A/N: I got a question from an anonymous reviewer and I have no other way to answer them so I have to do it here. I want to ask all of you who have questions about the story to log in while reviewing, so I can reply to you directly. Thank you.

The question was about Magical Twilight and why Bella wasn't punished by Umbridge when she caught the DA. The scene with the whole DA being caught and punished was only in the movie. In the book, it was only Harry who got caught. I mostly follow the book version.

Chapter twenty-four

"I want to offer you a deal."

I looked up from Edward's journal I was reading. Emmett was standing in the doorway of Edward's room with a mischievous grin on his face. I quickly closed the journal and put it aside, narrowing my eyes at him.

"What kind of a deal?" I asked suspiciously.

"I'll stop teasing you about you wanting to do naughty things with our little, innocent Eddie…" he trailed off, still grinning.

I glared at him, trying to ignore the inevitable blush that had spread across my cheeks. "If…?"

"If you help me with this." He held up a hand, showing me a small bottle full of purple liquid, which I knew was from his joke kit. Seeing my blank stare, he rolled his eyes and went on. "I need you to add a drop or two into Eddie's shampoo."

"Why don't you do it yourself?"

"Bella, Bella, Bella," he said with a dramatic sigh, pulling up Edward's desk chair and plopping down on it. "If I did it, he'd be able to smell me, and he'd get suspicious. But he's not going to think anything wrong about you being in his bathroom." He looked immensely proud of his plan.

"What if he doesn't take a shower? Or wash his hair?"

"He usually does at some point after he's gotten home from a hunt."

I took the bottle from Emmett and opened it, peering curiously at the liquid inside. "Isn't he going to smell it?" I didn't smell anything but that didn't mean that a vampire couldn't.

"Nope."

I closed the bottle, putting it on the bedside table. "I'm going to rat you out at the first opportunity, you know that, right?"

Emmett laughed out loud. "I don't care." He shrugged. "But for me to stop teasing you, you have to take a picture of him and send it to me first," he added, pointing at my phone. "I won't be back until tomorrow night and it might wear off by then."

I sighed, supressing a chuckle. "You're such a child, Emmett."

"I'm only using your gift, so it's your fault." He stood up and reached out to ruffle my hair. "Gotta go, Rosie's waiting for me."

After he left, I leaned against the headboard of the bed, thinking. I felt a little like I was betraying Edward by agreeing to Emmett's prank. Especially after Edward had agreed to be here with me tomorrow. On the other hand, pulling a prank on a mind reader wasn't easy and I understood why Emmett was so excited to do it.

I grinned to myself and then stood up, grabbing the bottle, and walked to the bathroom, chuckling to myself.

I felt Edward's eyes on me even before I fully woke up. With my eyes still closed, I stretched out my arm, only to find that he wasn't next to me. I opened one eye, then quickly closed it again after seeing the spectacle on the couch.

Edward's hair was – pink. Bright, vivid pink colour of almost the same shade that Tonks used to wear when she'd felt happy.

I tried to keep a straight face as I lifted my head again but failed as just at the moment the sun chose to appear from behind the grey clouds outside, its rays falling right on Edward's face and bare forearms. His sparkling skin only added to the already surreal effect. I buried my face into the pillow, trying to muffle my giggles, but it didn't help at all.

"I'm glad I can amuse you," he said quietly, his voice sounding much closer now. I turned my head to look at him – he was standing at the foot of the bed, out of the sunlight, his arms crossed across his chest, not looking amused at all.

"I – I'm sorry," I choked out. I cleared my throat, which helped to calm me down a little. "You look very... um... bright, today."

He glared at me. I sat up to see his face more clearly. I didn't think he was really angry, but I suddenly wasn't so sure. What if I'd gone too far? His lips were pressed into a line, but as I peered closer into his eyes, I could see they twinkled with amusement.

"It was Emmett, you know," I said quickly. "I couldn't really stop him."

"Liar," he said quietly. "You were the only one in my bathroom."

"He made me do it. He tortured me. Blackmailed me even!" I tried to keep from laughing and this time I succeeded. "He's a horrible person."

Edward's eyes narrowed at me and his lips twitched slightly. I would have missed it if I hadn't been watching his face closely. "Liar," he said again. "Esme heard you two talking. You didn't protest even once." He sounded hurt but now I was sure it was an act. "For some reason," he went on, his eyes flashing to the door behind me, "she kept this bit of information from me until I got out of the shower."

I heard laughter from the door and when I turned my head, I saw Esme standing there with Carlisle right behind her. They were openly laughing at him. It was the first time I could see Esme looking like the rebellious girl she'd once told me she was as a human. Grinning, I turned back to Edward, whose lips now formed quite an adorable pout.

"Sorry, sweetie," said Esme, still chuckling, "but we've been waiting for something like this for far too long."

