was right. He had been the one to insist on minimal communication and may have been too hasty to try and get rid of the man before Edward or Esme showed up at the local hospital to visit as they liked to do when they lived in Alaska. He couldn't really blame Albus for trying to comply with his wishes.

"Perhaps this is a turning point for you Carlisle. Your family is here with you now…"

"Yes and they want answers," the vampire said cutting off his friend. "Answers I can't give them, Albus."

"I think you may be surprised by their reactions. It may be hard at first but they are your family and they will stand by you."

"Now is not the time," Carlisle scoffed. "I can't do that to them, to Esme."

"Very well," Dumbledore replied looking the vampire in the eye. "I will warn you though, secrets always have a way of coming to light whether we want them to or not especially when they deal with one Emily Potter."

oOoOoOo

"When do you have to go back to Gringotts?" Emily asked, her head tucked under Bill's chin. The two were resting in Severus's quarters hidden away from the rest of the school and the people who seemed more cautious of Emily than before.

"In the morning," Bill sighed continuing to run his fingers through her hair. "Fleur's family wants to have a farewell dinner tonight."

"Why do they try so hard?"

Bill shook his head unable to really explain it himself. Fleur was aware of his relationship with Emily but yet she and her family were overly kind to him, always attempting to meet with him or have 'family' dinners together. Perhaps they just hoped he'd be kind to his future bride, it wasn't like he was forbidden from having lovers in the contract. Though he knew deep down once he lost Emily he would never take another lover again. Losing Emily was something Bill was acutely aware of, she deserved more than he could ever offer her and it would only be a short time before he knew he would be forced to give her up. "I don't have an answer to that, Love."

"Will you at least be in London for a while? I doubt they plan to send me back to Forks for the summer."

"I'm not sure exactly what the Goblins have decided but I know Dumbledore has sent a request I stay, citing his need for a Curse Breaker's continued presence at the school."

"Probably not a bad idea," Emily mumbled into Bill's chest, her hand playing with the hem of his shirt. The tips of her fingers lightly grazed his skin occasionally making it difficult for him to focus as they spoke.

Kissing the top of Emily's head Bill closed his eyes and took in the scent of her shampoo. These moments curled up with her were heaven. Opening his eyes he saw Emily looking up at him, her green eyes connecting with his own. Pulling her up his body he kissed her lips. "How are you feeling?"

"Mmm, fine," Emily responded leaning back in to kiss him.

"Are you sure?" He double checked pulling back again. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Emily when she really should be resting but it had been a few days since he had, had her. The night before she had been so exhausted he had helped her to wash away some of the grime from the chaos of the third task before simply laying with her for a few hours.

Emily brought her lips to his ear and Bill could feel her breath on his skin, "William please…"

Her whispered words were all he needed, rolling so Emily was underneath him Bill leaned down and captured Emily's lips once again this time with no intention of stopping until they were both satisfied.

oOoOoOo

As Carlisle stepped off the staircase the wall behind him sealed and the Gargoyle jumped back into place. Albus' words kept replaying in his mind 'secrets have a way of coming to light'… Taking a deep breath he decided to avoid going back to his chambers for the time being. Putting a hand in his pocket he stroked the small odd coin Albus had sent him years ago just after turning Edward.

"Carlisle," a deep chuckling voice caught the vampire's attention. Turning he saw Sirius and Remus coming towards him. "I told you he was here."

"You cheated," Remus countered pointing at a large parchment in his companion's hand.

Shrugging his shoulders the wizard pointed his wand at the paper, "Mischief managed."

"You better return that to Emily soon," Remus said shaking his head as Sirius tucked the now folded parchment into his robes. "She's not going to be happy when she realizes you nicked it."

"Then maybe she should learn not to leave it laying around Severus' quarters." Patting the spot where the parchment now rested the man turned his attention back to the third person in the hallway. "Sorry Carlisle, we were looking for you."

"I caught as much," the vampire replied raising an eyebrow at the pair.

"Right," Sirius nodded his head awkwardly realizing he may have been a bit rude. "We were just rounding up a few people for a discussion on moving Emily safely from the school."

"We were planning on having dinner after and then we hoped you could check on Emily's wound and rewrap it. Severus has a meeting this evening so he won't be able to do it himself," Remus added.

