CHAPTER XXI

THE SPARE

Five heartbeats.

Six breaths.

The dripping from the kitchen faucet.

The spring of the sofa making a noise with the subtle change of weight.

Edward heard it all while standing and still in that living room, but those sounds only seemed to accentuate the uncomfortable silence present in that place.

After an embarrassing introduction where he had reached out to greet the visitors (who declined the offer and were silent), the vampire had heard their names through Hermione: the dark-skinned boy was Blaise Zabini. The one with similar features of a rabbit and stocky neck was named Theodore Nott; and the silver-blond one, Draco Malfoy.

All three, especially the blond, were staring at him with a curiosity that boiled through their questioning eyes – except that it wasn't a positive curiosity, but a disparaging one as if they were staring at an exotic, nasty animal for the first time; Edward almost felt offended by the way the blond wizard had warped the corners of his mouth as he continued to judge him with his pale gray irises.

"Who are you?" Draco spoke for the first time, with an accent similar to Harry's, but more pompous and arrogant.

"I'm Edward..."

"I know what your name is, I want to know who..."

"Edward is my boyfriend, Malfoy." Harry cut him off.

Draco frowned in confusion as Zabini and Nott struggled to appear neutral. The blond wizard narrowed his eyes, his full lips twisted again when he saw that Harry was holding hands with Edward.

"Boyfriend?!" he asked incredulously as he looked at Harry.

"Yes... That's right." Harry lifted his head "My boyfriend."

Silence.

"Well, seems that you still have the tendency of dating with..." Draco murmured, turning his head towards Edward "...inappropriate people."

Harry raised his eyebrow.

"Have you forgot your manners? You don't refer to me with a simply 'you'. It's 'my lord' or 'sir'" Harry approached Draco, looking at him seriously "And with whom I'm dating only refers to me, Malfoy."

Draco swallowed, seeming to try to muster the courage to speak.

"I advise you to choose your next words very carefully..." Harry spoke softly, his fingers adjusting the tie that the other boy wore "You never know if they could be your last ones."

The blond boy opened his eyes wide, looking paler.

"A-are yo-you threaten me?" he asked shakily.

Harry smiled, taking a small step forward while the blond stepped back.

"No... No! It's just a warning..." Harry said softly, holding Draco's thin chin and tilting his head down to look at him "I would hate to have to threaten you, after all, you are my dear cousin... We are family, right?" 

Edward can hear Draco's heart rate increase considerably while he remains with his eyes glassy, ​​looking frightened.

"Soooo... From who was the brilliant idea of being here?" Harry asked when looking at the three.

There was a moment of hesitant silence until Blaise spoke for the first time, Edward noticing that his voice was very deep and cool.

"It was Draco's idea , my lord... We were... Worried about your absence and lack of communication during these last few months..." Blaise's voice gradually died.

"Oh..." Harry replied dryly "Is that so?"

"Y-yes... W-we didn't rest until f-found you... S-sir..." Theodore's weak voice sounded unsteady as he cringed behind Blaise, as he was stared at by Harry.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other with a small smile.

"So... You are all telling me that you preferred to act on your own..." Harry said putting his hands back "...ignoring my orders... Disrespecting my authority?!"

"N-not quite..."

"SILENCE!" the wizard said furiously, causing the three to lower their heads "Apparently these months when I came to America made you all forget the meaning of hierarchy and subordination..."

Harry took a deep breath.

"Let me remind you... Show me your arm Malfoy."

Draco stood still.

"Show me... Your... Arm." Harry repeated.

The blond hesitantly reached for the smaller boy, who grabbed him by the wrist, extending the sleeve of Draco's blazer and shirt to his elbows.

The first thing Edward noticed was that despite the immaculately white skin of Malfoy's forearm, there was something that stood out and contrasted sharply: a tattoo of a skull in which a black serpent emerged from the mouth, the same one he had seen on Ron's arm in the day they went to the beach.

Draco pressed his lips together and frowned as if he was in pain at the moment Harry placed his index finger on the drawing, which seemed to come to life.

"54 years ago, you knelt before me, promising to dedicate your life to follow me and serve me, fighting my enemies, obeying my orders without question, until the end of your days. A perpetual oath..." Harry looked at Draco, then at Blaise and Theodore "All of you, swore to me, but apparently you forgot the meaning of perpetual... Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"Remind them of the concept of 'perpetual'..."

"Something that's eternal, in which it never ends."

"See?" Harry said coldly "An eternal oath... An oath in which the three of you disrespected... You disrespected me and I hate being disrespected..."

Blaise had swallowed the dry, while Theodore seemed to turn green. Draco was livid.

Harry inhaled deeply before turning to Edward, who was watching everything in complete silence.

"Edward, could you leave us alone please? I need to have a conversation with my cousin and his friends... I'll be up soon."

Edward hesitated for a moment when looking at Harry, his green eyes staring at him with a veiled "please" when reinforcing the request. Sighing resignedly, he looked around for the last time, being faced with intensity by Draco as he turned to leave the room, closing the door behind him - he was not surprised to find that the internal sounds of those inside were isolated with magic.

