Chapter Seven: Living

A/N: Bonjour, mes amis. Sorry it took so long to update. *sobs* I'm such a bad soul…please take this chapter as my offering to you lovely deities and take mercy on my poor self.

Harry forced himself out of bed, pausing to steady himself before making his way down the stairs. Lucius tried to stop him or at least help him, but the boy brushed him off. "Baby, stop, you are still sick."

"No," Harry growled. "I do not want to speak to you."

"Harry, do not be unreasonable. I am simply worried for you. That…thing is a monster. Do you think he would hesitate to kill you in your sleep, whether or not he drinks from animals?"

Harry gave a bitter laugh. "Unreasonable? I have been more than reasonable. I have put up with your rules. I have put up with your smothering. Merlin, I can hardly breathe without someone checking to make sure I'm not going to keel over! So what? Yes, he might decide to kill me while I'm sleeping! It would be better than dying in a hospital bed not able to breath for myself! Anything is better than having my every move controlled and watched!"

They were now in the kitchen. Harry's shaking hands opened the cupboard containing glasses harshly. "Don't say that," Lucius growled. "Don't you ever say that. We want you to live to your fullest. You living is the most important to all of us. We love you."

"Living?" Harry shouted. "You call this living? Your concepts of 'living' must be skewed, because I call this 'existing', and that is not enough for me." The boy dropped the glass on the counter, no longer thirsty, and made his way back up the stairs. The blond man called after him, but he just kept on walking. When he closed his bedroom door, he made sure it was locked and put a chair in front of it.

XXXX

Harry was eating breakfast when the doorbell rang. Seeing as no one was home, he got up to answer. Standing on his porch was a tall, dark skinned boy looking awkward. He ran his hand though wavy long hair as he spoke. "Hi, I'm Jacob Black. I was just at Chief Swan's house and he told me that I could find Bella here. May I speak to her?" Harry smiled up at him.

"I'm afraid she's not here right now. She's out to help my dads pick out flowers for the balcony upstairs. Do you want me to give her a message?"

"No, thank you. My dad is watching a game at the chief's house, and I wanted to hang out with her."

"Well, how about we hang out? I'm bored, and I haven't really done anything fun for a while. Do you mind hanging out with the strange kid at the edge of town?" Jacob laughed.

"Not at all. I suppose you can make a decent replacement. You are definitely small enough."

"I prefer the term 'dainty'. It is a lot more flattering. So what is there to do?"

"Well, the kids on my res like to go cliff diving, only I don't have a car or license to get us there."

"No problem, I have both," Harry beamed. "And cliff diving sounds perfect. Just let me leave a note for my parents. Come in." The boy left the door open as he made his way back into the kitchen. Jacob walked in, looking around him. The house screamed luxury and comfort; he was almost afraid to touch anything in case he dirtied anything. He watched as the funky haired boy scribbled a quick note and left it on the table. Afterwards, they headed towards the back to go to the garage.

"Are you sure your parents are okay with you leaving?" Jacob asked.

"No, but at the moment I really could care less. Why should I wait for gratification if it can be instant? I don't have the time to wait," Harry dismissed. He pushed up the garage door; Jacob could only gape in wonder.

Inside sat Harry's Lamborghini alongside Sirius' motorcycle. The Porsche was hidden from view by a dust cover; Draco was very meticulous when it came to his possessions. By the time Jacob roused himself from his shock, Harry was already opening the driver side door of his sweet ride. "You coming?" He asked. The Native American ran to the sport's car.

Jacob fiddled with the radio as they drove down to the La Push Reservation. Finally satisfied with a station, he turned to look at the small foreigner. "So…you're from England?"

"How did you know?" Harry chuckled. "Yeah, though where I lived, the people thought of themselves as independent of England. It was a self-sufficient community. We had our own laws and traditions, traditions others would probably think of as barbaric."

"Hmm, so it was sort of like your own reservation?" Jacob inquired. Harry smiled.

"I suppose, though you guys seem to have gotten the short end of the stick." Jacob frowned, but did not reply. Instead, he asked:

"So what's your name?"

"Harry Potter Black Malfoy. Please just call me Harry."

"Whoa." Jacob's eyebrows rose dramatically. "How did you get such a long name?"

