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Under the casting shadows of lightning strikes, a tortured silence consumes the expanse of the home like a forest fire. Memories and complicated emotions are conjoined into a rhythmic pattern of divulgence. The unveiling of the truth has been unlike any occurrence and instead of offering alleviation, incertitude and incredulity have been casted like a curse.

Mia clings onto the base of the sofa, her nails digging deep into the fabric that the threads are threatening to snap. She's been trying to put the puzzle pieces together and understand the words being told, but every piece keeps getting further from her grasp and landing in the clouded part of her mind.

Edward has been silent for what appears to be an eternity. He's remained frozen like a statue in a state of shock that's a rare sight for someone as composed as him. His hands are pressed into tight fists, his fingers digging deep into his palm in a threat to destroy his perfectly sculpted palms.

Mia looks up from the ground, her voice low when she says, "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure," Remus says, his shoulders hunched and gaze adorned with tension.

She stands up and grasps her hair in disbelief, "How could he have survived the curse? When Harry brought him, he was..." Her voice fades into an unnerved silence as the memory of that night resurfaces like a dormant virus awakening, "He was dead. There was a funeral and we- we all attended."

"How Harry survived and how curses can be rebounded... it's all unexplainable," Remus tries explaining, but not knowing how the Hufflepuff actually survived makes it hard to offer any clarification. "There's a reason why you two felt a connection when you first met, why you became friends so quickly, and trusted your secrets to one another. It's because you already knew each other."

"Why can't I remember anything?" Edward breathes uncontrollably and focuses on the one crack on the floor as if to maintain his composure. "Why can't I remember?!"

His loud voice takes the others by the surprise, but Mia doesn't react. She simply stares ahead, her mind running a mile a minute as flashes of that summer start playing. From Harry bringing his body back, his cries, his father's screams, the chaos around the field, and their gazes; their eyes filled with despair and sheer terror at his death being the beginning of the end.

And the speech... the one Dumbledore gave in his honor.

"Cedric Diggory was exceptionally hard working, infinitely fair-minded, and most importantly, a fierce, fierce friend."

She shuts her eyes closed and tries ignoring the memory, but the truth is making her feel as if his memorial had been yesterday.

"You have the right to know exactly how he died," Dumbledore walks down a few steps closer to the stand. His voice is all but a whisper when he says, "Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort."

Mia flinches at the mention of his name, her hand gripping tighter onto Harry's. Her jaw clenches and despite her attempts at remaining composed, she's unable to prevent tears from forming.

"The Ministry of Magic does not wish me to tell you this, but not to do so would be an insult to his memory," Dumbledore continues, his words bouncing throughout the walls. "Now, the pain we all feel at this dreadful loss reminds me, reminds us, that while we may come from different places and speak in different tongues our hearts beat as one."

Mia pinches herself, making the memory come to a stop. Now is not the time to dwell on the past when it's the present that matters. If she's struggling to handle the truth, she can't imagine how Edward must be feeling.

"The impact of the curse and the venom must have been too much for you to handle," Remus suggests despite not being entirely sure if that's the case. "It's the only explanation I have for your amnesia."

"Is there a way I can remember?" Edward's unable to comprehend the totality of this truth. All this time he was longing for a connection to his past, and he had the connection right in front of him. "You need to tell me if there is. I need to remember everything. To remember her."

Mia suddenly starts thinking of his father, Amos. His screams had haunted her for months and it took meeting Edward for them to subside. She can't imagine how happy he will be when learning his son is alive and has been well taken care of.

"Does his father know?" she abruptly asks.

The thought of having biological family left makes Edward feel the most relieved that something good can come out of this, but the ecstatic emotion disappears when hearing Remus' thoughts.

The wizarding world doesn't know the entire story, but the Order does. It's a secret that was intended to be kept between them, but nothing can be kept a secret forever. Sooner or later, the truth will come out, and this is just a reflection of it.

"I'm sorry," Remus' voice is faint to the point no one could have heard him if it weren't for the piercing silence.

Mia stares at him with perplexion, wondering why he's apologizing. When seeing a beam of grief in his eye, she figures everything out. Her gaze wanders to her mother, who confirms it by the wounded look on her face.

She looks past her shoulder at Edward and reaches for his hand. Her fingers collide with his and it's just for a brief second when he returns the gesture before dropping her hand.

Her forehead creases in concern at the action, and she knows better than to take this personally, but in the past hour that this truth has been revealed, he's never looked at her once and has tried keeping a distance. She understands what he's going through and wants to offer him consolation, but something about his avoidance is making her afraid this would change everything between them.