Holding the handrail as he climbed the stairs, the vampire felt his head spin in a loop of disordered thoughts and conflicting emotions, like the ghost of a migraine in which he couldn't physically capable to feel. Entering the wizard's room, Edward closed his eyes as he leaned against the door, rubbing his face with his hand as he inhaled and exhaled deeply.

He felt like a mess, a chaos.

He remembered exactly his brother's "death", the pained looks of Alice and his family; the wrapping in his own stomach when he saw his boyfriend's apparent coldness when it was all an illusion; the consistency of what Carlisle had said at home; of his own mind saying that Harry had crossed the line and acted cruelly and inhumanly; and finally his family's eyes of betrayal when he left with him, his conscience gradually starting to get heavy.

But if he had made such a decision, it was because he had listened to the thoughts of his father (who had always been so understanding and an example to himself) and brother (whom he loved) weaving in their minds the idea that Harry was the one to blame, the consequence or even the cause of all the problems that were going on, demonizing him, not thinking that maybe he was the help they needed or even, who knows, the solution - and Edward had promised to take Harry's side for whatever what happens, to protect and care of him, but ...

But even so, he couldn't help feeling that there was something wrong with everything, as if there was a piece out of place, something that didn't fit and made him feel restless, lost.

Walking over to the corner chair and sitting down, the vampire looked up at the enchanted ceiling, while his mind wandered for more thoughts, especially one that had caught his eye, something Harry had said... What did Harry say to him before at school?

Oh yes...

Harry had told him that everything seemed to be going to a point of a total collapse and that was what Edward was feeling, as if his own stability was one step away from to collapse - or worse, that it already happened.

Turning his head to the side towards the window, he saw the three unknown wizards leave the house in quick, nervous steps, with shoulders contracted as they went towards the dark green Jaguar. The blond, Draco, stopped before getting into the car, looking up and seeing that Edward was watching them; Edward had almost raised his hand for a polite farewell, but something stopped him when he saw the scornful expression on the platinum blond's face, who had no problem with masking what was going on in his head.

The bedroom door opened slowly as Harry entered, closing it tentatively while standing on his back for a few seconds, his shoulders rising and falling as he took deep breaths.

"I'm sorry for the little interlude that you saw while ago..." Harry whispered, turning around, as he leaned against the door.

Edward shook his head in denial and shrugged.

Harry ran his hand through his hair, tossing it back as he walked over to the bed, sitting across from the vampire who was waiting for him.

"Are they your friends?" Edward pointed his chin towards to the window.

The wizard frowned, shaking his head.

"I wouldn't go that far." he said hesitantly "Draco is my cousin... We grew up together, our parents have been friends for centuries and our families have been connected for generations..."

"And that doesn't make him your friend?" Edward asked, remembering the photo he saw some time ago in that same room, the one of Harry as a toddler holding the hand of a little boy with white hair, they both smiling.

"No..." Harry whispered, shaking his head. "Or rather, maybe yes, I don't know... I was never able to define what we are... Maybe he likes me, but I think he likes being my rival even more... But anyway, I I always keep my eyes open on him."

"He didn't seem to like me." The vampire commented looking at his reflection in the window, absorbed in himself "None of them, actually..."

Harry smiled weakly.

"Take that as a compliment..."

Silence.

Harry looked down, swallowing hard as he joined his hands in his lap, his breath coming out of his mouth. Edward supported his own chin with his hand, while his elbow rested on the arm of the chair.

"Edward..." Harry whispered sheepishly.

"Yes?" he looked at the wizard.

"I thank you wholeheartedly for coming with me, but... But I think it was unwise..."

The vampire didn't respond immediately, preferring to let the wizard's words be absorbed in his mind as he started to think of an answer.

"Why?" he asked slowly

"Well..." Harry bit his lower lip, refusing to look at him "Because your family needed you more than me... I would understand if you decided to stay."

Edward moistened his lips, looking at Harry as he felt the question screaming in his head being expressed vocally.

"Why did you do that to my brother, Harry?"

The wizard sniffed, looking ashamed.

"I had no choice..."

"I still don't understand... Tell me, please... I just..." he stopped as he took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second "I just need you to give me a little peace of mind..."

More seconds of silence.

"I need to know that I made the right choice..." Edward completed, his voice with an urgent twinge "That there is a reason why you did that..."

Harry closed his eyes.

"While we were training in the meadow..." the wizard whispered ".. I had realized something that I already knew long ago, but that I preferred to ignore..."

Edward maintained eye contact.

"What?"

Harry was silent.

"Tell me..." Edward whispered.

"I realized that no matter what I do or how good my intentions are..." Harry said, looking up at the other "... in one way or another, I will always be a constant target of suspicion, always seen as a potential enemy: the wolves are just waiting for a minor reason to attack us. Your family..."

Edward felt his face contort in a betrayed expression and Harry let out a sad breath.

"Your family treated me with cordiality from the beginning..." the wizard whispered "But I know it wasn't just that, it was to see if I wasn't a threat and I understand, really, it's understandable, but..."