"Of course," Carlisle inclined his head. "I'd be happy to join you all, perhaps someone could send word to my family."

Remus pulled out his wand and a large ghostly wolf appeared. Leaning forward he instructed it to go to the Cullen clan and inform them that Carlisle was being delayed in his return till later that evening. The vampire watched in fascination as the wolf took off running down the hall. No matter how much he continued to learn magic was an intriguing mystery to the doctor.

"Shall we," Sirius asked motioning back towards the way he and the werewolf had come. Nodding his head the vampire joined the pair as they made their way through the castle. Every now and then a student would stop to wave at Remus wishing the professor a good day.

"Do you work here?" Carlisle asked as they turned down another corridor.

"I used to," Remus replied. "Last year I was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

"Best professor they've had since Emily started," Sirius added walking up to a portrait of a nymph in a field of flowers. He leaned in and whispered the password likely hoping Carlisle wouldn't hear it, "Cave canem."

Chuckling Remus entered the chamber before Sirius could as the portrait swung forward to allow them entrance to the rooms. Stepping back Sirius motioned for Carlisle to enter, "Might as well go before me too."

"Thank you," the vampire said passing the wizard.

"Hey Carlisle," Charlie greeted the vampire from where he sat in a comfy chair by the fire. Sirius and Remus both situated themselves on the couch helping themselves to the coffee pot that was currently sitting on the table in front of them.

"Charlie," Carlisle nodded in the man's direction as he sat in a chair opposite the man's position by the fire. "How is your day going?"

Making a grunting noise the Chief took a sip from his coffee mug, "Fine, though I'm wondering where my daughter is."

"Didn't we drop her off with the vampires earlier?" Sirius titled his head confused. "I know she's a muggle but none of the students know that, I wouldn't worry."

Laughing at his friend Remus leaned back on the couch taking a sip of his coffee, "He means Emily."

"Why would you wonder where Em is? She went off with Draco after breakfast and no one knows the castle better than… well maybe me," getting hit on the head by the werewolf Sirius reached up and rubbed his hair. "Hey, what was that for?" When he got no response he looked over at Charlie, "If you want I nicked the map from her, Em's probably just in the common rooms or brewing a potion somewhere."

"Or she's back in my quarters with the Curse Breaker," a bored voice answered drawing Carlisle's attention to the dark man entering the room. "Though I believe she will be joining you for dinner."

"How did you get in here?" Sirius gaped looking from the new wizard to the entrance.

"The same way you do Black."

"But I didn't tell you the password!"

"Yes well who do you think set the password before you got here?"

"I should have guessed, Minnie would never do such a thing to her favorite pupil."

"I thought it was rather fitting, didn't you?" The dark wizard waved his wand creating a new chair for him to sit on. His eyes locked on Carlisle's and the vampire instantly felt uneasy, he knew the man was judging him and from the slight sneer on his face he obviously found him lacking.

"Severus, this is Carlisle Cullen. He is a doctor and will be helping look after Emily tonight," Remus introduced the vampire while smiling at him likely trying to reassure Carlisle that he wasn't about to be set on fire. "Carlisle, this is Severus Snape the Potions Master here at Hogwarts and Emily's Head of House."

"My pleasure," though it was clear to everyone in the room Severus was anything but pleased. "Don't we need to discuss our movements for Emily's departure from the castle," Severus said turning his attention away from the vampire making Carlisle feel slightly grateful but also annoyed that the wizard was able to make him feel insecure. "I don't have much time."

Setting down his coffee Remus leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "I think we can all agree she will have to remain in London, moving her to America is too great a risk and in Forks we won't have the magical support we would need should something go wrong."

oOoOoOo

Charlie grunted but nodded his head in agreement. He hated that his home was now considered an unsafe place for his own daughter but he understood the reasoning. They just couldn't hide enough wizards in the small town of Forks to make sure she was safe should her location be discovered. It was also for the safety of the town itself, Voldemort had no qualms demolishing such a small muggle town and would probably relish in destroying Emily's home town.