Edward can feel Mia's eyes on him, and as much as he wants to look at her, he decides not to. He wants to assure her that everything will be okay between them, but he's unable to place the words into a coherent string. A storm is brewing inside him and he's afraid of saying the wrong thing, so he settles that silence and avoidance would be suitable for now.

The weight of this truth is crushing him as everything he's been told since becoming a vampire has been a lie. The only connection to his biological family is gone, and now there's the question as to who he really is.

"Losing you was too much for him to handle. Death eaters took advantage of his grief and offered him a deal," Remus begins explaining. "They made him believe you could be brought back, but in exchange, he would have to hand another wizard over."

No.

"Amos promised to give them Harry if they brought Cedric-" he pauses as he's not entirely sure what to call him now. "Or Edward back."

Despite knowing this deal was only made due to a father's pain, Mia can't prevent from being consumed by anger. She's appalled that her best friend was offered as an exchange, and all for what? There's no spell to resurrect the dead, so this deal would have been nothing but a trick just to provide Voldemort with what he wants: Harry and control of the wizarding world.

It would have all been for nothing.

"He made the deal before knowing a vampire had transformed you."

Esme did mention that Carlisle had visited London over the summer. He could have been wandering the woods and stumbled upon the scene. Since he loves helping people, it would make sense for him to offer Edward the only help he knew how – immortality.

"Carlisle knew?" Edward incredulously asks as he wonders how he wasn't able to read it in his thoughts. The more he keeps learning about his past, the more betrayed he feels that the man he considered a father fed him lies. All this time, he's had the truth right in his face and was purposely kept in the dark.

This revelation, or better yet, deception, has brought him anything but consolation. No relief has been granted as the only thing he's overcome with is an undeniable sense of fury. He's furious at the universe for being so cruel that it didn't settle on just killing him, but also making him forget his past. His last remaining family is dead and the only thing he's left with is untrustworthy words that came from the person he once trusted.

Mia tries thinking of a possible reason as to why Carlisle didn't say anything. It's not like him to keep secrets from his family, especially when it comes to Edward. All of this doesn't make sense that she could only hope there's actually a reasonable explanation for Carlisle's silence.

"He did, but he didn't tell you for your safety."

His blood boils as his emotions become less controllable. He's been kept in the unknown and due to it, he was questioning everything. He even believed his previous family didn't care for him. Hence why there was no record of anyone looking for him. To hear that he had a father who risked everything for him and is now gone, only shatters him completely when realizing he's absolutely alone.

"Safety?" Edward scoffs in disbelief, shaking his head in denial.

"After Amos failed to follow through with the deal, the Dark Lord had him killed," Remus reluctantly admits, his tone gentler and less blunt. "The thing is, there's word about a cure for immortality having been created. With two people having survived the curse, the Dark Lord wants to prevent anyone from escaping death again. If word got around that another person survived him, the wizarding world would no longer be afraid and he'd lose his credibility."

A cure.

There's a possible cure for immortality.

Now it makes sense why Carlisle didn't tell Edward anything. If he knew about his past, it was obvious he would have wanted to head back, and if the rumors about the cure are true, the cure would have been used on him to make his death permanent.

"If what you're telling me is true," the doubt in his voice is undeniable, but it won't change the reality that's unfolded. "How wasn't I able to read it in his thoughts?"

"We don't know who was the wizard that helped him, but he casted a spell to hide that specific memory from you. No matter your mind reading ability, you never would have been able to find it."

Mia takes a moment to process everything. Never in a million years did she imagine being in a relationship with her rival. Hell, they spent all their time arguing and competing on who was better. Their fighting never ensued and continuously got worse throughout the years. Now that she knows Edward has always been an amnesiac Cedric, it leaves her stricken and at a loss of words that all those rumors and accusations her friends gave her about her "relationship" with him turned out to be true.

For Merlin's sake, could everything get much more complicated?

Edward turns quiet, but not the typical quiet full of contemplation. This silence is one he has never been the owner of. It's foreign, full of anger, resentment, betrayal, and pain.

Knowledge of the past was always something he desired. He considered looking into it with his ability, but was always afraid of what he might find. To learn that a member of his family – the person he trusted most – had kept him in the dark on purpose, fills him with deception and misery. It didn't matter if it was for his safety. It would have been his decision to make if he wanted to take the risk, and now look. He's become this new person that doesn't even know who he is anymore.