Edward glared at her playfully. "Traitors. All of you."

"Don't look at me, son," said Carlisle with a grin, putting up his hands, "I just got home."

"You're laughing," Edward grumbled, making all three of us burst laughing again. He rolled his eyes, turning to me. "You can fix it, right?" he asked anxiously.

I bit my bottom lip. "I don't think I can, actually." Seeing his eyes widen comically, I hurriedly explained, "These kinds of things are usually charmed so they can't be undone by spells. If anyone could just fix it easily, what would be the point, right?"

"But I can't walk around like this! I look completely ridiculous!" He sounded rather desperate, but it only made us laugh harder.

"It'll wear off," I said, trying to calm him down. I lifted on my knees on the bed, moving closer to him, and took his hand. "You know, you remind me of a friend of mine. She can change appearance at will and she always used to wear almost this exact shade of pink hair when she was happy."

"Do I seem happy to you?" he asked, still sounding grumpy.

"Yep, very." I smiled up at him, scrambling out of bed. I stood up on my tiptoes, kissing his chin. "It should be gone by the evening or tomorrow morning." I ran my hands through his hair, grinning.

Edward rolled his eyes with an exaggerated sigh. "At least it's Saturday and I don't have to go to school looking like a marshmallow."

"Well, you do look rather tasty," I teased, earning myself another eyeroll. I could hear Esme laugh again but it sounded farther away and when I looked toward the door, I saw she and Carlisle were no longer there.

"I'd never have thought my own girlfriend would betray me like this," Edward said with a theatrical sigh. I giggled, reaching for my phone on the bedside table. "What are you doing?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Sorry, but Emmett wanted a pic-" I squealed as Edward launched at me, pinning me to the mattress of his bed, grabbing my phone. "Come on, Edward," I whined. "He promised he'd stop making fun of me."

"You're not taking a picture of me like this," he growled, swiftly getting back on his feet. "I'd never hear the end of it."

I rolled my eyes, sitting up. "I'll help you think of a revenge on him."

He raised his eyebrows incredulously. "Him? Oh, Bella, my revenge will be on you," he said slowly, his lips spreading into a wicked grin. "I will strike when you least expect it, after letting you think I'd forgotten about it."

"But… but it was Emmett's idea," I stuttered.

"Yes, but you agreed to do it." He was grinning now and the mischievous glint in his eyes made me gulp. He frowned slightly and then shrugged, tossing my phone on the bed next to me. "You can take how many pictures you want. But know that my revenge will be sweet."

Toby arrived shortly after two, bringing Sarah with him as usual. The little girl ran into Esme's arms as soon as Toby cleaned her of the soot from the fireplace and she and Esme then left to see Charlie. He wanted to take Sarah to the movie theatre in Port Angeles and Esme had agreed to accompany them.

We sat down in the living room first to talk about the lesson, Carlisle and Edward joining us. Toby eyed Edward curiously, but decided not to comment on Edward's woollen beanie that he'd jammed on his head, so all his hair was safely hidden.

We went through all the precautions again. Toby suggested strengthening it with a double Shield charm, so aside from his, I'd add my own as well. I noticed Edward visibly relaxed after that. When Toby stood up, ready to walk to the backyard, I felt suddenly nervous. A memory of what had happened the last time Edward was here when I'd tried to Apparate flashed through my mind. Edward was by my side in a second, taking my hands.

"It's going to be all right," he whispered before kissing my forehead.

I chuckled. "Since when you are the optimist?"

He just shrugged and set off toward the back door, pulling me with him. "We've done all we could to keep you safe. And I trust Carlisle to stop me from… overreacting if something happens."

I nodded. "Thanks for being here," I muttered. Edward just smiled and kissed the top of my head just as we stopped in the clearing several feet from Toby and Carlisle that were waiting for us. Edward and Carlisle then walked back to the door where they stayed leaning against the wall. Carlisle kept close to Edward so he would be able to step in if necessary.

Toby then conjured the Shield charm and I added mine. Just like last week, I stood in the middle of the clearing while Toby placed a stone some ten feet from me.

"So, you know what to do, Bella," said Toby. "Ready?"

I took a deep breath and nodded. Toby started to count down and I closed my eyes, concentrating on the stone that marked the spot I was supposed to land. I heard Toby call "Three!" and I spun and… nothing.

I exhaled in frustration but then took another deep breath and tried again. This time I felt a slight pull in my stomach but still, I didn't move. Letting out a long breath, I straightened up and yet again turned on the spot.

After third useless attempt Toby announced a short break. I stayed where I was, closing my eyes, trying to empty my mind and relax my body completely. When Toby said I could try again, I pictured the small stone clearly in my head and turned. I felt the now familiar pulling sensation and when I opened my eyes, I realized I had actually moved, even though I'd missed the stone by at least six feet. Before I started celebrating, I quickly scanned my body for any injuries, though I felt I still had all my body parts. A slight sting on my left forefinger told me that I got splinched again. It was just the tip of the finger but still, it was bleeding.

