CHAPTER FOUR:

Shell Cottage, Tinworth, England: Harry Potter

"Harry, you're planning something with Griphook."

It was a statement, not a question, and Harry did not bother to deny it. He merely looked at Bill, waiting.

"I know goblins," said Bill. "I've worked for Gringotts ever since I left Hogwarts. As far as there can be friendship between wizards and goblins, I have goblin friends- or, at least, goblins I know well, and like." Again, Bill hesitated.

"Harry, what do you want from Griphook, and what have you promised him in return?"

"I can't tell you that," said Harry. "Sorry, Bill."

The kitchen door opened behind them; Fleur was trying to bring through more empty goblets.

"Wait," Bill told her, "Just a moment."

She backed out and he closed the door again.

"Then I have to say this," Bill went on. "If you have struck any kind of bargain with Griphook, and most particularly if that bargain involves treasure, you must be exceptionally careful. Goblin notions of ownership, payment, and repayment are not the same as human ones."

Harry felt a slight squirm of discomfort, as though a small snake had stirred inside him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"We are talking about a different breed of being," said Bill. "Dealings between wizards and goblins have been fraught for centuries, but you'll know all that from History of Magic. There has been fault on both sides; I would never claim that wizards have been innocent. However, there is a belief among some goblins, and those at Gringotts are perhaps most prone to it, that wizards cannot be trusted in matters of gold and treasure, that they have no respect for goblin ownership."

"I respect-" Harry began, but Bill shook his head.

"You don't understand, Harry, nobody could understand unless they have lived with goblins. To a goblin, the rightful and true master of any object is the maker, not the purchaser. All goblin made objects are, in goblin eyes, rightfully theirs."

"But it was bought -"

"Then they would consider it rented by the one who had paid the money. They have, however, great difficulty with the idea of goblin-made objects passing from wizard to wizard. You saw Griphook's face when the tiara passed under his eyes. He disapproves. I believe he thinks, as do the fiercest of his kind, that it ought to have been returned to the goblins once the original purchaser died. They consider our habit of keeping goblin-made objects, passing them from wizard to wizard without further payment, little more than theft."

Harry had an ominous feeling now; he wondered whether Bill guessed more than he was letting on.

"All I am saying," said Bill, setting his hand on the door back into the sitting room, "is to be very careful what you promise goblins, Harry. It would be less dangerous to break into Gringotts than to renege on a promise to a goblin."

"Right," said Harry as Bill opened the door, "yeah. Thanks. I'll bear that in mind."

As he followed Bill back to the others a wry thought came to him, born no doubt of the wine he had drunk. He seemed set to become just as reckless a godfather to Teddy Lupin as Sirius Black had been to him.

-

-

After my day spent moping around the house, school seemed... well, almost like a breath of fresh air. Being surrounded by my classmates, whose biggest worries were finals, or if their crush was going to invite them to the prom, was... a relief. Everything in my life was so serious and grave at the moment, the levity of high school was a balm to my strung tight nerves.

Classes were easy, with the teachers letting us study for the upcoming exams, and when I settled down at our usual table with Edward, Angela and Katie, I felt better then I had since the intervention disaster (except for the fact that Alice isn't sitting with us, which terrifies me slightly- Alice is one of those people you like to have in your sight at all times, because you never know what terrible, mortifying thing they could be planning and/or doing away from your careful supervision).

"Is anyone here planning on going to prom?" Katie asks, suddenly, and I'm pulled from my slightly paranoid thoughts regarding the missing vampire, and turn to face the blond, whose cheeks are slightly pink.

"Ben asked me to go with him, but... well, he's not who I want to go with." Angela admits.

"Who do you want to go with?" I ask curiously, not recalling any recent crushes she's told us about. I knew that the last prom, the one I'd missed due to James, the homicidal vampire who wanted to torture me to death to beat Edward in some sort of vampire pissing match about who had the bigger fangs and planned on using my death to do so, and the girl's choice dance Angela had gone with Ben too- they weren't exactly dating dating, but I thought they were together, in some sort of abstract way.

Apparently not.

At my question, Angela blushes, which really piques my curiosity and interest.

"You really like this person!" I realize, slightly shocked. She blushes harder, and Edward smiles gently at her, his long, slender fingers gently twined around mine under the table.

"You should ask them." He advises. "I truly believe you'll be pleasantly surprised." Angela takes a deep breath, as if steeling her nerves, and then turns to Katie.

"Will you be my date to the prom?" She blurts out, her cheeks rapidly staining dark red. Katie turns pink and squeaks in surprise (which I do too, albeit without the blushing, although I am reasonably confident I almost dislocated my jaw with how quickly it dropped open).

