Hi again! I'm in London, YIPPEEEEEEEE!!!!! Wow, I've missed it more than I thought possible. The first thing we did when the plane landed was go out for some fish and chips. Yummmmmyyyyyyyy!! We're at the hotel now, and everyone's asleep, but I HAAADDD to post this for you guys! Enjoy! :D

xoxo GINNNNYYYYYYYY!!!!!

--------Chapter-----Nine--------

Saturday came too soon. I'd gone through a torturous week of nonstop "training" and uneasy glances from the Cullens. Alice tried to convince me to hang out with them one night, but Ron came in, looking for me, and I told them it was his birthday. When he asked what his present was, I just smacked him and ran.

"Bella, it's time to leave." Harry came down the steps, followed by Ron and Ginny, who took her usual place beside me.

"'Kay. Hermione, get down here!" I called up the steps. Hermione appeared, leaning over the balcony.

"Bella, I think I'm coming down with something. Might have to stay here." She gave the fakest cough ever, and I dragged her down the steps.

"Oh, no, 'Mione. You are NOT getting out of this. If you do, I'm staying." She shook her head at me before we went down the steps. Edward was leaning against the doorframe, toying with a button on his shirt.

"Alright, let's get this over with." I said, hardly stopping as I passed him, heading past the clock tower. We continued on to Hogsmeade, and it was fairly quiet until we actually got there. Edward was gawking at the small village, as I expected. Also as I expected, the others ran off to Honeydukes, leaving me with HIM.

"Thanks for being loyal!" I shouted after them angrily, throwing my hands in the air. Ron just shouted something about peer pressure. I noticed Edward smirk in the corner of my eye.

"Now we can talk." Of course he'd bring that up. Why wouldn't he? If he was REALLY so intent on winning me over, he should've just left me alone.

"YOU can talk. I might listen, if it isn't nonsense." I crossed my arms and sat on a bench. He sat next to me, and I looked at anything but him.

"I'm really sorry about what I did." I just snorted at his remark. That was so typical, so normal. You'd think a vampire would've thought of something better to use. "I'm serious. It's just... this was the last place I expected to see you." The annoyed gleam in my eyes dimmed slightly.

"No one seems to answer my question; why are you even here?" I felt the tips of my hair go crimson. That was one of the most annoying things anyone can do; to not answer my questions.

"Carlisle thought this was where we could try and forget about Forks. And, of course, your grandfather asked for our help." All of my hair turned blood red and singed a little. My mood turned sour, and I struggled to put out the slight flame to ease Edward's uneasy expression.

"Well, you got your wish. I might hang out with Alice once in a while, but I'm not your puppet anymore. I've learned my lesson." I started to stand, but, Edward being Edward, he grabbed my arm and pulled me gently back down. I took my arm back and looked away. Expressing feelings was not on my favorites list.

"You never were, Bella, I loved you. Why else would I go through such hell just to be with you for almost a year?" My eyes flickered to his smoldering ones for a moment before returning to the lamppost next to the bench.

"You just answered your own question. If you were so keen on me, you wouldn't have stayed for a year before skipping out." I crossed my arms and didn't hide the stubborn look in my eyes. Edward just sighed exasperatedly.

"Same Bella, I see, stubborn as hell." He was talking to himself more than me. I noticed Hermione and Ginny eavesdropping from a window above us. I shooed them away quickly before Edward looked back up at me again.

"Yeah, well you aren't much better yourself." He just made a chuckling noise under his breath.

"Why can't we just let this go and... start over again?" I considered his words for a second. Starting over... starting over... after such an eventful six months in hiding, starting over seemed like something that would be better for everyone. That made me think about Hermione's words earlier. Everything going on was for the best... maybe Grandpa wasn't such a traitor... maybe he was just trying to help me.

"Fine." His expression lightened for a moment before he groaned and put his head in his hands. "What?" I asked nervously. Edward being exasperated wasn't usually something good.

"You'll see." Was all he muttered. I was in an odd state of confusion before someone tapped on my shoulder, and I looked into Alice's excited eyes.

"I'm Alice Cullen, you must be Bella." I see she was taking the whole "starting over" thing seriously. I stared between her and Edward for a moment before taking her outstretched hand. Before I could shake it, she had tackled me to the ground in an infamous Alice hug.

"Oh, I knew it was you! I have my sister back!" She cheered. It wasn't loud enough to draw attention, but Edward pulled her off me before it did. I noticed all of my present family peering out of the window and I groaned and rolled my eyes.

"I'll be back." I heard them follow me anyway as I went inside the surprisingly warm shop. Something must've caught their eye, because when I climbed the steps to the top floor, they weren't following.

"Congratulations, Bella!" Ginny hugged me when I reached the fairly empty landing above.

"Why do I have to have the family who eavesdrops for a living?" I leaned against the doorframe.

"It was Hermione's idea." I wasn't surprised that Ron defended himself first, and I looked over at the blushing Hermione.

"Well, Harry is the one who said you wouldn't mind." I looked over at Harry, who was giving Hermione a vengeful look.

