14When James and Albus arrived at Platform 9 ¾ at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, they were shocked to learn that they were going to have to visit a family of vampires. However, once the situation had been explained to them, their apprehension quickly changed into excitement at the thought of what lay ahead. The family opted for Side-along Apparition to the Potter house because driving would take far too long for them to arrive at the Cullens' house in time.
Once the children had gotten over the uncomfortable sensation of Apparating, the school trunks were dumped in the hallway to be unpacked later. The family were just about to set off to the outskirts of the town, where the Cullen House was situated, when a familiar voice sounded from the living room. It belonged to Teddy Lupin.
"Hey Harry, where are you going?" he said. "I just finished up at the Ministry so I thought I'd pop in to see you."
"Teddy! What a nice surprise. We were actually going to visit some new neighbours," replied Harry.
Once the Cullens had been explained to Teddy, he was more than happy to join them in their visit, so the six of them set off together and soon arrived at the house. Harry was just about to ring the doorbell when the door opened, revealing a smiling woman with brown hair.
"Welcome to the Cullen House," said the woman. "I'm Esme, Carlisle's wife. It's a pleasure to meet you—do come in."
The Potters entered the house and were ushered into the living room, where they were met with the sight of the whole family gathered to welcome them. Carlisle stepped forward.
"Hello, Harry, it's nice to see you again. Let me introduce you to my family. You've already met my wife, Esme, and my son Edward. The two sitting on the sofa are Rosalie and Emmett. Alice and Jasper are standing by the staircase. Bella is the one sitting next to Edward, and Renesmee and Jacob are the two sitting on the floor."
Everyone had smiled or waved when they were introduced, so the Potters could clearly see who was who. Now it was Harry's turn.
"This is my family here. Carlisle and Edward have already met my wife, Ginny, and my daughter Lily. These two are my sons, James and Albus, and this is my godson Teddy."
The two families then shook hands with each other and sat down together on the many sofas in the living room.
"Sorry for sounding rude, but Jacob does not look like a vampire to me. How does he know who you are?" asked Harry.
"I'm definitely not a vampire," said Jacob, chuckling. "Neither is Nessie, actually—she's half human."
"Really?" asked Albus, intrigued.
"Yeah, she's the biological daughter of Edward and Bella, conceived when Bella was still human," replied Jacob.
"So she is the vampire-human hybrid you mentioned yesterday, Carlisle. I didn't know that was possible," said Harry wondrously.
"Neither did we," spoke Carlisle. "It came as quite a shock when Bella told us she was pregnant."
"But to answer your original question," said Renesmee, "Jake is a werewolf."
At this point Teddy, who had been looking around the room, snapped his head around to look at Jacob. His eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke, his voice filled with pain and confusion.
"No you're not."
"Technically he is a shapeshifter who can assume the shape of a wolf. He does not need to wait until the full moon to change. There is no need to be so abrupt with us," said Carlisle.
"Don't chastise him, Carlisle," responded Edward. "His father was a real werewolf. The wizarding world regards them about as kindly as Caius does."
"How do you know that?" asked Teddy, turning to face Edward with an uncharacteristic expression on his face.
"I'm sorry, let me explain. You may have heard stories of vampires with extra talents. I am one of those vampires—I can read minds. I regret the invasion of your privacy, but I was curious as to why you had such a strong reaction."
"Me too," said Jasper. "I can feel emotions, as well as influence other people's emotions. I was wondering why you were so angry and confused just now."
"Perhaps I acted rather rashly," said Teddy, now looking more normal. "It's just I have suffered a lot for being the son of a werewolf, being called names like 'monster spawn' and 'wolf cub'. Sorry about that, Jacob."
"Don't worry about it," replied Jacob.
"Thanks. So…does anyone else have extra talents?" asked Teddy.
"I do," said Renesmee. "It's kind of the reverse of my dad's talent—I can show other people what I'm thinking by touching their face."
"I do too," said Bella. "I can shield myself and others from mental talents like Edward's. It's useful when the talents are rather more…sinister."