"Albus has agreed to place the Fidelius on Grimmauld, he and I will go there tonight," Sirius addressed the small group. "We will be using it as Headquarters for the Order, I believe it will be the safest place for her. Charlie there is more than enough room for you and the Cullens to stay as well."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement though Charlie could tell Carlisle was a tad confused. He would have to explain what the Fidelius charm was to the man later.

"I will be traveling on the train with her," Severus added looking slightly bored. Charlie assumed the man had already decided on a course of action with Albus earlier that day and that this little meeting was more for his and Carlisle's benefit than anyone else's.

"Couldn't that backfire if he finds out?" Remus questioned sitting up and looking the dour professor in the eyes.

"No the Dark Lord's instruction are quite clear, I am to follow Albus' wishes and not draw unneeded attention. He intends to use this time while the ministry plays dumb to rebuild. We believe he will eventually want me to sway her towards his side but he has no plans as of this moment to act or move against her."

"But better safe than sorry," Charlie concluded receiving a nod from Severus.

"The Dark Lord is in no rush, he is smart and his decisions are calculated. This past year should be an example, he had to wait an entire school year to reach his goal but he was patient. I have no doubt he will continue to show restraint. What little he had to say last night didn't sound like he was after capturing Emily, I will know more hopefully over the next few days."

"Don't push too much Severus. We need you," Remus said earning a scoff from Sirius. "And I agree, I believe he will take his time. For now we just need to be cautious."

"I know how to do my job wolf," Severus sneered standing up from his chair. Straightening out his robes a calm came over the man's face and Charlie was certain it had something to do with his skill in occlumency. "I believe we are settled on a course of action. I will ride the train with Emily before you will escort her to Black's home where she will remain for the summer months. I will expect the potions lab in your home to be filled and functioning mutt."

With that the professor walked towards the fire place, grabbing a handful of powder he threw it into the flames that instantly turned green. Turning around briefly he nodded his head in farewell to the room before stepping into the fire and disappearing.

"I fear I find myself a bit lost," Carlisle stated still looking at the flames as they lost their green hue.

Sirius shrugged, "Most people do when it comes to Snivelus."

"Sirius," Charlie scolded his old friend, the man was still bitter towards the Potions Master. His daughter's sorting into Slytherin had been a bit of a shock but it had also introduced her to Draco and his godfather. The two had become huge parts of Emily's life and it was clear as day Sirius felt threatened by his old school rival for her attention. "Be nice."

"I'm not a child," Sirius huffed crossing his arms. "The only people that man likes are Emily and Draco. The rest of us are left with his resentment and utterly sour temperament."

"Let's just be thankful he cares for Emily enough that he is willing to put himself in this position. And let's not forget you agreed to stop calling him names," Remus reminded the now pouting Sirius. Shaking his head the wolf turned his attention to Carlisle, "I think the main point of what is currently happening is that Severus has agreed to use his position as one of Voldemort's most trusted followers from the last war to spy for us."

"Which is why we shouldn't trust him!" Sirius exclaimed. "What if the Dark Wanker offers him more than us? He could turn on us at any second!"

"He wouldn't do that to Emily and you know it," Charlie cut off his friend. He too had slight worries but at the end of the day he trusted Severus with his daughter's life. She put a lot of faith in the man and Emily was a good judge of character, for now until something proved him wrong Charlie was happy to believe the best of the Professor. "You two have had four years to learn to get along. Start manning up, this isn't about the two of you anymore it's about Em, and she won't take kindly to you two continuing to bicker like an old married couple."

Sirius' mouth seemed to fall open at Charlie's words, "I… I can't believe… Did you hear that Remus?! I do not fight with that Greasy Git like an old married couple!"

Chuckling Remus gave Charlie an exasperated look before turning to the animagus, "He's not wrong, I often find myself thinking the pair of you never grew up. You both are acting rather childish."

oOoOoOo

"Who is acting like a child?" Emily asked catching the tail end of Remus' statement as she entered her Uncles' quarters. "Surely not Uncle Siri, he would never behave in a manner not befitting the title of Lord Black!"

Emily smiled as her amused father stood to give her a hug. "You sure we are talking about the same man?" Charlie teased as he released Emily and allowed her to hug her godfather who was rolling his eyes at their antics.