"Fred and George said it would be fun!" I looked over at the twins, who were mumbling to each other, looking for another excuse.

"I don't care who's idea it was! All that matters is that you NEVER DO IT AGAIN." They all breathed a sigh of relief when I smiled.

"Well, we're going to the Three Broomsticks. Are you coming?" I looked out the window to see Edward and Alice were gone.

"Sure." We went down the street casually, and Harry and Ron filled the silence with chatter about nothing in particular before finally settling on Quidditch as we took a table in the far right corner.

"So, Bella, did you finish your Potions homework?" Everyone stared at Hermione. "What?" She demanded defensively.

"This is our day off, Hermione! No one wants to talk about Potions!" Ron said angrily. She just shrugged and looked at the table.

"So, Bella, I see you've got your boyfriend back." Harry elbowed me in the ribs and I blushed.

"WHAT?! Bella, I swear, if you EVER-" Ron exploded. His head was so red, it made his vibrant hair stand out even more as he brought his fist down, making the table shake. Hermione's butterbeer nearly fell over.

"Calm down you maniac, I don't have a boyfriend." He stared at me, still fuming, for a few minutes before he sat back down. His head didn't return to its normal pale tone until Ginny changed the subject. Fred and George were still on the floor, laughing.

"Get up, you baboons." Ron grumbled. His ears and neck went red in his embarrassment, and I was struggling to hold back laughter. I couldn't handle it anymore, and my hair went bubblegum pink. I let out a small giggle into Ginny's shoulder when Ron wasn't looking. The conversation ensued, and we only let out small giggles or chuckles when Ron went up for another drink. We'd been told to return to Hogwarts by a very rosy-cheeked Cho Chang (Harry stared after her lustfully, and Ginny's eyes fell sadly, it was a heartbreaking sight) after about two hours.

"Ronald, stop eating for a moment and look at the Head Table." Hermione whispered at dinner, pointing to the Table. Everything seemed in order... except for the fact that two very important people were missing. The gleam of a great white beard and black curtain of hair were gone, as were their owners.

"Wonder if old Snape finally realized he isn't welcome here." George joked. Only Fred and Ginny laughed. I would've, too, but the alarm, fear and slight frustration in Hermione's voice kept me from it.

"This doesn't make sense... they could be the only answer... but of course not, why would they? She hasn't suspected anything yet, neither of them have..." Hermione started mumbling to herself.

"What are you talking about?" I asked suspiciously. Hermione never talked to herself, she thought it was a sign of insanity.

"Excuse me." Hermione was still mumbling to herself more than us as she grabbed her bag and hurried out of the Hall. It was only the family, Professor McGonagall, and... Draco Malfoy who saw her leave. My eyes met Malfoy's cold ones and I looked back at my family quickly.

"Harry, you stay here. If I'm not back in twenty minutes, you, Ron and the twins come after me. Clear?" They nodded and I chased after Hermione quickly, without attracting attention. Malfoy murmured something to his friends and dashed out of a door nearby the Slytherin table. I was too worried about my cousin to care.

Think, Bella. This is HERMIONE we're talking about here. Where would she go? The common room? No, that was too... common. The dormitories? No, she can't be tired. THINK, BELLA! My mind screamed at me. An actually realistic thought occurred to me, and it was soon confirmed. I found her in the library, her nose in a book.

"What's up?" I asked, sitting next to her. The room was empty, luckily, whatever was going on, I knew it shouldn't be public.

"She never said anything about it... this isn't good... no, no, he never said anything, either... but how could it happen without them knowing?" She kept mumbling to herself, shutting her book and pulling out another one. I was getting more and more frustrated by the second.

"Stop, Hermione! Answer me." I shut the book she'd just pulled out and stuck it back on the shelf. Hermione groaned and plopped back down with her head in her hands.

"Alright, if you MUST know... Edward and Alice Cullen have been looking out for your future lately. Not just yours, but everyone's... and something has come up, I know it. Snape and Grandpa aren't there, which must mean something's gone horribly wrong in our future... but of course, we would've been alerted..." She trailed off, talking to herself. I sat back in the chair, in some state of shock. The Cullens WERE here for a reason, to protect me. That made my hair turn crimson in my newfound anger. Why did they keep protecting me?! I wasn't some fragile little twig, Bella Swan, anymore, I was Bella Weasley-Dumbledore, I had powers that not even vampires could deflect! I could kill them in seconds, any vampire in seconds, and yet they worried about me even worse than before.

"You really shouldn't take it out on them, Bella, they were invited, you do realize that, don't you? It was for your own good, all of ours, and if they weren't here, we would be completely unsafe." Hermione gathered her things and stood up. "Now, if you don't mind, I think it would be in the best interest of everyone if we go and talk to Edward and Alice."

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Well, there you have it; the start of the action/adventure. I hope this chapter satisfied you all, it was VERY fun to write. Anywhoooooooo, keep reviewing! It'll ensure you another chapter sooner! :D

P.S. IT'S ALMOST 4 AM! I STAY UP LATE FOR YOU PEOPLE!! XDDD

xoxo Ginny