A/N: Hey guys and gals, I wanted to keep this brief, but it's going to be more of a summary of notes.

If Bella is going to make an appearance (I haven't decided one way or another), she won't be directly involved with affairs.

I realize all too well there are many things that will not initially be explained, but unfortunately, that is merely the nature of the story. Assume at worst, that this is an AU HP world, with the Cullen's type of Vampire dropped in. Everything will be explained in due time, I promise.

This is not the Harry Potter from Canon. Things went down way differently, as will be explored in due time in the fic. I'll be doing my best to keep him in character, but things did not go down close to JK's world in this one. For the most part this story will be from Alice's POV, as much as this chapter would probably indicate otherwise.

A big thanks to my friend/beta E.C. Scrubb, who does some wonderful Harry Potter fic's, which you should all check out. His current fic "When a Veela Cries" is fantastic!

Any mistakes are my own!

Disclaimer: If I owned both Twilight and Harry Potter, I'd be too busy pulling a Scrooge McDuck and be swimming around in my money to write this.

Chapter One – First Impressions are Important

Edwards POV

The first thing that truly brought our attention to the new boy at Forks High School was the noise, in a literal sense. There was plenty of buzz from the student body concerning a rumor of a new kid. I knew from a glimpse into the mind of Mrs. Cope, the school secretary, that the rumors were indeed true. To be completely honest, it didn't really register as something important in my mind at the time. New students came and went, even in a town as small as Forks.

However, to those born and raised in the town, an outsider without connections to Forks deciding to move here was a huge fuss. I mean, technically speaking, as far as the town's populace knew, the only reason our family moved here from Alaska two years ago was because of a job opportunity at the local hospital for my father, but in this case, nobody seemed to know anything about the new boy.

I was tempted in a moment of boredom to glimpse at the new student through the thoughts of other students, but decided that it wasn't worth having to sift through the often filthy minds of the school's regular occupants. It wasn't until my family and I were gathered at lunch that I first began to suspect that something was amiss.

I glanced around the lunchroom table at my family. Rosalie was ignoring everything and everyone, primping herself in a small pocket mirror, not that there was truly anything wrong with her appearance, but her thoughts were broadcasting the importance of maintaining a certain level of perfection. Emmett had pulled out a hand-held video game from somewhere and was completely engrossed in his virtual avatar on screen, the tip of his tongue sticking just out of the corner of his mouth in concentration. My beautiful mate Jasmine was eyeing both Emmett and Rosalie, amusement dancing in her thoughts, though I noticed she was holding her breath.

Jasmine was the latest member of our family to attempt our 'vegetarian' diet and sometimes she erred on the side of caution, never fully trusting herself. In a room this large with so many temptations, I could understand her worries. Even amongst the largely disgusting smells that permeated the room, the temptation of blood was always present. No amount of teenage perfumes and deodorants or several slightly more disgusting smells could cover the sweet scent that created a flare of fire at the back of my throat.

Some days I wondered about the logic of surrounding ourselves with this much temptation.

It wasn't until I saw Alice out of the corner of my eye that I noticed we might have a problem. Her pixie-like body was unnaturally stiff, her forehead creased in concentration. If the humans were paying attention, we would have had a problem on our hands. With a quick survey of the minds around me, I let loose a breath I wasn't aware I was holding. I figured she was merely in the grasp of another vision, but when I tried to see what was happening in her mind, there was merely a blanket of fog. Intriguing.

I reached to give Alice a slight touch on the shoulder when she seemed to snap out of her daze, locking eyes with me.

Someone is coming that I can't see!

Panic was evident in her thoughts. In all the decades we had spent together, I could never remember someone who could block Alice's visions, not even vampires gifted with mental shields.

The rest of our family noticed Alice's tension, and immediately scanned the room for potential threats.

"Alice?" Rosalie questioned softly under her breath, at a decibel only a vampire could hear. Alice seemed too absorbed in her thoughts to hear her, so I quickly filled in the rest of the family on the little bit I could read from her thoughts.

Jasmine reacted first, a physical change sliding over her features as she put a mask into place, eyes turning cold. I could hear her thoughts as well; they had shifted into a different frequency, one that she often referred to her "Major" persona.