Though the injury was nearly non-existent compared to my missing foot, my eyes quickly snapped to Edward. He was still standing by the wall, but his posture was rigid, and his eyes wide. Carlisle was holding him by the shoulders, talking quietly in his ear.

Toby quickly rushed to my side, holding two small vials in his hands. With a relief I recognized the anti-sickness potion in one of the small bottles. I'd already started to feel lightheaded, so I quickly grabbed the bottle and gulped it down at once. I used to faint at the sight of blood before I'd started Hogwarts, but it'd gotten better because injuries were quite common in the wizarding world and I got used to it. Now I rarely fainted but sometimes the sight of blood made me still uncomfortable. The combination of blood and Apparition though had gotten me close to fainting again and I was glad Toby was here ready with the potion.

He was now holding my hand with the splinched finger, dropping the other liquid on the small cut. It healed almost instantly.

Warily, I looked up at Edward. He looked more relaxed now when the blood was gone, and Carlisle had already removed his hands from Edward's shoulders.

"Are you okay?" I asked, not bothering to raise my voice.

He nodded but glanced at Carlisle and after a few seconds of staring at him he gave another short nod.

"Let's call it a day," said Toby and I breathed out in relief. I'd hoped he'd say that. "Good work today, Bella."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "But… I got splinched again." I frowned. It didn't feel like a good work to me.

Toby chuckled. "It was just a scratch. You did much better job than last time, you were even able to completely relax before your last try." He waved his wand, cancelling the double Shield around us. I glanced at Edward, but he was gone now. "We'll have to focus on accuracy of your landing though. You don't want to end up on someone's head." He winked at me and I rolled my eyes.

We still had time before Charlie was supposed to bring Sarah back from Port Angeles, so we sat down in the living room, talking. Carlisle was always curious about anything magical, so he had a question about something almost every time Toby was here. This time though, it was Edward who had something on his mind.

He was sitting beside me, holding my hand, his eyes on Toby. "Bella once told me that there are ways you can lose your soul. Do you know anything about it?"

I noticed Carlisle raising an eyebrow at Edward, possibly communicating with him in his thoughts, but Edward was still staring at Toby, waiting for an answer.

Toby's forehead creased slightly. "Yes, that's true." He tilted his head, his eyes flitting between me and Edward. "There are creatures that can do it but I'm sure Bella knows more about them than I do. Dementors are native to Britain, there are none of them in here."

"You never asked again, and I forgot about it," I mumbled, averting my eyes. I shuddered internally, remembering the awful creatures.

"So, changing into a vampire really doesn't destroy one's soul?" Edward pressed on.

"No." Toby looked taken aback by that question. "Did you think it did?"

Edward just shrugged, but Carlisle chuckled, making me look at him. "Edward and I have spent many hours discussing it," Carlisle said, smiling. "I'm glad that my theory proved right." Then he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "Bella, what are these Dementors?"

I sighed. "They are the guards of Azkaban – that's the wizarding prison in Britain. Or they were… now they're on You-Know-Who's side so they are everywhere."

"What do they look like?"

I closed my eyes, feeling Edward gently squeezing my fingers. "Tall, hooded figures in cloaks. I don't know what they look like under the cloaks. No one really does." I opened my eyes again, seeing the three of them staring at me. "They feed on positive emotions, leaving people depressed and cold. The worst thing they can do is called "The Dementor's Kiss". They… suck the soul out of their victim, leaving them an empty shell."

For a few moments, there was complete silence.

"Have you ever seen them?" Carlisle's expression was a mixture of endless curiosity and concern.

"Yes," I whispered and cleared my throat. "They were guarding the school in my second year when a prisoner escaped from Azkaban."

"Sirius Black," said Toby and my eyes snapped to him. He was frowning, his mouth pressed together.

"You know about him?" I asked, surprised.

"Of course. I used to be an Auror, remember? We had to be informed about what's happening abroad. I'd already had to quit the job by that time, but I still have friends at the office, and they tell me a lot of things." His frown deepened and he murmured, "I've always wondered how Black managed to escape. It is said that no one before him had been able to do it."

"He was an Animagus," I said with a shrug. "The Dementors can't see, so he turned into a dog, slipped through the bars since he was very thin, and then swam to the shore."

Toby gaped at me with his mouth open and I could feel Edward's and Carlisle's eyes on me too.

"How do you know that?" asked Toby incredulously.

I bit back a smile. "He talked about it at dinner once when I was in his house visiting the Weasleys."

"He… he was a murderer, Bella. He killed twelve people with a single curse. How did you get to be in his house?"