"I- I'd love to," Katie stammers, and she and Angela sort of look at each other, then at their hands, both blushing but looking pleased. I could barely hold in my excited gushing and hundred and one questions, as I wasn't sure how appropriate it would be, but the just-arrived Alice had no such compunctions.

"You two are perfect together!" she squeals, perching on the edge of her seat, a huge, beaming smile on her face. Edward rolls her eyes at her, but she doesn't even acknowledge his exasperation.

"What were you doing?" I ask her, a touch warily. She looks back at me, all doe-eyed and innocent. I don't fall for it.

"Joining the prom committee, of course." I'm not ashamed to say my entire face paled.

"Oh dear, sweet Rowena." I breathe, horrified.

"Of course, I'm a little late, but better late then never, I always say." Alice continues,

"No, I'm pretty sure never would be better." I mutter, but the pixie vampire just talks over me,

"I have so many good ideas," she sighs, happily. I think about crying, and then realize something which makes my whole body sag in relief- I'm not going to the stupid thing, anyway.

Alice suddenly turns her whole body to face me, and a shiver of nerves creeps down my spine. "We should go dress shopping after we've finished writing Angela's announcements." She smiles.

"I can help you guys pick out your dresses." I agree, accepting the shopping trip with, what I felt, was exceptionally good grace.

"And we'll help you pick out yours." Alice says, all sweet as sugar, like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.

"Oh I don't need a dress," I say, a perfectly pleasant smile on my face.

"Well, seeing as none of your clothes are suitable for a prom..."

"Of course, that doesn't matter, seeing as I won't be attending the prom, I won't need a dress suitable for one."

"You will go to the prom." Alice says, fiercely, her eyes, dark today, like she hasn't fed for several days, fixed on mine with an almost unnerving intensity.

"I will not." I disagree, crossing my arms against my chest. Alice glares at me, for several moments, before changing tactics in a blink of an eye. Her eyes are suddenly enormous, and her lower lip is trembling.

"I wanted us to all have a special time," she bloody whimpers, her eyes all shiny like if it was possible for her to cry, she would be bawling. "I've never gone to a dance with my best friends before... I don't know if I'll ever get the chance again..."

My resolve threatens to shatter into a billion, unsalvageable pieces as my heart breaks- I am fully aware I'm being manipulated, but I'm only just keeping from spilling out agreements, to the dress shopping, to attending the dance, to anything that will remove that look of heartbreak from Alice's face.

And then Edward kisses me.

Neither of us are in to public displays of affection- I don't think we've ever kissed, as in properly kissed, with witnesses before. He pulled my mouth to his, marble lips meeting soft flesh. My entire body went boneless in surprise, and I half slumped against him. His fingers buried themselves in my hair, pulling me closer to him and I wrapped my arms around his neck, unable to stop kissing him. Time paused for me- in that moment it was like the sun had stopped shining, the earth had stopped its movement on its axis... he pulled back, just enough for me to look into his eyes, eyes that had been gold moments before, but now were almost black. "Come to the prom." He murmured, and the resolve that had just barely held up against Alice's lethal puppy dog eyes? Well, it was dust.

"Fine," I said, breathlessly, "I'll go to the stupid prom." Edward smiles, triumphantly, and I hold a hand up. "But," I tell him, "I'm not going with you." Surprise and a flicker of jealously cross his handsome, chiseled face, but it disappears into good humor as he turns to face a smug looking Alice, whatever he's reading in her mind amusing him.

"I've already asked Luna to be my partner to the dance. We're going as friends." Alice says, and I groan aloud, fully aware that I'm out of excuses. Edward turns back to face me, and gives me the crooked smile that makes me want to drool.

"Isabella Marie Swan, will you do me the honor of being my date for the prom?" He asks. I sigh grumpily.

"Fine."

"You'd think he was asking you to shave your head, or something equally ridiculous." Alice shakes her head, looking defeated. "You're lucky I adore the tricky ones- lost causes are my specialty."

"I dislike you very much right now." I inform her. She smiles sweetly at me, her dark eyes fierce.

"You will enjoy this dance." She says, and it sounds far more like a threat, then a promise.

-

After school, Edward drives us to his house. When we walk in, Luna is already there, sitting in the living room with the stunning goddess that is Rosalie. The exquisite vampire is braiding bellis perennis in Luna's hair, her long fingers, like delicate birds, easily weaving the fresh white daisies into the long, pale strands. 

"Bella," Luna smiles happily, "this dance is very exciting, isn't it?" Any reserves I had about going to the stupid prom promptly melted away at the obvious excitement in those silvery eyes. "Do you think it will be more like the Yule Ball, or the Slug Club?" she asks. We were both third years when the Yule Ball was held, so most of what we knew about it came from Ginny, who was one of the lucky third years to be able to attend, having been asked by someone from an older year level.