Jasmine had spent many decades in the vicious "Vampire Wars" that raged in the southern United States. Those terrible fights for territory were often brutal and extremely violent. Jasmine quickly rose to a position of power on account of her emphatic abilities and was granted the title of Major. But she didn't enjoy her time in the south and had developed almost an alter ego in order to distance herself both mentally and emotionally from the nefarious acts that she committed.

She didn't want to relapse into that mindset, but she was even less willing to let her adopted family face a potential threat. I quickly grabbed her hand and gave it a quick squeeze for reassurance.

By this point, my whole family was sitting rigidly, staring at the doors to the cafeteria, ready to fight or flee at the drop of a pin. This probably wasn't the best course of action, as the rest of the students noticed the object of our fixation and slowly became quiet and turned to face the doors, wondering what the "mysterious Cullen's" were so focused on. I knew better than to draw attention to myself in this fashion, our whole family did, but there simply wasn't anything that could be done to rectify the situation.

Then he crossed over the threshold and was greeted by silence, as every pair of eyes in the room on him.

My first impression was shock. There stood a lean young man, with a shock of black hair cascading in every direction. My hair was a carefully controlled chaos, but his was true chaos embodied. I had to force down a small smile at the errant thought running through Alice's mind about trying to tame that mop of hair. He was wearing a pair of worn blue jeans, a tight black shirt, and a plain pair of boots.

The next moment, I was assaulted with the inane thoughts of teenage girls.

I wonder if he's single?

Angela says his name is Harry, he'll be Dirty Harry once I'm through with him.

Boxers or briefs? I'll have to find out before that Stanley bitch gets her claws in him.

Bet he's got nice abs. Wish I could see his ass from here.

I shook my head, trying to shake out the errant thoughts of the hormonal teenage girls that were flooding my mind.

I felt bad for him, as the inquisition he would no doubt face from the local populace of girls would be fearsome. Annoying as their thoughts were, they did provide me with his name.

I found myself unable to think of Harry as simply a child. He physically showcased the difference. A small black eye patch covered one eye, but failed to cover a particularly vivid scar running perpendicular to his eye socket, suggesting the loss of the eye was probably related. It was one of several scars that stood out across his skin, some more prominent than others. There was a gash across one side of his nose, and another small gash across the tip of his chin.

To the average eye, these scars may have been noticeable, but with our vision, they stood out like beacons broadcasting that he was dangerous. Like Jasmine's, scars speak volumes in the world of the supernatural. They speak of experience, and serve as an indication of the danger level a person offers. A human bearing these sorts of scars made me both instinctively wary and respectful – not that a human posed any real danger to us, but there was something different about him.

It was his remaining eye that made him look far older than his years. It was green - but almost dull, tarnished really - a jade green that had seen better days. It showed volumes of weariness that reflected someone who had seen far too much, far too early in life. There was no childhood innocence left in his eye.

He held himself in a cautious stance, his spine stiffening as soon as he noticed the entire room observing him. His eye moved frantically, searching for something that I couldn't identify. I wanted to grasp the tenor of his mind, to examine his thoughts, but I was left grasping at emptiness. I could feel his mind, but it was almost like it was empty, which was impossible. I was truly baffled, and for the first time I felt a flash of fear. What kind of human was this?

Jasmine growled softly beside me, feeling my fear and reacting to what she now perceived as a threat to her mate. Otherwise, the room remained silent until Rosalie snapped closed her mirror with a loud snap and a soft snort, her thoughts radiating jealousy over the attention Harry was receiving. Several people in the room jumped at the sudden noise. Harry locked eyes with Rosalie before slowly walking back out through the doors with a slight limp, a look of frustration etched upon his face.

The room around us burst into discussion. The new kid was even more mysterious now. The thoughts of all the students in the cafeteria swirled in a rather annoying and repetitive vortex. It wasn't until Jasmine gently tapped my forehead with a smirk that I managed to pull my attention back to my family.

Alice scrunched her face into a disgruntled scowl, which I found amusing in a twisted sort of way. The little annoying ball of sunshine had finally met her match. He was a mysterious new puzzle and without her ability to help her solve it, Alice was pouting. Rosalie merely looked annoyed. Jasmine was still wearing her Major persona mask, which scared me a little.