"Well, Potter is my biological family name," Harry explained. "My parents died when I was a baby. When Sirius, my da, adopted me, I got his last name, Black. When he married Lucius, my dad, I got his as well, Malfoy."

"Hey, you're a Black, too. You will fit right in on the res," Jacob joked. The rest of the ride was filled by asking each other questions, answering them, and jokes here and there. The darker boy gave directions here and there until they reached the edge of a cliff.

The weather was by no means sunny, but still relatively nice for this region. The sky was grey, yet no rain drops fell. There was a slight wind, but nothing to make the water below dangerous. The boys stripped off their shirts, shoes, socks, and pants so that they were standing in only their underwear. Jacob wore dark green boxers, while Harry wore black briefs.

"Eat much?" Jacob commented, counting individual ribs on his new friend. Harry blushed, looking down.

"Not really. I don't get hungry."

"How can you not get hungry? Are you really a girl in disguise?" The wizard blushed even more.

"No, I am not a girl. I just don't. Are you ready or not?" He walked to the cliff edge, looking down at the salt water. A brief feeling of fear possessed him before disappearing. This was nothing. Jacob came to stand next to him.

"Count to three?" Harry nodded and braced himself. The Native American counted up, and they jumped. Exhilaration filled the wizard as he fell through the air and plunged into the somewhat warm water. Down he sank until he made powerful strokes of his legs and surfaced. He laughed, loving the feeling of adrenaline. Jacob laughed with him.

"Race you to the top?" Harry challenged before taking off for the beach. The other boy quickly caught up and they raced to the cliff edge once again.

After several hours of diving, racing, and horseplay, the boys lied on the beach, breathless. After several minutes of silence, Jacob asked another question.

"So…your dads are gay?" Harry's eyes darkened.

"Yes. Is that a problem with you?"

"No! Not at all." Harry's expression lightened again. "It's just…h-how did they know?"

"Oh. Well, where we are from, being gay is not that big a deal. It is not approved of, but there are far worse things that you can be. As long as you're not flamboyantly gay, people could care less. I guess it did not occur to them not to like other men. Sirius, however, was a well known womanizer and is quite proud of that title, and Lucius was married to Draco's mother before she left for some guy in Greece."

"I see. Um…I think…I m-might be…well, you know," Jacob stumbled.

"You might be gay?" Harry filled in helpfully. The dark boy blushed and nodded hesitatingly. "Well, there is one way to know for sure." The multi-colored hair boy sat up and Jacob looked puzzled. Harry pulled him into a sitting position as well. "Kiss me."

Jacob stammered again, gaping. Harry quieted him with a finger on his lips before sliding his hand back into wavy, long black hair. He pulled the younger boy's head closer; it was Jacob who closed the distance.

The kiss started out slow and testing. Soon, however, it grew more heated as Jacob pulled the smaller yet older boy onto his lap. They both moaned as they rubbed together and groped. When the taller boy reached for his arse, Harry pulled away. "Whoa, slow down there, cowboy," he gasped. "This is not a free-for-all."

"Sorry," Jacob murmured. "I really liked it." Harry laughed.

"Well, now you know." They laid down again, this time discussing what Jacob wanted to do. When they started shivering, they got up to go back to the car. Halfway up the rise, they had stop; Harry was overcome with a coughing fit.

When he lifted his hand, it was covered in blood. 'That's not good' he thought. Jacob was wide-eyed.

"You have to get to a hospital." Harry waved him off.

"No, I'm alright. I have meds in my car for this."

"If you're sure," the Native American said dubiously.

"I'm sure."

In the car, Harry felt much better when he was able to sit down. Jacob, however, did not feel the same. He groaned, leaning down so that his head rested between his knees. Harry rested a hand on the back of his tanned neck; it was burning.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.

"I don't feel so good," Jacob moaned, trying not to heave.

"I guess a trip to the hospital is in order. I want to get you checked out," Harry mothered.

"No, just take me home. I'll feel better in the morning," the Native American protested.

"Please. I'd rather we go to the hospital first, especially since it was so sudden." Jacob did not protest this time. Indeed, he was not able to; he hung his head out the window as he emptied his stomach contents.

When they reached Fork's hospital, Harry was practically carrying Jacob inside. If anyone was outside, they surely would have found the situation comical. Harry was dwarfed under Jacob; it was surprising his knees did not buckle. He led his new sick friend to the front counter. The receptionist looked up from her magazine to flutter her eyelashes at them.