I felt Edward tense beside me, his fingers squeezing me almost painfully. Still, I kept my eyes on Toby as I spoke next. "Sirius was innocent. He was framed by one of his friends."

Toby slowly shook his head. "I heard rumours about his innocence. But I don't believe it. His whole family were Death Eaters and we heard he was after the Potter boy – "

I rolled my eyes, making Toby stop talking, his eyes narrowing at me. Before he could say something I quickly said, "He hated his family. They actually disowned him. And only his brother was a Death Eater, though they were obsessed with their pureblood status and their house looked like something from a horror story." I grimaced, remembering the shrunken heads of house-elves on the walls that had always made me want to scream. "Anyway, the house used to be the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, and the Weasleys stayed there for one summer."

"How can you be sure he was innocent?" asked Edward, who had been quiet for a long time. He raised his free hand as if to run it through his hair but then seemed to remember his beanie, so he rubbed the back of his neck instead.

"He was Harry Potter's godfather," I explained, and an understanding flickered in his eyes. I turned back to face Toby and Carlisle and went on. "He and Harry's dad were best friends…" I trailed off, thinking of how to best tell Sirius' story. "Have you ever heard about Peter Pettigrew?"

Toby tilted his head thoughtfully. "He was the one that tried to stop Black, wasn't he? He died a hero."

I snorted. "Yeah. Right." I shook my head and then sighed. It looked I'd have to start from the beginning, so I leaned back against the back of the couch and told them all I knew about the Marauders, Pettigrew's betrayal of the Potters and Sirius' relationship with Harry. I didn't know all the details, only what Lupin and Sirius had told us one summer night at dinner more than two years ago, but I got quite a good picture of what had happened.

When I finished, the sky outside was dark and my throat sore from all the talking. Toby sat back in his armchair, looking thoughtful, his eyebrows creased. "It looks like the British Ministry kept quiet about a lot of things," he muttered after a minute.

I felt a sudden rush of anger. "The Ministry chose to believe what was easier for them, rather than deal with the truth of You-Know-Who's return. They could have officially cleared Sirius' name but that would have meant admitting that they'd arrested him without a trial." Then I smirked. "Of course, there are things the Ministry have no clue about."

At that moment, there was a whooshing sound coming from behind me. I turned around, just as Esme was stepping out of the fireplace, holding Sarah whose arms and legs were wrapped around her. That effectively ended our conversation, at least for now.

By the time I and Edward were about the leave the Cullen house, Edward's hair was nearly back to his normal colour, much to his relief. There were still a few streaks of pink, but he didn't bother covering it anymore. Emmett and Rose had returned about an hour ago and Emmett teased Edward about his hair ever since. No wonder Edward was eager to get out of the house.

Once we were in my room, he collapsed on my bed, letting out a long breath.

"It's been a long day," I said, grabbing my toilet bag.

He just nodded, turning his head toward the window. I shook my head and headed for the bathroom. Edward was in one of his quiet moods, not talking much all afternoon. I'd learned it was better to leave him alone to sort out his thoughts.

When I got back in the room, he was still staring out the window. It looked like he hadn't moved at all. I climbed in bed, kissing his chin. His arms automatically wrapped around me and he kissed my forehead, but still didn't say a word.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, unable to supress my curiosity any longer.

"Yes," he said, smiling at me. "Just thinking."

I rolled my eyes. "You think too much."

He chuckled. "You're probably right."

"So, care to share your thoughts?"

He stared at me for a few seconds before answering. "I'm… trying to come to terms with the fact that you live a dangerous life. And it's not easy. Sometimes… I wish we could change you right now. It'd be a relief not to have to worry all the time," he whispered, so quietly that I had to concentrate on catching everything.

"Is that why you asked Toby about souls?"

"Yes," he said with a nod, looking at me apologetically. "I know you'd already told me about it but… I needed to be sure."

I sighed, but I didn't feel angry that he hadn't believed me completely. He'd been convinced about him being a soulless monster for so long that it had to be hard to just accept my words. I lifted myself on my elbow to better see his face.

"Was it hard for you today, when I got splinched again?" I asked.

Edward nodded slowly. "It was, but not as bad as the last time. I knew I couldn't attack you and I think I wouldn't have even if the shield wasn't there." He lifted left hand, kissing the tip of my forefinger.

"I'm sorry I made you go through that again," I mumbled, lowering my eyes.

"Hey." He lifted my chin, making me look at him. "It was good to know I could resist." He sounded proud of himself and I had to smile.

"I love you," I said, kissing him.

His lips stretched into a wide smile. "Now, I'd do it again right now just to hear this."

I laughed, rolling my eyes. "That was cheesy."

"Some people would call it romantic," he said with a mock glare.

"I'm not a romantic person."

"Oh, we both know it's a lie." He grinned, gently pulling my face to his for a kiss.