Emmett was fascinated enough by the new student that he had even put away his video game. "So…." he began at a whisper that only our family could hear, but he didn't say anything else. I couldn't blame him. It took a lot for something to leave us speechless, but the appearance of the new arrival did more than a sufficient job. We remained silent and let the noise of the human teenagers wash over us for a moment.

Alice broke free of her stupor first.

"Jasmine has English Lit with him next," She informed us. The rest of the family shot Alice confused looks. "I can't see her next class."

Jasmine glared at Alice for a split-second, before quickly thinking of her options, including everything from skipping class to snapping the stranger's neck and hiding his body in the woods somewhere in Canada. I gave her hand another soft squeeze, focusing on my love and confidence for her emotionally, hoping she would sense them. She visibly relaxed and sent me a small smile.

"I don't understand what has you all so interested in this human," Rosalie scoffed, her displeasure still evident. "He's damaged goods, nothing special at all."

"A few decades ago, that same terminology applied to you," I reminded her softly.

Rosalie shot me an angry glare before looking down, her thoughts turning inward. She did not like reminders about those days.

"I think it probably has something to do with the fact that Alice can't see him and I can't hear his thoughts," I continued. "If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that Jasmine couldn't feel him either."

Jasmine nodded. "I can feel his presence. For a split second I could feel his emotions when he was surprised by all the attention, but otherwise it was like I was in a sound proofed room, but built for emotions. Background noise should exist, but there was none," she explained quietly, her brow creased in thought.

"It sounds somewhat similar to what I felt," I informed them. "Except with me, it was almost like tuning into the radio, only to find silence. The reception was there, but there was nothing there."

"At least you two are getting more than me," Alice grumbled petulantly, a pout gracing her pixie-like face. I had to fight to hide a grin. Alice was extremely dependent on her visions, probably because she lived her whole life by them. Without them, she was at a loss and I didn't need to be a mind reader to see that she didn't like that at all.

"His eye," Jasmine whispered suddenly. We looked at her in confusion.

"Yeah Jazz, we noticed, it was gone," Emmett humored her with a smile.

She smiled back, before delivering a quick swat to the back of his head. "Not that eye, you idiot, the other one." Emmett tried to sulk, but started laughing instead.

Jasmine ignored him, remembering what she saw. "When he was looking around, it wasn't random. He was marking exits and paths of retreat just like we did in the Vampire Wars, like I trained all my soldiers to do. Coupled with the scars, there are only a few conclusions I can draw..." Jasmine trailed off, but we could all guess what they were.

"I dibs first fight," Emmett announced.

Rosalie glared at her mate. "Jasmine's right, you are an idiot."

"I think we continue as normal. However mysterious this new stranger, I doubt he can do anything to us," I announced, conviction ringing in my voice. "Find out anything you can about him."

My siblings all agreed, though Rosalie somewhat begrudgingly. Part of me was terrified that my mate would be the first to face any potential dangers. I fought the feeling, knowing that Jasmine would feel it. I had to trust her experience and expertise to handle any situation that might arise. The bell rang to end the lunch period, and we gathered our prop lunches, depositing them in the garbage. All of us introverted in thought of the new student at Forks High School.

Jasmine's POV

I hurried to English Lit, trying desperately to force myself to walk at a human speed. I wanted to be the first in the classroom, to have first choice of seat, so that I could observe the strange new student. I didn't know a thing about him, but with the way he carried himself and the scars on his face, I knew that I shouldn't take any chances. Taking chances as a soldier ends up with people dead. I couldn't afford any slip-ups. Not again.

I breezed in through the doorway and was quickly dismayed. There, sitting in the otherwise empty classroom, was the new student. He had claimed the single desk in the far right corner of the room, which allowed him the best view of the room. He had vantage I so desperately wanted.

His eyes flicked towards me, his face guarded. He gave me a curt nod, before breaking eye contact and looking out the windows at the wet green forests that Forks was infamous for.

I quickly strode towards the back of the room and claimed the next desk over. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer; the idea has kept me alive before.