Harry paused, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.

"Even today I see the question mark in their eyes when they see me or when something bad happens, even after the things I did and do to help them..." Harry continued "And I see it even in your eyes..."

Edward opened his mouth to speak, but Harry held up his fingers slightly to let him continue.

"I am not as 'good', 'sweet', 'kind' or 'innocent' as you expect me to be or behave... I'm not a lamb, I'm not Bella Swan." Harry said with a small sad smile that disappeared "I'm sorry, but I'm not."

The vampire felt his mind being cleared of any thought as the wizard spoke.

"Yes, sometimes I can give reasons to cause certain 'strangeness', but I swear I never wanted to harm you or anyone in your family, but still... Still the distrust is there, growing and taking roots... And along with distrust, there is also hostility... And hostility opens the door to hatred, until a point comes when they see me as a real enemy instead of potential."  

Harry stopped talking for a moment, staring at the void.

"So I had to do that... Making them feel afraid, because when you imposing fear, people don't question you." the wizard whispered when looking at Edward "And if it is to ensure that you all, no, that you , Edward, survive unscathed with the things that will come and in order to protect you, I prefer to provoke fear in everyone, I'm rather used to it. I prefer to be feared, I do it for you, without hesitation..."

"Harry..." Edward gasped, not knowing what to say.

The wizard's green eyes twinkled with tears that were beginning to accumulate in his eyeballs.

"I can't lose you..." he said softly, placing his hand on Edward's face, his thumb caressing the cold cheekbone "You were the best thing happened to me for many years, and..."

The wizard's face paled, as if a sudden thought terrified him.

"And losing you is not an option." Harry said calmly, but his eyes were turbulent.

Edward knelt in front of him, taking his hand and placing a kiss on his wrist.

"You will not lose me..." he assured, looking him in the eye "And there is nothing in the world that will separate me from you."

The black-haired boy smiled wistfully, hugging him.

"Promise?"

"I promise." Edward assured him, his fingers stroked his hair.

The two stood still, enjoying physical contact and the tender touches for a few minutes.

"I hope your family will one day be able to forgive me..." Harry whispered thoughtfully.

Edward was silent, remembering the faces and thoughts of his parents and brothers.

"They will..." Edward replied hesitantly.

"I have no idea when or how, but they will... I hope ..." he thought.

"And you?" Harry broke away from the hug, looking at him anxiously.

"Me what?"

"You forgive me?"

The vampire blinked in surprise, not at the question itself, but at his own reaction.

On the one hand he wanted to say immediately "yes, of course", but on the other hand he realized that these words were not in line with what he felt at the time - and he didn't even know how to define what he felt. Harry, who was waiting for him to answer, seemed to gradually understand that he wouldn't have an answer. 

"I understand..." the wizard whispered with his head down.

"Sorry..." Edward said awkwardly, putting his hand on his shoulder "I just... I need some time to assimilate what happened earlier today... It's a lot to absorb..."

"Okay..." Harry replied, looking down "I understand perfectly."

The two remained in comfortable silence , Edward placing his head on the wizard's lap as Harry leaned over to rest his head on the vampire's shoulder, stroking the soft hair and the back of his neck; Edward inhaled the sweet scent coming from the youngest, pressing his face into the fold of his warm neck, where hours earlier he had ground his teeth... That thought made him stiffen for a second, thinking of moving away, but Harry kept his embrace, taking his warm lips to the boyfriend's cold neck.

"Spend the night with me..."

"I thought you said I had to go home..." Edward whispered.

"I said you should have stayed with them, but that doesn't mean I want you to go..." Harry whispered with a mischievous smile.

Edward smiled.

"You are full of contradictions, aren't you?" he smiled, making Harry laugh, hugging him so that Edward forced himself to go to bed with him.

Amid laughter, the two lay facing each other, exchanging silent looks and smiles.

"So..." the vampire whispered.

"'So' what?"

"'My lord' huh?!" Edward said when he remembered the three visitors leaving the house like frightened rabbits "Are you a kind of lord among witches?"

Harry rolled his eyes, blushing softly.

"Kind of..." he replied shyly.

"And did they really have to kneel before you to take an oath?" Edward asked curiously, remembering some details "I think Ron and Hermione told me the name of it..."

Edward frowned trying to remember, while Harry raised his eyebrow curiously.

""Death Eaters"?" the vampire pronounced carefully when he saw how odd, not to say macabre, those words sounded.

"Well, yes..." Harry smiled softly "And yes... To be my follower, it's necessary to say an oath and kneel before me. It's like a tradition or a protocol to be followed... Like a monarch granting a cavalry title or something..."

"Oh... I see..." Edward murmured thoughtfully "So eventually, if I wanted to be one, would I have to kneel too?"

Harry smiled a little.

"If you want..." he replied, turning red little by little.

"What's it?" Edward asked.

Harry's face was as red as the covers on the bed.

"Harry?!" the vampire was concerned.

The wizard smiled, looking at him as he bit his lower lip.