"You know Pup it's not nice to tease the people that fund your shopping addiction," Sirius said allowing Remus his turn to hug the witch.

"I do have a vault of my own, it's not my fault you won't let me use it." Smiling Emily kissed her Uncle's cheek, "Looking good Uncle Moony, looks like Siri hasn't driven you too bonkers yet."

"Hey!"

Snickering Emily turned and saw the vampire in the room. "Emily this is Carlisle Cullen, he will be staying and helping us out in the upcoming months," Remus said introducing the two properly.

"It's nice to meet you Carlisle, I'm Emily Potter."

"It's lovely to meet you as well. I spent my morning with your Headmaster, he speaks very highly of you," the vampire responded shaking Emily's hand.

"Hey Pup, where is Bill?" Looking over at her dogfather, Emily noticed he was searching around the room half expecting the Curse Breaker to be quietly sitting down somewhere.

"He's having dinner with the Delacours," smiling Emily tried not to let it show how annoyed she was by that fact. "Fleur and her family return to France tomorrow."

"When does he return to Gringotts?" Remus inquired as the occupants of the room once again settled back into their seats, this time Emily curled up in the wingback chair her father had been sitting while he joined the Marauders on the couch.

"Tomorrow as well, but Dumbledore has requested for him to stay in London."

"Will you tell him to firecall me after he's checked in with the Goblins tomorrow?" Sirius asked reaching forward for his discarded mug on the table. "Dang thing is cold," he mumbled tapping the mug with his wand, instantly steam began to rise from the cup.

Nodding Emily agreed, "Of course."

"So do you want to explain what's going on between you and this boy?" Charlie's gruff voice caught Emily's attention.

"I don't know what you mean," Emily answered trying to play coy. She really didn't want her father or her uncles knowing exactly what her relationship entailed with William, they like Draco would likely pester her to end it. She was certain Sirius hadn't caught on to the true nature of their arrangement as he often said how unfortunate it was that Bill was already engaged, Remus on the other hand paid more attention but he never offered any clues as to how much he knew, he could likely due to his inner wolf smell just how close the pair were but until he confronted her she was happy to pretend he too was in the dark. "There's not much to explain, Bill is a Curse Breaker for Gringotts and he does the wards for Malfoy Manor. We've been friends for a few years."

"Em, I'm not stupid," Charlie scoffed not taking his eyes off Emily's, instinctively she checked her occlumency shields. Emily wanted to roll her eyes at her actions, her father was a squib he couldn't use legilimency on her though he did have an uncanny ability to read her. "Would you like to try again?"

"Dad, William is betrothed…"

"William?" Charlie asked raising an eyebrow at his daughter.

Rolling her eyes Emily knew she could play off using the Curse Breaker's full name easily, "It's pureblood etiquette 101, always use full names when in the company of others."

"I'm your father you can be informal around me," Charlie countered.

"I'm not used to being informal anymore," Emily shrugged and it was true, the longer she was at Hogwarts the more formal she became. She lived in a house of purebloods and there were expectations of how one should behave. If she wanted to avoid dueling her fellow students constantly it was simply easier to adopt some of their behaviors, formality being one of them.

She saw her father look over at her uncles who were grudgingly agreeing with her. They had observed her enough to know that she rarely let her façade down, especially after this year.

"Fine," Charlie said looking back to Emily though she could tell he wasn't happy about this revelation. She didn't blame him, to her father she would always be the little girl who enjoyed turning his mustache pink but he was going to have to learn to accept that she was an heir to a powerful magical house and she was leading a war, the time for pranks was nearly at an end. "Still, as you said William is betrothed perhaps you should start looking elsewhere for company."

"Are you saying I need to date?"

Charlie shot Emily an annoyed look, she certainly knew the last thing he wanted was to see her dating. "I'm saying he is a man, a man who is ten years older than you!"

"So?" Emily forced herself to try and remain calm. Crossing her arms she leaned back into her chair, clearly her father was already certain of her relationship with William but she had enough with Draco constantly encouraging her to end things she didn't need Charlie to add to the pressure as well.

"He's too old for you, what about that boy you were seeing at the beginning of the year…"

"He's dead."

