"Voldemort has decided when he's going to attack. He'll be here in four days."

Bella's Point of View

It took only a second to process this information before Jasper took charge. "Edward, go wake Harry, Hermione, Ron, everyone involved. You know who. Bella get the wolves. Alice go the Professor Dumbledore's office and have him gather the staff. I'll get the rest of the family. We'll meet in the Room of Requirement in ten minutes."

Without sparing even a moment to nod in acknowledgment we set off. I moved so quickly that I didn't notice as I left the warmth of the common room and barely heard the sound of my feet hitting the stone floor of the hallway. In less than two minutes I had left the castle, crossed the grounds, and made my way through the passage under the Whomping Willow.

I burst through the door, nearly knocking over Leah who was fixing herself a snack in the kitchen.

"Alice had a vision. Voldemort will be here in four days. Can you get Jake, Seth, and Embry to the Room of Requirement?"

She nodded and phased almost immediately. Thirty seconds later she was back in human form.

"They're on their way. Let's go."

We made our way back to the castle, me concentrating on matching my pace to Leah's despite everything on my mind. There was a heavy silence between us as we made our way to the Room of Requirement. Even Jacob, Embry, and the normally jovial Seth joining us along the way did not lighten the mood.

We pushed open the door and found everyone gathered around the map of Hogwarts' grounds. Many were still wearing the pajamas they had been sleeping in minutes before. Already they were discussing the available options.

"We know they'll have a newborn army with them. If Voldemort is as mad and power hungry as you say, there is no way he would pass that opportunity up." Jasper said as we joined the group. "The question is whether they will be magical and how their being newborns will affect their magical strength."

"Even if it doesn't increase their magical power, they will be faster and stronger than any of us, with the possible exception of Emmett." Carlisle added, "If we try to fight them with magical means, it will need to be spells with large areas of effect, which could be endanger us as well. Bella, can your shape and maintain your shield spells around a person?"

"I've never done it before, but I don't see why I couldn't try."

"Okay, if we have Bella focus on protecting our front lines then we can risk using more destructive spells on Voldemort's forces, so long as everyone is comfortable with that." Jasper said. "Jacob, can your pack handle keeping things clear for Harry to fight Voldemort?"

Jake nodded, resolved, "Harry, just focus on Voldemort. We'll keep everything else off you."

Harry looked grim. "Thank you, but we still need to figure out how I'm going to beat Voldemort. We all know the prophecy. We know it has to be me. I have to kill him. But he's going to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than me, and I won't have a magical shield from my parents to save me this time.

"I know everyone thinks that I can do it since I've done it before. But those times have mostly been luck. First year, he beat me, but I still had my mother's shield. Second year, only killed the Basilisk with the sword from the Sorting Hat, and Fawkes is the only reason I didn't die in the Chamber."

"Harry, that's more than luck." Hermione began, but he cut her off.

"I lost to him both those times and only survived because of someone else. Again, fourth year I only got out of that graveyard because of our wands being paired, and last year I got Sirius killed. So no Hermione, it's all been luck.

"This time, it's all on me. I have to do it myself because that's what the prophecy says. I need to even the odds." He finished passionately, looking to Carlisle.

We all understood his implication, but let the elder Cullen respond. "Harry, the transformation is incredibly painful, and we cannot use painkillers as we do not know how they affect the transformation. Even once you have changed, the pain does not completely go. We live with the pain from thirst everyday. It has been, and always will be, an eternal struggle for us to live in normal society without revealing ourselves, or worse, harming someone.

"And even if you were to transform, it is nearly impossible to control yourself for the first years, let alone days. If someone were to begin bleeding during the battle, you would be overwhelmed with the desire to attack them, friend or foe."

"I know that, but I don't have any other choice. I have to kill him, and if he's going to be stronger and faster than any of you, I won't be able to do that as a human."

"Carlisle is correct." Dumbledore added, "Even if you were to overcome the difficulties of being a newborn vampire and fight Voldemort, Wizarding society would find it difficult to accept you as a vampire."

"It isn't as though they've accepted me this far, is it? If the Prophet puts out a piece condemning me, suddenly, they've hated me for as long as they can remember. Once I do something good, they act like they've been on my side all along. Endangering the world to pander to such a fickle society is pointless."

"I agree with Harry." Hermione said with no small amount of hesitation. "We're fighting a war, and that means that we need to do whatever we can to win. If we don't, the deaths of everyone that dies at Voldemort's hands will be on us."

Ron nodded in affirmation, "If Harry thinks it's the best thing to do, I agree with him. I've followed him into enough to believe him now."

A heavy quiet settled over us, broken only by the crackling fire a few feet from the table we had gathered at. Eventually Carlisle glanced first at Esme, who gave a slight, sad smile, and then at Alice who nodded almost imperceptibly.

Carlisle sighed heavily, defeated. "Harry, are you sure that you understand the gravity of what you are asking for?"

"Yes. I know it won't be easy. I know that it will hurt. I know that I'll never escape the thirst, or be able to enjoy food again. I know that immortality can become a curse worse than any other, but I also know that I'd rather live with these consequences, than with the consequences of letting Voldemort win."

"Then I don't see what choice I have. I will transform you Harry."

"Thank you Carlisle, I understand your concerns for me and appreciate them, but this is what I have to do. You said the process takes three days, correct? Then we should start immediately."

At that moment a door appeared near the table, the Room of Requirement had apparently heard our conversation and furnished an extra room for the purpose. The new room was nearly bare except for a bed in the middle of the room and a chair not far from it. Next to the chair were a few medical instruments, including syringes.

Harry smiled weakly at Ron and Hermione who went to his side and began speaking to him in low tones. I tried to turn a deaf ear as their words were obviously intended to be private. After they had both given him powerful hugs, they stepped away.

"I'm ready." Harry said simply as he walked through the door to the room where he would transform.

Carlisle nodded and followed him into the room, closing the door. We waited outside silently.

About fifteen minutes later, Harry's screaming began.

A/N A short chapter, but I'm updating after 4 years. Let's see if I can actually finish it out. As always, I reply to all reviews that leave me a way to do so.