Is he a Cullen or a Diggory? What name should he take?

The worst part of this is that his memory has been corrupted. There's uncertainty if he will ever remember his past life, and not remembering her makes this truth much harder to bear.

He longs to remember how they first met, all the arguing, all the competition, and those briefest moments where he had a life beyond being just a part of the supernatural. He wants to remember, but with the misfortune that's surrounded his new life, he's tortured by the fact that maybe he won't ever get his memories back.

Remus' loud thoughts pound against his skull like bass drums. His temples ache through every word and the walls surrounding them start caving in. If he stays here, he's unsure of how much his thread of restraint will endure.

After several long seconds, Edward abruptly leaves the confines of the room. The sound of the door slamming shut makes Mia flinch as she glances at the empty spot next to her. She takes a shaky breath and begins heading in his direction, but her mother's hand on hers makes her stop in her tracks.

"Let him go," Isobel says, her grip on her getting tighter as if not to lose her hold. "There's something else Remus needs to tell you. He made sure to hide that thought just so Edward wouldn't know."

Their secrecy makes Mia bristle. She grinds her jaw, unwillingly clenching her fists to the point her nails are digging incredibly deep into her palms. Since Edward can't read her mind, what they're about to tell her can't be anything good. This secret involves him and she's afraid of the secret she'd have to hide from him now.

She swallows hard and lowers her voice as if to prevent anyone else from overhearing, "What do you mean there's something more?"

Isobel and Remus look at her in complete silence. Their deliberating expressions resemble a punishment, one meant to torture her without reason, and that's enough to make her much more irritated.

Her voice is strident as she gapes at them with a stern look, "Can you stop standing there in complete silence and just tell me already?!"

They're hesitant, almost like they're deliberating in mentioning anything, but Isobel sighs in defeat as she finally makes a choice. "Mia, your father didn't just come here to recruit you. He was sent to confirm if Edward was truly... alive."

Her words make the alarms in her head go off, the sirens filling the numbing silence and creating an earthquake in her mind. She senses where her mother is going with this, but she prays to be wrong just this once.

"If you don't take the mark, Dimitri is going to give Edward the cure and once he's human, he'll kill him," Isobel says the words slowly, almost like she's afraid of being misunderstood.

While as terrifying as this is, Mia's not surprised. It's sad how she expected something like this to happen. Her father wasn't going to make her decision easy. He knew that she'd choose death over becoming like him. His daughter has her morals set straight, and if going after the man she loves permits him to corrupt her principles, he'd be a fool not to take the opportunity. He'd be able to shape her into the daughter of his dreams, into the heir he desired to have, and nothing would be able to stop him.

She doesn't say anything despite the hurricane in her mind. Lamenting about her choice getting taken away won't solve this. It won't protect her loved ones. Nothing will. The only solution is becoming a monster and after having spent years swearing she'd never become one, it's only now that she's considering it.

Accepting the mark would mean her loved ones will be safe. She would make sure they're spared and even though she'd be a living corpse, it would bring her consolation knowing that her sacrifice would keep them alive.

"You're not taking the mark," Isobel becomes aggravated when realizing her daughter's intentions. She understands wanting to protect the people she loves, but she's not about to let her destroy herself for him.

"We know when he's coming, so we're going to be prepared," Remus takes a step closer, his steps careful as if worrying one wrong move will set her off. "We're going to keep you safe and make sure the cure isn't given to him. I promise."

Mia can see his lips moving, but is unable to hear the words coming out. Everything becomes a blur. The pressure in her chest gets tighter, her limbs grow tense, and her nerves feel as if they're being stripped bit by bit. Her ears are ringing and its sound resembles a piercing siren torturing the safety of her chambers.

She doesn't want to become a monster. She doesn't want to have the mark imprinted in her skin like a venom coursing through her blood. Its poison will kill her and by everyone learning she's become a death eater, she'd be proving their fears had been justified. She doesn't want to give them the satisfaction, so she has a choice to make.

Either she takes the mark willingly to keep Edward and her loved ones safe, or she fights her father to the death, making sure the cure is destroyed before taking her last breath. It's safe to say which option she's choosing, and she could only hope they understand.

"The spring solstice is two months away," she says, her voice slightly more raspy than before. "I'm not letting him hurt anyone. I'm not giving up that easily."

The pair sigh in relief as they had believed she would have given herself up for the sake of love. At least they know she's not going to sacrifice herself and will actually be smart about this. That cunning mind of hers has always impressed them and now with the circumstances, they're proud she's being courageous about it.