"Would you... Recognize me as your lord?" he asked as he approached the vampire, who felt Harry release his hot, sweet breath from his parted lips.

"I... I don't know..." Edward stammered, feeling mesmerized and stunned. "Maybe... Y-yes, I suppose..."

"So... In that case... You should kneel for me..." Harry said, kissing Edward's strong jaw "But for your information... When we are alone, I will also kneel for you..."

Edward swallowed, his eyes widening at the sound of his boyfriend's pounding heart.

"But not as your lord..." Harry whispered with a shy smile, his fingers tracing circles on his boyfriend's shoulder.

The bronze-haired boy would have blushed to his ears if it were possible.

"Oh Harry...!!!" Edward muttered nervously.

Harry didn't respond, just kissed the cheek as he nestled to be close to him.

"You are definitely going to be my doom..." Edward said with a nervous smile, wrapping Harry's waist in a hug, who laughed sheepishly.

He still felt like a mess, a chaos, but somehow, having Harry in his arms, he felt good.

...

...

...

Upon returning home the next morning, Edward was greeted with silence and cold courtesy.

The only person who offered a smile when he saw him back was Esme, who even trying to hide it, couldn't hide her broken heart from what had happened the day before, as well as Carlisle, who kept a face close to neutral when greeting him.

His siblings were another story, each with a different reaction: Jasper was frightened, seeming to be gradually recovering from a state of shock, while Alice didn't hide her hostile hurt and sadness at Edward's attitude; Emmett was quiet, both vocal and mental, preferring silence as an answer; Rosalie was in an internal conflict, because months ago she had been the most hostile towards the trio, however she had created a special friendship with Hermione over the months, but after what she saw, she felt uncertainty to destabilize her opinions again, making her uneasy.

At dusk, Edward had left his bedroom after spending hours in the cloister, as he had reached a consensus that if he acted in this way, he would be implicitly admitting that he was wrong; he still had his reservations, of course, but after talking to Harry and understanding his reasons, he realized that the situation was much more complex than two sides, one being "right" and the other being "wrong".

At least that was what he was repeating in order to fully convince himself.

While keeping his eyes fixed on the crystal chandelier in the living room, Edward's phone vibrated in his pocket, as did the alert sound of other vampires' cell phones at different points in the house. Picking it up immediately, Edward frowned when he saw a message from Hermione.

'EMERGENCY. Gather all of you. WE WILL BE THERE IN 15 MINUTES'

Edward was confused, while the rest of the Cullens reacted in different ways, thoughts breaking out in alarmed, worried and apprehensive voices; The first to arrive in the room was Alice, walking gracefully to an armchair away from Edward, sitting cross-legged. The boy had noticed that the vampire's expression, always so cheerful and positive, had been replaced by an icy countenance.

"Hello..." Edward murmured calmly.

Silence. Alice mentally hummed the A-B-C.

"Alice..." he sighed.

She was still as a statue, not looking at him.

"Please don't treat me with silence..." Edward continued "You are the sister I am closest to... Don't ignore me too... We are family."

Her golden eyes turned to him, her expression was hurt.

"And yet you didn't stand by our side... On the side of Jaz, your own brother, even after what Harry did to him... What he did to all of us, your family!"

"Things are more difficult and complex than they appear, Alice..." Edward said hesitantly.

"No, Edward... Things are easy and clear. You just don't see." she countered "You are blinded by Harry..."

Edward gasped in surprise as Jasper walked into the living room, standing next to his mate.

"She's right, Edward" the blond murmured while holding Alice's hand, looking sadly at his brother  "Harry is blinding you the same way that Maria did to me when I was a newborn... The truth is in front of you and you refuse to see."

Edward clenched his fist.

"Truth? What truth?"

Jasper frowned as he looked down, visibly uncomfortable.

At that moment the room had been filled by the rest of the family, each close to their respective mates, all keeping their distance from Edward, who had realized that they would have a "family conversation" about what had happened.

"The trio is a threat to us... Harry is a threat to us." Jasper said cautiously. "They hide things from us... They are dangerous."

Edward winked at Jasper.

"Son..." Carlisle said softly, his hands resting on Esme's shoulder "Your brother is right... We may be dealing with a person in which poses a danger to us, to our existence. At any time, the Quileutes may feel entitled to break the treaty and want to destroy us..."

"That's if he doesn't destroy us first." the Texan added, emphasizing the 'he'. 

Emmett and Rosalie remained silent, their thoughts vague. It was remarkable that they were divided.

Esme seemed torn between wanting Edward to be happy with his mate and the safety of her family, winning the latter.

Edward looked at them all, swallowing hard.

"He had reason to do what he did." he just answered.

"Edward...!" Alice said indignantly "Harry made Jazz explode before our eyes and treated it like it was nothing!" 

Jasper swallowed, remembering the feeling of being paralyzed by the spell.

"There's something wrong with him..." Jasper whispered looking at his father "The way he behaved with us yesterday..."

"Maybe it was in front of us the whole time, but we hadn't seen it before..." Carlisle said worriedly.