"Hello, Harry darling. Is your father with you?" she asked. Harry rolled his eyes.

"No, he is not. My friend here needs medical assistance, so if you can please fetch a free doctor instead of worrying about what my dad thinks of you, it would be much appreciated." She glared, offended, and called for Dr. Cullen.

"Take room thirteen. I assume you know where it is," she sniffed.

"Thank you."

Dr. Cullen met them halfway to the designated room and helped with Jacob's mass. The boy was laid down onto the cushiony medical table. Harry sat on a nearby chair in the cramped room as he watched the vampire work, answering the questions aimed towards him.

"Jacob, I want to call your father. How can I reach him?" Harry asked, taking his phone out. He noted the Jacob's house phone and walked out of the room. He dialed the Swan house first.

"Hello, Chief Swan? This is Harry… I'm sorry, it was just a formality ingrained in my head. Charlie, is Mr. Black still at your house?... No, I know his son. Is he there?...May I speak to him, please?...No, I haven't seen her since this morning…Thank you, Chief Sw- Charlie.

"…Mr. Black? Hi, I'm Harry Potter. I live down the street from the Swans. I spent the day with Jacob, since Bella was unavailable…we went cliff diving. That's the thing. He…no, he is not hurt, but he is really sick. It came quite suddenly. I brought him to the hospital…yes, the hospital…Dr. Cullen is attending to him…Mr. Black, please. Dr. Cullen is very good at his job…I don't care how much you hate him; he is helping your son. Don't you want your son to get better?...Dr. Cullen would never do that!...Yes, I know very well what he is. You should not be spilling others' secrets… Good day, Mr. Black."

Harry shut his phone, not bothering to listen to the muffled shouts emanating from it. He re-entered the room and saw Jacob sleeping, or unconscious at the very least.

"Mr. Black is coming to get his son," Harry informed. Dr. Cullen smiled sadly.

"He does not like me very much. It would probably be best for Jacob to be away from vampires anyways, for this. He is sick yes, but it is not a bad sick."

"OK?" Harry puzzled. He shook his head and continued. "Mr. Black knows what you are, but does not fear you like humans should. He is very adamant about his loathing of you, actually. That hate goes a lot farther than just…"

"Than just what, Harry?" Carlisle prompted. The questioned looked up, startled. He had been lost in thought, thinking of possibilities.

"It's more than just the 'vampires are evil' bull. Could he possibly…be a blood enemy?" Harry asked cautiously.

"I am sworn not to say anything," the doctor stated, turning back to his patient.

"So I'm right." The doctor smiled again. "Well, that limits what they can be."

This means that Jacob was probably coming into his creature inheritance. To be a blood enemy of a vampire, he was either a Were, werewolf, or Veela. "Do you mind if I do my own examination? For curiosity's sake." Carlisle simply waved his hand and told Harry he would go wait for Mr. Black.

Harry felt Jacob's skin again, this time on his forehead. It was even hotter than before. This ruled out Jacob being a Veela, as their temperature dropped after an initial fever. Next he opened one eyelid, revealing a chocolate-colored eye. Jacob, now awake, groaned and tried to turn away, but Harry held his head still. After a few minutes of no change, the boy let him go.

"What are you doing?" Jacob complained.

"Trying to see what is wrong with you."

"Isn't the doctor supposed to do that? What are we paying him for?"

"He was not allowed to disclose what you are. Sworn not to, probably by your tribe. I decided to find out for myself."

"What are you talking about? What is wrong with me?"

"Well, I do not believe there is anything wrong with you. This actually makes you quite special. You are a Were."

"A Were? What the hell is that?" Jacob exclaimed.

"A Were is almost like a shape shifter, only instead of being able to turn into many different people or animals, he only turns into one specific animal. I always confused them with animagi, but Weres are born with the ability to change, while animagi have to discipline themselves to be able to."

"What?" Jacob was so confused. He really just wanted to curl up and fall into a coma.

"Don't worry about that; I was rambling. Just know that you are a Were and can turn into an animal. Does your tribe have any legend about its people turning into one?"

"Well, the legend of the cold ones says that the warriors of our tribe are connected with the wolf spirit."