"Good," Isobel holds her in a tight embrace, her hand cradling the back of her head and the other holding her by the shoulders. "I'm glad you're not willing to let him win. You have to be smart about this, Mia. If you give in to his manipulation, he'll keep holding you captive. Don't let him."

And for once, Mia finds herself ready to face the tragedy. She returns the hug and sternly stares ahead, "I won't. He's not going to win that easily."

Remus steps forward and joins the embrace, relief overcoming him at how mature she's being about this. He just hopes that when the time comes, there won't be a change of heart.

Mia takes a deep breath and leans away, her mind returning to Edward, "I have to go find him. I need to make sure he's alright."

Heading out into the night, she narrows her eyes at her surroundings. It's fairly dark and the streetlights aren't enough to cover the perimeter. He might have headed back home to confront Carlisle, but he wouldn't do that yet. Not until he's calm and has fully comprehended the gravity of the situation.

The meadow might be where he is since it's the perfect place to deliberate about everything. It's far from her house and it'd be hard running at late hours of the night, which makes her consider that perhaps she could apparate. It's bound to bring her repercussions, but she needs to make sure he's alright. He's been there for her through everything that she wishes to offer the same.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mia suddenly sees him walking at a leisure pace in her direction. His face is adorned with despair and unbearable sorrow and with just one look, she's able to know what he's thinking.

Just like he had run to her back at the river, she sprints in his direction like a bolt of lightning. Her body slams into his as her hands surround him like a comforting blanket. She caresses his cheek, noticing the pain in his eyes, and realizes words wouldn't be enough. She wraps her arms around him and he immediately buries himself into her embrace, his face nuzzling into the crook of her neck as she cradles the back of his head.

"It's okay. You're okay," she whispers, his trembling refusing to subside. "Everything will be okay. I promise."

Edward wants to believe her. He wants to believe that nothing will change, but in all fairness, everything will. He's not sure of who he is anymore. He's not sure of what to do with this revelation that disclosed a deception.

Learning about his past is like learning how to swim: new, terrifying, nerve wracking, and dreadful.

All these months he's been lied to by the person he trusted and considered a father. Carlisle made him believe no one in his human life wanted him and that he was left at his mercy. To learn that he had a father who did the unthinkable to bring him back, makes him angry that all those months spent in the darkness, he could have been with him and prevented his death.

He wishes to understand why Carlisle kept this truth from him, but the pain in his heart prevents his rationality from taking over. All he's aware of is that his life has been a lie and the only thing that makes sense is her.

She's the gravity keeping him grounded, his breath of fresh air in this polluted world, his daylight shining through the clouds, and the reason for moving forward, but even through this, he's afraid of bringing her down with his darkness.

His voice is muffled and can barely be counted as a whisper when he says, "I don't know who I am."

She's not sure what to say from knowing no amount of words will make anything better. His past has been casted from his mind and not knowing if he might or might not remember is the worst imaginable thing.

She breathes softly, their foreheads now pressing together, "You'll figure it out. You did once, so trust that it will happen again, and I'll be right here with you through every step of the way."

"I'm not sure I can ever be the person I used to be," he breathes heavily, his eyes melting at the thought of disappointing her if he doesn't remember. "I can't expect you to wait. It's not fair to you."

"Stop that," she shakes her head and cups his face to redirect his gaze to hers. "You're not pushing me away. I'm not letting you."

Edward purses his lips and attempts to look away, "You have to worry about yourself. Your father is coming after you, and if you lose focus and something happens to you because of me, I won't ever forgive myself."

Those words make her grateful that Remus had kept the other half of the truth hidden. If Edward were to know about the ultimatum, he would let himself die to save her, and she can't let him make that sacrifice.

"Nothing is going to happen to me," she assures him, hoping her affirmation won't turn out to be nothing but a lie. "And I hate that you expect me to let you face this alone. You have been there for me through everything, so best believe I'll be here for you through all of this and any other hardships that may come."

He scoffs lightly and draws away, "You don't get it."

"Enlighten me then."

Edward's expression is solemn and full of anguish as he averts his gaze to anything but her. He moves away every time she gets closer, refusing to accept any comfort when feeling undeserving of it.

"I'm immortal and you're human. I exist to live in the shadows and you in the light," his argument makes her stare at him in disbelief. "I can withstand anything, but you can get hurt easily. I'm afraid you're going to let your guard down for me and I don't want you to do that."