Charlie winced at Emily's glare obviously quickly realizing his mistake. Sighing the Police Chief gathered himself, "Em please, just… this needs to end. Whatever it is, it has to be over."

"You don't get to say that," Emily said dropping her hands to the armrests as she leaned forward. "What about Isabella?"

"This isn't about your sister Emily!"

"Oh, then tell me why she was clinging to a vampire last night, I wonder how old he is…"

Emily looked at where the vampire was sitting, the poor man looked hesitant to interject but bowing his head Carlisle gave the witch the answer she was looking for, "Edward is just over a century old."

"I think it's obvious you have more pressing issues than who I'm seeing," Emily said standing from her chair. "If you'll excuse me I need some air."

Emily watched as her father unsure of how to continue ran a hand through his hair and his body sagged back into the couch. At his nod she quickly made for the exit.

"Be careful, take Draco with you!" Sirius called after her as the portrait slammed shut.

Moving through the halls quickly she almost ran into someone. Looking up she glared at the person who dared to cross her path, her hand practically twitched for a reason to draw her wand.

"You alright Darlin'?" the deep southern voice instantly had her body calming. Emily found her body's reaction odd but she didn't think on it.

"Jasper," she said a bit of surprise in her voice at finding the vampire outside of his family's quarters, maybe no one had explained to them that it wasn't the smartest idea for the vampires to be wandering around the halls in a magical school alone. "I'm fine, I was actually just going out for a walk." Her stomach took that moment to make a soft growl, she was rather hungry with all the potions and her magical reserves strengthening again she probably should be eating more. "Perhaps the kitchens would be a better destination."

"Would you mind if I join you…" the blonde inclined his head and Emily felt her stomach jump a bit but not for food. "Only I could use a cup of blood and I was told we were not to hunt in the forest."

"The forest is named Forbidden for a reason," Emily chimed the words she had often been told, secretly smiling to herself thinking of all the time she had spent in the woods despite that fact. "Come on, I'm sure the elves can warm you up a glass or two."

Smiling the vampire stepped back gesturing for her to lead the way.

oOoOoOo

"Charlie," Remus called trying to draw his friend's attention. The man was currently staring at the wall as if the fabric covering the stone might have the answers he sought.

"It's really not a big deal," Sirius said pouring his friend a new cup coffee and passing it to him despite the glare that was now aimed in his direction.

"You knew this was going on…"

A cough interrupted the Chief. "I think it's time I head back to see my family. If Emily needs anything don't hesitate to call for me."

"Of course, thank you for your time Carlisle." Remus stood and escorted the vampire to the portrait. The poor man must feel uncomfortable, he was here to help and here they were bickering among themselves instead of focusing on preparing for the coming days. Turning to the remaining men in the room Remus shook his head.

"I had no idea. I mean I did know they were close," Sirius tried to defend himself. "They spend a lot of time together but he is betrothed, I thought them a good match but I didn't imagine them acting on it given the circumstances."

"You knew though," Charlie accused looking the wolf in the eyes.

"I suspected," Remus acquiesced. "There was nothing I could do though Charlie, she is grown enough to make these choices."

"She's 14."

"This isn't the muggle world," Sirius chimed in. "This is normal for us and look at it this way maybe we can talk to Arthur see if there isn't a way to change the betrothal to another one of his sons. A match between Emily and Bill would be more beneficial. She's heir to a Noble House, one of the oldest in our world and he's a bright successful Curse Breaker."

"You know as well as I that Bill is far too noble to shrug off this responsibility to another brother even if that was what he truly wished for," Remus sighed grabbing his own mug and taking a seat by the fire.

"Did no one hear me? My daughter is 14!"

"And she's a witch," Remus countered watching as his old friend winced at the reminder. He knew Charlie was going to struggle the most in the upcoming war. While he was always closely linked to the magical world he was raised a muggle, no matter that he was aware of the customs it was still going to be hard for him to accept the differences. "While you may not want to hear it Sirius is right, we need to start thinking about possible matches for her. There is a war coming that she will be leading but she also has a duty to her House to continue the line."

"That's pureblood propaganda," Charlie said waving his hand dismissively at his friends. When he realized the two in the room weren't laughing his face turned shocked. "You can't be serious."