"Then you will most likely be a wolf, though you have the potential of being something else if you so choose. That would be difficult though, because of the probably long list of wolf Weres in your family."

Jacob tried to speak again, but was interrupted by the entrance of Dr. Cullen and his father. Chief Swan followed and appeared to be biting back a comment.

"Jacob, get up. We're leaving."

"But Dad, I-"

"No buts. I'm getting you out. You do not need a hospital to get better. You can do that at home." Jacob nodded and got up. Harry caught him before he fell and helped him walk out.

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen, for your help," Harry grunted as he passed. Charlie hurried to Jacob's other side to take some of the weight.

"No problem, Harry. It is my job, after all. And please, call me Carlisle." Harry smiled and guided his friend out to his car.

Once Jacob was situated in the passenger seat, the wizard walked around until he was at the driver's side window. He handed an orange bottle of medicine to Mr. Black.

"It's a special kind of pain reliever, just as special as Jacob is going to be in a few weeks. It's my own, so be careful who sees it," he said gruffly. The older man looked at the bottle for a few moments before nodding and sliding it into his front pocket.

XXXXX

"Where have you been?" Sirius roared as his son came through the door. It was already dark outside. "I came home to find a note, which might as well have been nonexistent for the information it gave us, and your car gone! We set rules, Harry, for your safety! What if this was a bad day?"

"It wasn't, because I am fine! I had someone with me."

"A complete stranger!"

"He is not. Jacob is a friend of Bella's. She told me about him before."

"Yes, he definitely is not a stranger then, since you were told about him," Sirius bit, laughing sardonically.

"Merlin's beard! What is it with you two lately? Did you guys have a fight and are now refusing to shag each other? Blimey, you guys have done nothing but set rules for me and yell at me for wanting just a little freedom!" Harry turned around to go back outside.

"Where are you going?"

"Out!"

"Harry-"

"Just stop! I need to go out for some air."

As soon as his feet left the veranda, Harry took off running. This had always calmed him in the past, but tonight it helped little. He tired out too soon, his legs cramped up, and he had another coughing fit, this time with only a drop of blood. He fell to the ground, eight hundred yards from his house, and swore.

"Are you alright?" A head appeared above his own, covered in bronze messy hair. He was distracted by golden eyes for several minutes, before blushing and looking away. Edward laughed.

"Not really, but oh well. Why are you here? I thought you wouldn't come back after my dad yelled at you."

"Well, he said I was not allowed in your house. So, I took to stalking you. I left when you left today, though; I needed to feed." Edward fell gracefully to the ground, rolling Harry so that he was lying between the vampire's legs and on his chest, stomach to chest, black and blond hair tickling a chiseled hairless chin. Harry moaned as his legs protested the move.

"You're so sweet," Harry purred. Edward was rubbing his back and hair very nicely. "I've always wanted a stalker who could never sleep or die."

"That's good," The vampire chuckled. "Because I won't leave you alone now."

They lay like that for several minutes, chatting lazily. Edward smelled his new obsession's hair. He snorted as he smelled the dog that Carlisle told him about. He nudged Harry to bring his face up; he wanted to smell what was his, not the mutt. He frowned, however, when he found not an inch of exposed skin not covered with that awful stench. His arms tightened.

"Did you have fun with the beast, then? Did you like his kisses better than mine?" he growled.

"What? Edward, he was confused about his sexuality. I was just helping him out a little."

"So you let him molest you? That makes me feel a whole lot better." Harry struggled to get up. "Where are you going?"

"Everyone is on my case today, and I'm tired of it. I don't need it from you, too." Edward pulled the wizard back to him.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm just…"

"Jealous?" The vampire glared.

"I do not get jealous. I am upset that the mutt thought he can touch what is mine."

"That's another thing," Harry stated. "You usually distract me, though. I don't even know you, and you act as if you own me. What gives you the right?"

Edward growled again and rolled them over. He toward over the boy, staring into wide emerald eyes.

"You are mine, do you hear me?" With that, he lowered his head to kiss Harry brutally; possessive. He calmed down and toned the level down to passionate when he heard the young man moan and grab onto him. "You're mine," Edward whispered again. Harry could only nod.

Later that night, Edward carried his human to his front door. Before Harry could go inside, he said:

"Be dressed nice by seven tomorrow night. I am taking you on a date."