Mia can't believe what he's saying. He had never used his immortality against her and she believed that with her being a witch, this would have never been an issue between them.

"I'm more than capable of protecting myself," her tone is harsher than intended, matching the disbelief in her eyes. "I always took care of myself before you, so don't think I need you to be my knight in shining armor. I have myself for that, so don't you dare use your immortality as an excuse to push me away."

Edward is quiet in thought for a moment, "I know that, but I don't want you to worry about me. Not when you have your own problems to deal with."

"And you think that staying far away from each other will make me worry less about you?" Mia walks closer to him and he moves a step back without meeting her eyes. "You have been there for me through everything. You comforted me when I confided about my fears of becoming like my father and I let you."

"Mia-"

"You made me feel like I could escape what's written for me. I saw a light at the end of the tunnel and I believed that there was a chance to be happy," she can see him trying to get a word in, but she doesn't let him speak just yet. "You became my hope, so let me be yours."

Edward is quiet despite millions of words running through his mind. He wants to say so much, but he's been stunned into silence.

"I can't imagine what you're going through, but all I know is that I want to be there for you through every step of the way," Mia declares, her stern voice making him unable to form a coherent sentence. "You might not remember anything from your past, but I do. I will remember for the both of us."

"I'm trying to protect you," Edward tries to argues, but she refuses to cave. "I don't know what person I'll become if I do regain my memories. I'm not sure I'll be the same person you met and I can't put you through that! You deserve someone who can give you the stars and what your heart desires!"

"Edward, you have already given me the stars because it's you my heart desires! I will stand with you through everything and bring you back when the darkness takes over because I love you, so let me be there for you!"

He freezes for a moment as he takes in her words. She just said she loves him and never in a million years did he believe himself to be worthy of such sentiment.

He's nothing but ordinary and she's extraordinary. She's the color the world needs and he's afraid of painting her with the lifeless colors he owns. Her entire being is breathtaking and an incomparable beauty, resembling the masterpiece and heavenly essence of Van Gogh's, Starry Night. She's truly, remarkably, a resplendent diamond that makes her love feel like the greatest honor.

Unaware of having proclaimed her love, Mia waits for him to say something after placing her heart on a silver platter. She doesn't intend on letting him push her away when knowing it's the last thing he wants. He might act like he can handle being alone, but she knows him too well to know that's far from the truth.

His voice is faint and full of feeling when he says, "You love me?"

It takes her a while to understand why he's asking her this, and it isn't until rewinding the last couple of minutes when she realizes she admitted her love for him. The words came so suddenly that they went unperceived by her that all she can do is hope she didn't ruin everything by declaring her feelings at a time like this.

There's no use denying it or trying to take her words back, because how can she? Her words were honest and if they had been a lie, it would make sense, but they're nothing but the truth.

She loves him and a part of her had always loved him in his past life as well.

"I do," Mia's voice is tremulous as she affirms his question. "I love you so much that I can't let you go through this alone. You have me and I don't intend on leaving. You don't need to place this burden on your shoulders. I'm here and I'll be damned if I let you force me away."

He remains paralyzed at her declaration. The love he has for her becomes much more magnified that it's becoming harder to contain, "Mia, I love-"

"No," she cuts him off and walks forward, her hands reaching for his and holding them tightly against her. "Don't tell me you love me just yet. Don't say it because I did. Tell me when you are ready."

Edward looks deeply into her eyes and is unable to contain himself any longer. He reaches for her face and captures her in a kiss. Her touch is so warm and invigorating that it turns his flicker of hope back on.

All this time, he's never been alone. Despite the reveal of this deception, he's come to realize that he doesn't have to face this on his own. He has her and she has him, and nothing will change that.

"I just don't want this darkness, this secret, to ruin us," he whispers against her as he dives into her touch even more. "I don't want to burden you."

Mia holds his face gently and stares firmly into his golden eyes, "You are not a burden, Edward. It's you and me from now on. We'll get through this together."

"Together," he repeats, almost as if to assure himself that this is real. He breathes in relief in finally finding comfort in someone. He won't have to face the hardships alone and will always be there for hers. It's them from now on and they'll get through everything together.

Edward shortens the distance between them and meets his lips with hers. He holds the back of her head with one hand while the other wraps itself around her. She holds him in a protective embrace that he dives deeper into for as long he needs.

This truth could be the first drop of a tragic storm, but the sun will shine on them again as it can't rain all the time.

Author's Note

Yes I did make her say I love you first cause I love that trope 🫶🏼

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