Edward shook his head, making a sound of indignation.

"I never thought that you could have such a closed mind with those who are different from us..." he said weakly "Yes, because what I'm seeing is this..."

"Son..." Carlisle said with wide eyes.

"No!" Edward said, extending his index finger as if he didn't want to be interrupted "I love Harry, you all know that and I don't hide it... And yes, he can be a little difficult, cold and even a little Machiavellian at times, but deep down he has a good heart."

The Cullens were silent.

"Edward... What did he to..."

"NO!" he cut, feeling the anger reverberate inside him.

Edward took several breaths to control himself, looking at his family in a betrayed way.

"He has a good heart." he murmured hurt, feeling a lump in his throat "Every time he comes here, he always fortifies the shield that he and his friends put on to protect us... More and more he sleeps late, as he spends hours reading books and scrolls to help us get out of one battle that was not his, a battle that he decided to join, because he cares about us... Because he cares about me."

He paused, turning to Jasper.

"For weeks I listened to your thoughts and conspiracy theories and ignored it, because I thought it was just you being overprotective and a little paranoid. And during those same weeks while you thought that my boyfriend was the Devil incarnated, he was preparing together with Hermione a potion that would help you to control your thirst for human blood, as he saw how depressed you are with your addiction."

Jasper pursed his mouth, looking surprised.

"But it doesn't make a difference, does it?" Edward said finally, looking around "What he has already done for us... It makes no difference, because in the end, you are here... Accusing him..."

The six vampires were speechless for long seconds, not knowing how to react to what had been said. Carlisle looked ashamed.

"I may be wrong..." Jasper whispered "And if I'm wrong, which I hope I am, I will ask you and Harry for forgiveness for all eternity, if necessary. But tell me honestly, Edward... Do you believe that Harry is totally true? That he doesn't hide anything from you?"

Edward opened his mouth to answer, but hesitated for a few seconds, which he already answered on his own.

"Deep down you know there is something wrong with him, something off... You may not admit it to me, to us or even to yourself, but deep down you know." Jasper whispered, looking down.

Edward froze, blinking his stunned eyes.

"We all have secrets..." he murmured uncertainly "And he has no obligation to speak his to us..."

"And you're right, Edward..." Carlisle said in a calm tone "But what if these secrets are harmful to all of us?"

"In what sense?" Edward hit hard.

Silence.

"That your boyfriend is evil!" Alice accused, hugging Jasper's arm.

"Oh..." Edward gasped wryly "Very funny to hear it from the same person who encouraged me to be with him!"

"That was before..."

"You all talk as if your suspicions were already a certainty!" he cut the seer "But where's the evidence for what you say? Huh?"

The other Cullens felt a strange sensation of deja-vù when they heard those words before. Edward turned to Jasper.

"Do you have any proof of what you claim?" he asked. "Why if you have, show me now! Come on!"

The blond vampire hesitated, looking embarrassed.

"No..." he murmured "I do not have."

"That's what I thought..."

"But Edward... I must not remind you that love can make us go blind..." Jasper whispered weakly "I know that, with..."

"And I'll make you blind if you do not shut the fuck up!" Edward snarled as he lost patience, causing everyone to be horrified.

"Edward!!!" Esme exclaimed shocked.

The vampire closed and compressed his eyes for a second, feeling anger bubbling up inside him as well as the outraged and frightened thoughts of his parents and siblings.

"Why are you doing this to me?" he asked in a hoarse voice "Why?"

He paused as he looked at them one by one, feeling the anger gradually turning into sadness.

"For the first time in a long time, I'm happy... Happy as never before..." Edward said in a hurt tone. "Happy to be with someone who I really love, whom completes me... Someone I want to be forever." 

Edward rubbed his face with his hand as he sighed.

"And I was so happy when my family seemed to be happy for me..." he continued, pointing with his chin towards them "...but now how do you think I feel when my family, my own family seems to sabotage my happiness with those accusations to someone who has never done anything to you?"

He looked down, frowning as he gradually realized something.

"When all this trouble with the newborns and Victoria is over, Harry will go back to England..." he said in a low tone "...and I will go with him."

Silence.

"Edward..." Carlisle stepped to the front, his topaz eyes wide, as well as Esme "Will you... Will you leave us?"

Edward sighed.

"I love you all..." he replied sadly "...and I love him... But I see that I have no choice when it is you who act this way. I don't want to be alone anymore."

The youngest of the Cullens felt an enormous weight inside him when he realized that it would be the collapse he had foreseen the night before... A collapse from him with his family - and the thought made Edward feel his heart break into pieces.

Everyone was paralyzed by the fear of the idea of ​​him leaving, including Alice, who had previously felt anger and frustration over the things in which it had occurred, but now felt a lump in her throat and genuine fear... Edward was her favorite brother, the one she had love even before meeting him in person.

She was going to say something, beg him to stay, but something stopped her.

It started with a sensation similar to that of a slight dizziness, her eyes becoming blurred as they stopped seeing the living room and readjusted to a vision of something that had not yet happened... But that was going to happen.