I didn't really know for a fact if he was an enemy, but in my mind there was little doubt at the time that he was the most dangerous individual at the school outside of my family. His expression didn't change with my choice of seating, but I could tell by his change of posture that he was aware of it. He was uncomfortable having me this close to him, but I don't think it had anything to do with typical teenage boy reasons.

The rest of the students slowly filtered into the classroom, most of the discussion still focused on the new student despite the fact he was only a few feet away. He could easily hear them. I'm not sure if I should chalk it up to the fact that they had not noticed him yet, or if they were just stupid. I truly hoped it wasn't the latter.

I could feel the emotions running rampant in the classroom: curiosity, lust, disgust, jealously, attraction, confusion, vanity; all in a maelstrom focused towards him, and he appeared blissfully unaware - or simply doesn't care.

Odd.

He almost looked bored. I could understand, and even sympathize with boredom in this hell known as high school. He seemed as if he was used to all the attention as well.

Eventually the overweight, balding teacher who went by the name of Swensen waddled into the room, calling for silence. He whacked his desk several times with a ruler to bring the room to order. The man was the stereotypically bad teacher. He had no confidence, no real love for what he taught, and no real desire to teach. I don't consider myself a literary genius, but this man read off of information sheets provided by the school.

"We have a new student joining us today class," Mr. Swensen announced, ignoring the fact that everyone was very much aware of him already. He gestured towards the stranger sitting beside me. "Would you like to introduce yourself?"

"Not really."

It was a rather blasé reply, but the class gasped in surprise as the teacher recoiled as if struck. I couldn't help but snigger. Don't give an open-ended question if you only want one type of answer.

Mr. Swensen developed something of a facial tick. "Then let me rephrase that. Would you please introduce yourself. Now." He finished in a stony voice.

Unable to ignore a direct order, he let out an annoyed huff, his single eye glaring straight at the source of his annoyance before complying.

"My name is Harry Potter. I'm seventeen, and from Britain," was his short, clipped reply. His eye a slight brighter green than I remembered from the cafeteria, anger clearly dancing in it.

Mr. Swensen tutted softly. "You can do better than that, Mr. Potter. This is an English Literature class and I will require less brevity in your work," He snarked back, several students tittering at his joke.

The boy I now knew as Harry was quickly losing his cool. I could see his hands clenched into fists underneath his desk and veins were popping out in his arm.

"And what more would you like, sir," Harry shot back, with heavy emphasis on the title.

"Surely you can do more Mr. Potter. Your transcripts are flawless and surely that allows me to expect great things from you," Mr. Swensen replied, smugness oozing out of every pore. He was clearly enjoying trying to take the new kid down a peg or two.

Something changed in Harry's demeanor. For the first time, I managed to catch a flicker of emotion. He was furious. It was only there for a brief moment, but I could see it clearly on his face before I felt it. Just as quickly, it was gone, though his body language indicated it was still very strong.

"Expectations are a fickle thing, sir," Harry shot back, tension leaking out quite clearly in his voice. The teacher remained oblivious and stormed to Harry's desk, planting both hands on the desk in front of him.

"To the contrary, boy, expectations are what make the world go round. If I don't hold each and every student to a certain expectation, nothing would ever be accomplished. If I don't hold you to expectations, you would never fulfill any potential you may have and you'll end nothing more than a useless bum on the street."

Things began happening so quickly even I barely caught it. Harry's eye began to glow and the light above Mr. Swensen flared, making a loud popping noise, burning out from a sudden excess flow of electricity. One of the female students in the room screamed, causing Harry to jump in his seat, his eye losing its glowing quality. He slumped down against his chair, the fight gone out of him completely.

"I understand sir," Harry informed the teacher with his head bowed submissively. Mr. Swensen, clearly dazed and confused by the light show, nodded mutely and moved to the front of the class, calling for a janitor to replace the light bulb.

It took several moments before things settled down, but I was too focused on the young man beside me to notice much else. He was still downcast and trembling ever so slightly. It probably wasn't even noticeable to the human eye - but it was disturbingly familiar to me. It reminded me terribly of young vampires after I helped break them of their will. He looked so broken that I had to fight the urge to comfort him.