The Slug Club party, on the other hand, we'd both attended as a plus one- Luna for Harry, and myself for a bookish Ravenclaw whose father held a high position in the Ministry of Magic, and was shyer then a mooncalf. His mother was a muggleborn who had passed on her love of muggle literature to her son, and the two of us had bonded over muggle authors like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, George Orwell and Mark Twain.

"I think it'll be more like the Yule Ball," I tell her, considering it for a moment. "I hope so anyway." I add. Luna giggles softly.

"Professor Slughorn's party was very interesting, at least."

"It was the first time I saw a real life vampire." I note.

"Oh?" Edward asks, having listened quietly to Luna and I talk up to this point.

"He was very... intense. And creepy- kept watching all the girls with those red eyes." I grimace.

"Your teacher brought a human drinking vampire into your school." Rosalie speaks up, her voice disgusted.

"Slughorn is an idiot."

"And the most dangerous sort of idiot, at that." Luna adds. "One who is aware of the risks he takes, but takes them anyway, knowing it will never be he himself who pays the price for his actions."

Rosalie's perfect pouty lips twist into a grimace, her flashing jewel-gold eyes promising retribution if she ever ends up face-to-face with old Sluggy.

Rosalie's reaction to Luna was positive from the very beginning. Although she has never been my biggest fan, albeit much nicer since the whole Italy debacle, she instantly adored my best friend. Luna is fragile and innocent and childlike and seemed to pull at Rosalie's heartstrings from the moment the lovely vampire first laid eyes on Luna's bruised but not broken self.   

As it was, Rosalie's affection for Luna had tempered her opinion towards me even further- although I wouldn't call us friends, per se, none of her animosity seemed to have lingered.

Luna spent her days when I was at school at the Cullens, usually with Emmett, Rosalie and Esme. She didn't like being alone, and they adored her company, so it was a perfect solution.

"We're going to go dress shopping this weekend for the dance," Alice says, excitedly.

"Carlisle will have to give Luna a clear check of health." Rosalie reminds the enthusiastic pixie.

"He will." Alice says, with an authority that states how entirely certain she is, though whether from her glimpses of the future, or just sheer determination, only she knew. Rosalie just rolls her eyes.

After several hours of study, in which Edward drills me mercilessly on the material, he drives Luna and I home, then disappears briefly to drive the car back before returning for the night.

I lead the way to the kitchen, Luna following me, with the plan to heat up some left-overs for dinner, too exhausted from the intense revision session to cook something up. It's then I notice the flashing light on the phone's answering machine. I hit it, and a familiar voice fills the kitchen.

"Bella, it's me Jake. I heard about what happened and... Bella, my dad is an idiot who really put his foot in his mouth. I don't care that you shot those Death Eaters- they were animals, rabid animals, and putting them down saved peoples lives, I know they did. I've never judged you for what you did, and Billy doesn't either- I know he doesn't." there's a brief pause, and a sigh. "I want to see you, Bella. Face-to-face. Call me."

The end of the message tone plays, and I stare at the answering machine for several long moments. "Holy mother of Merlin," I finally manage to say, "the intervention worked! Well... sort of- Jake's talking to me again!" I'm tempted to start dancing around the kitchen, but even hearing from Jacob hasn't given me enough energy to do that.

Luna takes charge of heating up dinner- casserole- while I ring Jacob. He picks up after only three rings. "Bella?" he asks, eagerly.

"Jacob!" I'm beaming, I know I am, but I can't help it- him not talking to me hurt the same way it would if Angela or Katie or Alice stopped talking to me; somehow, someway, he and they had become important parts of my life.

It seems like we both have so much to say, and the words just keep spilling out. We avoid dangerous topics like Italy and Cullens, instead focusing on how much exams suck, and how Luna's doing.

When we hang up, I'm feeling lighter, like a weight I hadn't realized was hanging from me had lifted. My good mood lasted all the way until Edward slipped through my window. The serious lines on his face told me that Alice had Seen some of what had happened, maybe me getting the message, maybe my chatting to Luna about what I'd talked to Jacob about, and he wasn't happy.

"I don't want you going to La Push." He says, not bothering to beat around the bush.

"I respect that," I tell him, because I do respect it. "But I also respectfully say no. I'm going to go visit Jake- he's my friend, Edward."

"Then I'll have to stop you." Edward looks grim and determined. I feel a sort of sadness wash over me, and I look up at him with tired eyes.

"Edward," I say, feeling the heaviness return. "Do you really think you can stop me?"

The unhappy twist of his mouth tells me that no, he doesn't think so, not with my magic at my side, but this victory doesn't give me any sort of pleasure. I fall asleep uneasy that night, and the nightmares come quickly.