"I have a talent too," smiled Alice. "I can see the future. Of course, it's subjective according to peoples' decisions and it changes a lot—"
"And you can't see wolves or Nessie," added Jacob.
"Fine, I can't," Alice agreed grudgingly, "but it's a useful skill to have. For example, I can tell that it's going to rain tomorrow."
"Oh great," groaned James. "We're having another memorial service in the rain—just what I wanted."
"Shut up," said Teddy, punching him in the arm. "That's not funny."
"What memorial service is this?" asked Carlisle.
The Potters all became solemn, especially Teddy, Harry and Ginny. Jasper received the emotions coming off of them in shock, and seemed to be struggling to contain them. Edward was also struggling with both the Potters' minds and Jasper's.
"Jazz, are you okay?" asked Alice nervously. Jasper nodded his head with much difficulty.
Bella was watching Edward fearfully, before asking "Can someone please tell us what's going on?"
Teddy, Harry and Ginny all managed to contain their emotions somewhat; allowing Edward and Jasper to both breathe a sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry," spoke Harry. "2nd May is a difficult day for us. It is the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts, when Voldemort was finally defeated."
"But surely that should be a day of celebration?" asked Carlisle in confusion.
"For many witches and wizards it is, but for us it is a day of remembrance for all those who died for the cause of justice, not just in the final battle. That long list includes my parents, my godfather, Teddy's parents, Ginny's uncles and her brother, Fred, amongst many others. We have been deeply affected by these two Wizarding Wars."
"I think we can all see—and in some cases, feel—the depth of your grief at the terrible events which have occurred in the wizarding world. I am very sorry to hear of your losses, but I fear that there is little I can do to assist you at this difficult time."
"I appreciate the thought, but I think you are right, Carlisle. This is something that our family has to deal with on our own—although it doesn't help that half the wizarding world expects me to be celebrating with them and fulfilling my duty as the 'hero' by attending their parties."
"Wow, some people can be so insensitive," said Emmett.
"That's rich coming from you," retorted Jasper jokingly. This comment caused the mood of the room to lift and allowed the Potters to stop dwelling on painful subjects—that could wait until tomorrow.
The two families continued talking for a while longer, but at last the Potters left, promising that they would visit again soon. As Carlisle was seeing them out, he caught Harry's arm to hold him back behind his family.
"I just wanted to say that you really are a truly remarkable man, Harry, for carrying the expectations of the wizarding world upon your shoulders and yet performing so wonderfully. I think that few people realise that your responsibilities did not end with the Final Battle. In fact, I feel that perhaps your duties towards the wizarding world are even more difficult to bear now, because you no longer have the fear and threat of danger that pushed you forwards before. You have done well, and you should be proud of that. I feel that you do not always give yourself the credit you deserve, so I'm just reassuring you that what you are doing is correct. Never let other people's opinions sway you from what you know to be right and true, Harry. Remember that."
"Thank you, Carlisle. But all that I have achieved could not have been possible without my friends, my family, who supported me from the beginning and helped me immeasurably. I may have played a part in shaping the present as it is today, but it is only with the help of others that this present stands up under scrutiny to uphold the values of truth and justice. All I can wish for is that this current happier clime lasts for a long time, but I fear that it is not so. Already there are rumours of copycat 'Dark Lords' planning to take advantage of the power vacuum in the magical underworld. I only hope that they are subdued, or we may find ourselves facing new horrors…However, that possibility is unlikely. There have been many changes which will hopefully ensure that such destruction is never seen again."
"I hope, for all your sakes, that you are correct, Harry. I'm not sure how much more trauma you and your world can stand. But, anyway, let's come back to the present. I'm looking forward to seeing you again soon."
"Me too—your family is quite charming, and very interesting. It would be great to learn more about your kind."
With these parting words, Harry left and hurriedly rejoined his family, who were waiting for him. The Potters then made their way back to their house to think about what they had learned from their new acquaintances.
It seemed that a strong new friendship had formed between the two families.