I knew plenty about the supernatural world, everything from werewolves to mermaids, but I didn't know anything that had glowing eyes, nor could I help but wonder if the surge of emotion from Harry had something to do with the exploding light. Broken or not he could still be dangerous.

Eventually the class got underway, with Mr. Swensen informing the class that we would be covering a Shakespearean piece. The class let out groans of annoyance. I couldn't blame them. I'm over a century old, and even I think Shakespeare is dry at times. Nobody ever spoke like that in real life.

"Today class, we'll be covering 'The Winter's Tale. I need volunteers to read certain character's lines. It certainly won't hurt your final grades if you offer to take a role," Mr. Swensen informed us not so subtly. Several of the more academically inclined students jumped at the opportunity and it wasn't long before most of the character roles were filled.

"Miss Cullen, would you mind taking the role of Hermione?"

Caught up in my own thoughts, I was completely unprepared for the torrent of emotions that were unleashed next to me. I was so quickly awash in feelings of pain, despair, and overwhelming guilt, that I couldn't stop myself from broadcasting them to everyone in the room in a futile effort to alleviate them. The room quickly erupted into cries of anguish.

Alice's POV

Sometimes I really hate my gift.

Don't get me wrong; ninety-nine percent of the time it gives me an edge on everyone, except perhaps Edward. But in situations as tense as this was, it is rather vexing.

That night, I could see my family was going to have a meeting regarding the new student at Forks High School. Beyond that, my vision was limited, likely due in part to the fact that decisions had to be made.

My siblings and I entered in through the door to the house, our retreat away the prying eyes of the town. It was our haven, and most importantly, our home. Normally, coming home was when we could unwind, relax and be ourselves without worrying about acting differently than what the humans would expect. This afternoon, however, the atmosphere was far from relaxing.

Our pseudoparents, Carlisle and Esme were waiting for us, warned ahead of time by a phone call from Edward about the necessity of an emergency family meeting. Esme greeted us with a loving smile and herded us toward the large oak table that dominated the dining room. It was nothing more than a prop (since we don't eat), only really used for family meetings. Amazing how one human could drive our family to this state.

Once seated, all eyes went to Carlisle, our father figure and our coven leader. While our family was far from the traditional vampire coven, we still followed Carlisle's rulings, albeit out of love and respect for his compassion.

"Your phone call was brief and lacking in details," Carlisle began, giving each of us a quick once over with his golden eyes, confirming that we were all in good health. "Can someone please explain what is so urgent?"

We looked at each other, not entirely sure where to begin. Somewhat surprisingly, it was Emmett who spoke first.

"There's a new kid at school, and he looks pretty badass," Emmett blazed ahead, in his typical cheery manner.

"Emmett, language," Esme scolded, to which Emmett merely winked and continued unabashedly.

"He's pretty awesome too. He can block out the local chapter of the Justice League." Emmett laughed, pointing to Edward, Jasmine and I. Rosalie was scowling again, obviously less entertained than her mate. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Really?" Carlisle asked, his eyebrows rising nearly to his hairline. He has always been intrigued by Vampire's special abilities, ever since he spent so many years with the Volturi in Italy.

"Yup," I answered, popping the 'P' in my excitement. "Though I would like to point out, Emmett, that if we were the local chapter of super heroes, we are dressed much better than all those spandex-clad losers!"

"Hey now, they aren't losers!" Emmett shot back quickly, his childish idols threatened. "Besides - you're just jealous that you don't have the bust to keep up with all the other female super heroes."

There was a loud cracking noise and Emmett was left rubbing his head while Rosalie glared at him. The rest of the family chuckled at his jibe, though inwardly I sighed. Emmett was right. I wasn't ashamed of my petite body, but I wouldn't exactly say that I wasn't envious of Rosalie, Jasmine, and Esme's figures at times. Edward, sitting beside me, must have caught my thoughts. He sent me a small smile and gave my shoulder a soft squeeze.

"As amusing as this tangent has been, can we get back onto topic please?" Carlisle requested gently. "While intriguing, I don't quite understand the cause for concern."

"His name is Harry Potter, and he's from Britain," Jasmine informed us.