"Oh I am," the animagus chuckled at his own joke. Noticing no one else thought him funny he rolled his eyes and reached out to his friend. "Charlie, Em very much respects tradition. She will be expecting us to bring a contract to her soon."

"You hate tradition," Charlie said shaking his head. "You lived with James because you couldn't stand the constant inbreeding and old ways…"

"I left because I refused to bow down before the Dark Wanker and yes I really didn't want to marry one of my cousins but most people have realized the downfalls of inbreeding many betrothals these days are to strength alliances outside of family ties."

"Emily will need alliances if she is to win this war," Remus added.

"Are you two planning on marrying her off to multiple people to make those ties?" Charlie asked actually looking fearful at the answer he might receive.

"No one is planning on Emily having multiple husbands, we are just saying entering her into a contract could give us a strong connection that may be beneficial in the future."

Sighing Charlie stood shaking his head, it seemed as if he wanted to say something before deciding against it and leaving the room.

"He'll come around," Sirius said taking a sip from his mug. "He just needs to adjust to living in our world."

Remus hoped his best friend was right and that encouraging Charlie's presence hadn't been a mistake.

oOoOoOo

Stepping out of the kitchens Jasper couldn't help but laugh as Emily finished her story about the time she had pranked one of her teachers.

"Every time he tried to speak all that came out were random colors of bubbles!"

Laughing the two started back out into the castle before a squeak caught their attention. Looking over at where the sound came from Jasper noticed a young looking student stood frozen a few feet in front of them, he wore a yellow tie and had messy brown hair. Fear radiated off the boy.

Feeling a twinge of pain Jasper tuned his attention to Emily who had crossed her arms. She raised an eyebrow at the child who took a few steps backwards, with a quick mumbled apology the boy fled back down the hall he came from. Looking between the now empty spot the student had been standing and Emily the vampire became curious, "Was that my doing?"

"No," Emily turned to meet Jasper's gaze. "He probably didn't even notice you. Would have been amusing if he had, doubt he would have been able to find the strength to run away if he realized I was with a vampire."

"Are all the students that scared of you?"

"From time to time," she shrugged and Jasper felt the twinge of pain again.

"Is your arm okay?" Emily gave him an odd look but shook her head.

"I probably need another potion and a new wrapping," she glanced at her arm and ran her finger along the fabric that covered her healing wound. "I feel like such a muggle."

The sneer on her face as she stared at her arm made Jasper curious, "Isn't it common for humans to heal slowly?"

"I'm a witch," was her only response and Jasper supposed that was all she really needed to offer. She wasn't fully human so perhaps she like him was used to shorter healing times.

"Why don't we go see if Carlisle is in the family's quarters, he can help with getting it properly bandaged again."

Emily seemed reluctant but none the less agreed.

oOoOoOo

As Emily walked back down to the dungeons she felt slightly bad for leaving Jasper behind. Upon entering the Cullens quarters Emily had been greeted to the sight of her muggle 'sister' cuddling up with the copper headed vampire named Edward. Carlisle had briefly introduced everyone to her before tending to her wound.

The atmosphere had seemed tense and a few of them seemed less than pleased with Isabella's presence. Carlisle informed her that it looked like the cut was finally beginning to try and close. Looking at the old cloth Emily had noticed that there certainly was less blood than the night before but with the nature of cursed injuries she knew she probably had another week of potions and rebandaging ahead of her.

Quickly entering Severus' rooms she was disappointed to find the man still missing. She worried about the safety of her mentor and all the danger he faced because he cared for her.

Pushing the door to her room open she smiled at seeing William propped against the headboard reading a book. She quickly made her way over to join him, climbing onto the bed she rested her head on his shoulder. "How was your dinner?"

The man grunted in response which brought a smile to Emily's face. She knew she shouldn't be so happy he hadn't enjoyed his evening but she couldn't help herself. "What are you reading?"

"It's on blood runes and tattoo magic," he replied turning away from his book briefly to kiss the top of her head.

Tapping the book Emily told William to let go. The book hung in the air as Emily moved to lay between his legs. Once she was snuggled into him properly with her head tucked under his she felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled at her behavior, "Better?"

"For now," she hummed and closed her eyes allowing herself to relax in her lover's arms.