The clock on a tower-like building marked 12:00... Or would be 00:00? The bell chimes echoing loudly and slowly fading away, while the images and sounds disappeared from her mind and vision, in which get used to reality.

"What was that?" Edward asked her cautiously after following the premonition through his telepathy.

"I... I don't know..." Alice replied when she saw that everyone was looking at her anxiously.

Before anyone else could ask a question, they heard the familiar sound in which they announced that the trio was already there, as well as the sound of the door being slammed. Edward had nodded to the other vampires, running at his supernatural speed into the entrance hall, immediately seeing through the glass door that in addition to Harry, Ron and Hermione, there was also the blond wizard, Draco, who was looking at the facade of the mansion with an eyebrow raised.

Edward contained a slight wince as he opened the door, seeing that they looked tense.

"What happened?" he asked immediately.

"We found something we need to tell your family about." Harry said in an urgent tone.

The vampire nodded, holding the wizard's hand, the two of them walking to the living room while being followed by the others. Upon arriving in the room, the wizards and witch were greeted with silence by the Cullens, as well as curious looks from some upon seeing an unknown face between them.

"We're all here, as you asked..." Carlisle said calmly when he saw the teenagers. "What happened?"

"Hermione?" Harry said while looking at the witch. "It was you who found out..."

Hermione took a deep breath, taking a step forward after Harry encouraged her with a look.

"As you know, in addition to the newborns, we have had cases of murders involving witches during the last few months... Murders caused on rituals in which had a specific purpose, but we didn't know what one. At least until yesterday... During training."

The Cullens frowned, looking at each other, as nothing had happened in the training except the pitiful scene between Harry and Jasper.

"Sorry , I don't..." Carlisle said confused.

"Yesterday, during the training, that shapeshifter, Jacob, made insinuations about us..." Ron said as he put his hands in his pocket, his face hard.

"But something he said caught my attention and that's why I left there so suddenly..." Hermione added "I needed to read some books to be sure and when I realized, I had discovered the reason why all these deaths are happening. But for it to make sense, you all need to know a few things beforehand."

"What things?" Jasper asked in a low voice.

"About the freedoms and laws we have." Harry replied calmly.

Hermione swallowed.

"We witches are endowed with exceptional powers and we are free to act as we please through the various branches of Magic: we can fly, teleport ourselves, we can create potions with unimaginable effects, incredible spells and enchantments, but we also have a limitation. We can do everything with the exception of one and only one branch of Magic: Necromancy."

"Necro-what?" Emmett blinked in confusion, as did the vampires.

Hermione moistened her lips, taking a lock of hair behind her ear, looking nervous.

"'Necromancy' is the art of communicating or bringing to the earth plane those in which are dead, such as the 'inferis' who are basically resuscitated corpses or, very rarely, really to resurrect someone dead..."

"Just saying... When you say 'communicating' it's like... Like that board game, ouija?" Emmett asked as he remembered the popular game in horror movies.

"Yes... This is one of the examples, although the communication between the living and the dead can occur in a 'natural' way..." Hermione said quickly "But anyway, Necromancy goes far beyond talking to spirits. It's prohibited because it unbalances and violates the Laws of Nature, as death is a natural fact, an unbreakable Law for all."

Hermione paused.

"Witches have a long life, but we are liable to die at one point..." the girl added "Vampires are biologically 'dead', but for some supernatural or biological reason they continue to live as long as there is nothing that puts an end to them."

"Wait a second..." Rosalie said, interrupting with her hand "We are immortal... We don't age, we don't get sick, we don't grow up or evolve!"

Carlisle looked at the carpet with glassy eyes, beginning to understand Hermione's reasoning.

"But we can be destroyed by being dismembered and burned..." the doctor said, looking at his daughter "We are invulnerable to the action of time, but we aren't totally invulnerable to physical damage... We can be 'killed' definitively."

The other vampires seemed to absorb the information. Edward felt his head pop with the idea that in a way, he was mortal.

"But it doesn't make sense anyway..." Jasper pointed out logically "If we don't suffer a destructive attack, we continue to exist for eternity."

Hermione took in the information, but quickly her brown eyes twinkled in the answer that was somewhat obvious.

"But you still pay the price..." she said, looking at everyone "Don't you see? Blood!!! In order for you to continue to exist, you need to take the lives of others, because this way the balance is stabilized. One life for another."

"We feed on animals..." Emmett frowned "We don't kill people... At least not anymore."

"But it don't keep you completely satisfied, doesn't it?" Harry said softly, looking at Edward "'It's like humans living on tofu'... And yet, all of you hunt dozens of animals each time to feed up. The hunt is your weekly 'sacrifice', the price of life and death you pay."

Harry paused, looking thoughtful.

"Everything has a price." the wizard said seriously. 

"Harry is right." Hermione said in a dark tone "Necromancy is a violation and for that reason it has a price to pay... Sacrifices are required."

The Cullens felt a chill down their spine.

"What kind of sacrifices?" Carlisle asked cautiously.

"One that requires blood, flesh and soul." Harry said as he looked into the void.