I admit I was slightly intrigued. I had gone through a phase where I adored British accents, mostly due to the incorrigibly dashing Sean Connery, and I had nearly turned Carlisle's hair grey in frustration asking him to speak in his native accent more often. Edward seemed to have noticed my thoughts and smirked.

Blasted telepath.

His smirk grew larger.

"I have reason to believe he has had a past somewhat similar to mine - a violent past, if nothing else. His physical appearance supports my theory," Jasmine continued, her face becoming slightly more withdrawn. We all were aware of Jasmine's feelings regarding her own scars that covered the majority of her body and tried to support her through those feelings, but any mention of scars had the chance to trigger reminders for her. I focused on a quick burst of love for her to feel, and she gave me a small smile in appreciation.

"His physical appearance?" Esme inquired.

Emmett quickly jumped into a description of Harry, spending a great deal of time explaining his scars and eye patch. If I knew Emmett half as well as I thought I did, I was pretty sure he was mostly excited about the eye patch. A snicker from Edward confirmed my suspicion, and I had to fight to hide my smile.

Esme looked quite distressed by the idea that a child as young as Harry could have faced so many hardships. Her heart shaped face was constricted in displeasure. "The poor dear, I wonder who his guardians are? Why would they let him face so much danger?" she wondered aloud.

"I could hack the school records," Jasmine offered.

This time it was Carlisle's turn to look upset. "I don't think our passing interest is enough reason to invade his privacy." It wasn't a direct order, but we respected him enough that we wouldn't want to disappoint him.

"And if he causes me to lose control over my gift again? What if he causes another light to explode and the class cuts someone, what then Carlisle? He is dangerous," Jasmine snarled, shocking us all with the vehemence in her voice. We knew something had gone wrong in her class, but she had remained rather tight lipped, begging off having to explain more than once.

"Just what exactly happened Jasmine," Carlisle asked cautiously; his eyes communicating an apologetic look at his daughter. "I thought you couldn't feel his emotions?"

"I can't," Jasmine growled, "Except when he loses control over whatever is shielding him from us."

I risked taking a few seconds to take a glance into the future, eager to understand what had happened and too impatient to wait for an explanation. I gasped in surprise, causing the table to focus directly on me. Edward shook his head in wonder, having seen the vision for himself.

"For those of us who actually live outside of our own minds, can someone fill us in, maybe from the top?" Emmett muttered moodily. Esme, Carlisle and Rosalie made gestures of agreement.

"I don't know if I can fully explain it," Jasmine began slowly, "When the teacher took offense to his rather introverted personality, they began to have something of a verbal duel. Mr. Swensen abandoned any pretense of professionalism and was essentially berating him, the atmosphere around Harry changed, getting thicker, if that makes any sense. I began to catch small spurts of emotion coming off of him, and then the light bulb overloaded rather violently."

Carlisle looked pensive during her explanation. Edward shot him a quizzical look, but Carlisle waved him off with a gesture that clearly told him to be patient.

"What happened next, I'm not even sure," Jasmine admitted, her face almost withdrawn as she relived the memory. "Mr. Swensen assigned us characters to read and the next thing I know, I'm being swarmed by a myriad of horrid emotions coming from Harry. They were so strong that I couldn't stop myself from broadcasting them by reflex. It caused a small riot."

"I could hear the thoughts of panic from the other end of the school," Edward admitted to us, his eyes betraying his troubled thoughts.

"What happened next? Do we need to move?" Carlisle asked worriedly.

"No, I think we are alright Carlisle," Edward replied gently, and Jasmine sent out a wave of soothing calm to the family, who all instantly relaxed. "The school is at a complete loss to explain what happened, everything from theories of something slipped into the food at the school or a gas leak. None of them truly make sense, but they have yet to become suspicious of anyone in particular."

The family let loose a collective sigh of relief, though I remained alert, searching visions, trying to anticipate the fallout from this event.

"I think we're in the clear," I informed them. "Nobody will be able to find a logical explanation. It will eventually be chalked up to a bizarre occurrence and fade from recent memory."

Carlisle nodded his thanks towards me. Esme still looked troubled by the very idea of Harry Potter. There were a few moments of internalized thought around the room, though I noticed Emmett looked particularly bored.