"So..." Edward murmured "...were these sacrifices made here?"

"Yes..." Hermione said nervously "The first sacrifice was blood... The first murder was that muggle boy, Mike..."

"He had his head, hands and feet severed..." Edward said as he remembered the memories he had read of the policeman who found Mike's body, months ago.

"His blood had been drained from his body, except for a few tissues." Carlisle murmured wide-eyed "So he was the..."

"Yes... He was the first." Hermione said "The second occurred months later, because Necromancy requires a kind of power and permission in which almost nobody has..."

Draco snorted as he glanced at Harry, who looked back at him with threaten look.

"In this case, the second was that of those Muggle boys that the shapeshifters found in the reserve." Ron said, drawing everyone's attention. "They had their hearts, guts and organs ripped out... That was a form of body sacrifice. Flesh for flesh."

"And the third and last one was held on the same night" Hermione said seriously "The soul sacrifice..." 

Everyone was silent.

"Seth?!" Jasper said stunned when he realized the line of reasoning. 

"Yes... A pure soul." Harry murmured in dismay when looking at everyone "You see, when Jacob made that comment about "virgin sacrifices" he described the reason why Seth was killed: Seth had a pure soul, he was the sacrificed lamb... The sacrificed virgin. His flesh was... Eaten, as a way to absorb his purity. Transubstantiation."

"My God..." Esme said in horror, placing her hand on her mouth.

"And with the sacrifices made, someone will leave the Realm of the Dead, passing to Realm of the Living at the very moment when the veils between the two worlds becomes more flexible..." Hermione continued.

"On Halloween..." Edward said stunned.

"Five days from now..." Emmett put his hand on his head, feeling the scale of the problem.

"God almighty..." Carlisle sat up, rubbing his face with his hands. "What ... What's left to do?"

The wizards remained quiet.

"We don't know ..." Hermione said. "But now I advise you to be extremely careful... If those behind this are the same ones who tried to curse you... Then the problem is more serious than we thought..."

"It would be good to warn the shapeshifters too... They need to know the truth." Harry pointed out.

"Sam and his pack cut off contact with us... As you can imagine." Carlisle said with a cold politeness.

The black-haired wizard nodded, understanding what the vampire patriarch meant.

"I see..." he replied "Anyway, send a message to them, so they can be careful..."

Harry held Edward's hand tightly, as if he was afraid he would let go.

"Who knew this end of the world could be so... Busy..." Malfoy said as he put his hands in his pocket, looking at the trio.

The Cullens gradually turned their attention to the stranger: he was young, pale, blond, tall, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit and had a thin chin and an arrogant face.

"Who's the Targaryen?!" Emmett asked frowning as he looked at the platinum blond.

The wizard straightened up, stepping forward with his hands in his pocket.

"My name is Draco... Draco Malfoy, Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy." He said in an arrogant tone, while Ron rolled his eyes in scorn.

Some Cullens blinked without knowing what to say.

Little by little, Emmett smiled from ear to ear.

"...The First of His Name, The Unburned, Father of Dragons, King of Andals and the First Men..." Emmett recited in a playful tone, Ron putting his hand over his mouth to contain his laughter.

"What is this muggle-vampire talking about?!" Draco asked petulantly "Harry...?!"

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Harry ordered harshly, but Edward could see that the wizard's green eyes were watering with the urge to laugh.

Edward looked at his shoes, looking at them with sudden interest and smiled: even in the most serious situations like that, Emmett still found a way to make the atmosphere somewhat lighter... He had always been that way from the first moment, bringing a little joy wherever he went, making everyone comfortable around.

The vampire's smile gradually faded as he realized he might soon be leaving Emmett and the rest of his family. Was it the end of decades of living together?

Carlisle's phone had vibrated and he had said goodbye when he said he had a call at the hospital, glancing at Edward holding hands with Harry and giving a sad but significant sigh - he wasn't prepared for the possibility of Edward leaving them, just as it happened in the 1920s, when he rebelled and adopted the 'traditional' vampiric diet.

With a delicate smile, but heavy eyes, Esme asked them to be comfortable while she went up to the bedroom. She needed time to process what she heard, feeling sad about the brutality and monstrosity in which Seth was killed.

Rosalie had reluctantly ignored Hermione's greeting, looking sad when she asked Emmett to go to their bedroom. The witch frowned in response, visibly upset by the situation, but seemed to understand that she needed to have her time.

"Alice? Jasper?" Harry called tentatively to the couple who had started to leave.

The two stopped, turning their heads to the wizard, who had released Edward's hand.

"Can I talk to you?" the wizard asked calmly.

The two vampires looked surprised and stunned by Harry's sudden interaction.

"Harry...?" Hermione asked.

"You can go ahead." he said looking at the other three, turning to the couple ahead "I really wanted to talk to you two, alone... Please."

Jasper looked uncertain, while Alice bit her bottom lip.

Edward stood in his place, seeing that his siblings didn't know how to react: the little vampire looked at Edward and then at Harry, nodding with a sigh as the ex-confederate nodded in agreement.

"Okay..." Jasper said "Come on... Let's go to Carlisle's office..."

Harry nodded, giving Edward a brief smile.

He, along with Ron, Hermione and Draco watched the three leave the living room.

"So, let's go..." Hermione said as she turned to the blond and the redhead.

"You can go ahead." Draco said "I'll wait for Harry here."

"Draco..." Hermione said seriously, making the blond shrug his shoulders innocently.

"What is it, Hermione?" he said winking, starting to smile maliciously "Unless you want to spend more time with me instead of this trash that you call as your boyfriend..."

Ron's face took on a tone close to his hair.

"Malfoy, your son of a bitch" Ron said through teeth.

Draco raised an eyebrow in disdain.

"I don't know how you prefer this rat over me, honestly Granger, I thought it had good taste." Draco teased "Even that Bulgarian, Krum, is better than..."

"ENOUGH!" Hermione cut him off, holding Ron's wrist and preventing him from advancing on the blond's neck "One more of these I swear I curse you myself, Draco!"

Ron was flushed, nostrils flaring when Hermione made them apparate from the room with a loud pop.

Edward, who watched the scene in silence, felt uncomfortable when he realized that he was alone with Malfoy, who was looking at him in the same derogatory way that the vampire had been targeted the night before.

"The resemblance is incredible." Draco said pointing his chin, looking from head to toe "It's almost like seeing ..."

Draco paused for a moment, starting to smile when he saw Edward's discomfort.

"Cedric?" Edward completed, feeling his mouth dry.

The wizard smiled as he raised his eyebrows, looking surprised.

"Ohhh... So you know about Diggory..." Draco murmured.

"Yes, I know." Edward said with dignity.

"Once more, the resemblance is impressive..." the blonde looked at him again "Although being a vampire isn't exactly an improvement over the other... Potter and his deplorable taste for vulgar creatures..."

Edward swallowed, concentrating on ignoring the offense. He was calm, difficult to be carried away by the heat of emotion, but there was something about that guy that made him taste his primitive rage.

"Wasn't Cedric a good wizard?" he replied, changing the focus of the conversation.

Malfoy snorted arrogantly, his face in a disgusted mask.

"Cedric Diggory was never a wizard!!!" Draco scolded contemptuously "He was a mortal, a filthy muggle in which for some reason my cousin went crazy for... My father would disown me if I got involved with people like him... Or like you!" 

Edward blinked his eyes, stunned by Malfoy's aggression, which walked over to the mirror.

"But on second thought, I realize that it must be difficult to be in your skin, right?" Draco murmured as he adjusted his shirt collar in the reflection.

"Sorry , I don't understand." Edward replied while frowning in genuine confusion.

The wizard turned around, looking at him.

"Being a substitute..." the blonde said as he pointed his chin at the vampire "You know... Being a copy, the consolation prize."

The vampire blinked his eyes astonished to hear those word .

Did he get it right?

"It must be difficult for you to be a substitute. Because you should know that, whatever you say... Or do... Diggory will always be the first, while you... Well..." Draco said with a small scornful smile on his lips "You are just the spare."

Edward's jaw tightened as he felt his mouth fill with venom as his hands tightened into fists. He imagined the sensation of punching Draco Malfoy and making his arrogant nose sink deep into the skull or breaking bone by bone in such a way that no magic potion would be enough to treat him.

"I have a solid and stable relationship with Harry." he replied in a low and cold voice "He likes me for me."

"And you don't have to be a great genius to know why..." Draco replied smiling.

Edward took a deep breath, counting to ten.

"How can you do that?" Draco continued in a falsely concerned tone "Being with him, when he thinks of another man? I didn't want to be in your skin... It's humiliating. Or, maybe you like to be used on this way... There are people for everything..."

Draco paused.

"But I wonder... How long will you be enough for my dear little cousin?" he looked at the ceiling and then at Edward. "Because that's the harm of being a spare, there comes a time when you are not enough ... And you become easily disposable." 

The vampire snarled, exposing his angry black eyes. Draco smirked, finishing adjusting his tie and looking at his watch.

"You know what? I'm tired of staying here..." Draco said nonchalantly "I'm going home ... See you later, Ced... Sorry, see you... Edward!"

Draco apparated, making Edward furious in the living room.

Clenching his fists, he felt his throat burn from the excess of venom produced, the sound of the growl making his chest quiver.

'Harry is in love with me!' he thought of despair 'He told me right here, he is in love with me!' 

Looking into the mirror, he saw the reflection of himself staring back, gazing at his face with sculpted lines contorted in an expression of hatred and pain with turbulent black eyes.

His face... And the other's face.

Edward felt his chest ache, as if a scarred wound was opened again to the point of bleeding. For weeks he had forgotten about Cedric's existence, but now Draco had reminded him and made sure to voice his insecurity out loud: that in the end, he was just a replacement for Harry.

Disposable. A consolation award. A spare.

He ran from home with the same will and hope that he had to run from himself, from his problems, from his fears...

This was his second collapse, more painful than the first.