"So when do we kill him?" Rosalie asked casually.

The room erupted in low growls.

Rosalie raised an eyebrow in surprise. "It's only the logical thing to do," she loftily explained, twirling a piece of her blond hair in her fingers. Once again a split second decision left even Edward and myself unprepared.

The next thing we knew, Jasmine's chair was clattering against the floor and the chair's former occupant pouncing on her sister. This of course caused them to fall backwards as Jasmine pinned Rosalie to the floor, snarling angrily.

"What is your problem Jasmine?" Rosalie shrieked, twisting and wriggling desperately, trying to escape the hold that Jasmine had her in.

"Girls! Calm down!" Esme screeched, being held back by Carlisle from intervening. Both Emmett and Edward looked at me for what was the best step to take, but I merely shook my head. I could see where this was going, and it was necessary.

"You wouldn't understand Rosalie, these emotions were ridiculously powerful, the anguish, the burning pain, and the gut wrenching guilt," Jasmine growled out, her fangs glistening with venom as she tightened her hold on Rosalie.

Rosalie wasn't ready to quit however, and began struggling even more against her captor. "I would understand more so than any person in this room Jasmine!" She shot back, her anger palpable.

"You understand NOTHING!" Jasmine roared, causing everyone in the room to flinch. "What you went through with Royce King Jr. was unforgivable, devastating, and beyond wrong Rosalie; but THIS is what Harry was feeling!"

I braced myself, having seen what was coming, but there wasn't anything I could do to prepare myself for the deluge of emotions that washed over us. Having someone explain it was one thing, but to experience them first hand was something else all together. There was a whirlpool of depression, a torrent of anger and self-hatred, an onslaught of grief and guilt. It was so devastating I was forced to withdraw inside my own mind in an effort to try and find sanctuary from the monsoon of emotions engulfing the room and even there, found no real respite.

I have no idea how long it lasted, but when it stopped everyone was either sprawled out on their chairs or had collapsed to the floor. Vampires may be next to invincible to physical attacks, but mentally we are still susceptible.

It was humbling, in an almost humiliating way. For once I was glad I wasn't Edward, as the mental echo of remembrance from each family member must have been tormenting.

"Now you understand," Jasmine whispered, helping Rosalie up off the floor. She looked incredibly upset with herself, causing a yearning in me to reach out and hug her, but I knew it wasn't the right thing to do at the moment. "I won't kill a soldier once he is used up and mentally scarred. Never again."

"Soldier?" Esme whispered in confusion.

Jasmine nodded. "I think it fits. Except his emotions seem to be more of a combination of what Rosalie and I felt…"

"Jasmine –" Rosalie began, but Jasmine ignored her. She had reached her emotional limit and ran from the room and out the door, quickly disappearing from sight. I didn't need to be empathic to know the emotions flooding the room. Edward gave Rosalie an understanding look. He knew she hadn't meant to set Jasmine off like that. He followed Jasmine out the door.

I couldn't blame him. Priority always goes to ones mate. In fact, as the remaining couples of the house began to gravitate towards each other in a desire for closeness and comfort, I couldn't help but feel a flash of jealousy. Most of the time I could ignore my own lack of a mate, but after that kaleidoscope of emotional torment, I desperately wanted someone to cuddle with to try and forget what I had just felt.

"I think we were lucky that the situation at the school did not escalate, nor force us to relocate, after experiencing that," Carlisle said, his voice somewhat shaky. Those of us remaining in the dining room bobbed our heads in acknowledgement. By silent agreement, everyone retreated to his or her own respective room.

Back in my own room, my thoughts were troubled. Normally my room was a place of sanctuary, but there was no comfort now. Today had been a long day, and with our inability to sleep, I had the sinking feeling that the night was going to be even longer, especially alone.

One more brief authors note, I'm in the last semester of my 4th year in university. I can make no promises when it comes to updates, except that they will come. Eventually. My beta won't let me slack too much though, for which I am thankful.

(Beta note – he's right, he has me too hooked on the story, so I'll be bugging him about it every other day at least.)

Please review! I promise they actually encourage me to write faster!