Disclaimer.

Chapter 11:

(11/11)

Harry and Carlisle hunted in silence.

They had left the others guarding Bella. Bella was...pregnant but the baby was killing her, its strength was already greater than Bella's and Bella got thinner every day. Bella and Edward had returned from their honeymoon early and certainly not as happy as newlywed newly honeymooned people should be.

It had barely been a month since the wedding, how could Bella's health have deteriorated so swiftly?

Harry had agreed with Bella and Rosalie, it was Bella's choice after all and there was a chance Bella would survive along with the child. But Edward...he looked like he was burning at the stake, face frozen in a horrific mask of pain at Bella's declining health. He didn't think Bella was going to survive.

They had just smelt a herd of deer when Carlisle's mobile rang.

"Come back now." Was all Emmett said before he ended the call. Carlisle and Harry shared an alarmed look before running as swiftly as they could back home. They were twenty minutes fast run away.

Ten minutes later a sudden smell of wet dog filled their noses and in front of their very eyes a large sandy coloured wolf turned into a naked Quileute boy. Harry would have been embarrassed by the nudity if he wasn't so worried.

"Seth? What is it?" Harry asked urgently. Seth had an uncharacteristically serious look on his young face although the optimism ever present could be seen.

"The Pack has decided the child is a danger to us all, they plan on attacking and killing you all tonight." Seth explained in a rush. Harry caught the implications.

"Jacob took up his mantle as Alpha. You and he formed a new pack. Seth I can't thank you and Jacob enough for saving my family." Harry stated heartfelt. Seth shrugged with a grin.

"Nothing to thank. It was the right thing to do." Seth commented.

"Still, if there is ever something we can do for you don't hesitate to ask." Carlisle offered warmly, he liked Seth, Seth and Edward had struck up a sort of friendship before the wedding.

Seth nodded in thanks.

"I've gotta get back, Jacob's probably worrying." Seth said with a cheeky grin before phasing into a large sandy furred wolf again.

Harry and Carlisle continued home, Harry beat Carlisle back being the second fastest in the coven, the fastest was Edward.

They spent the night in the room as Bella restlessly slept twitching and turning, the tubes attached to her trying to give her body some much needed nutrients. Her heart beat was unsteady. Harry leant against Carlisle when Carlisle closed his eyes looking tired and vampires didn't get tired physically.

Carlisle wrapped an arm around Harry's waist and absently kissed his forehead.

A sudden howl rent the air and everyone stiffened ready for the attack that was sure to come, Jacob had said they would howl if they found Sam's Pack coming.

Soon enough they heard the quiet (near silent to a human) footfalls of a large wolf approaching. The tread was just a tad too light to be Jacob so Harry guessed it was Seth. He went with Carlisle to see what was happening.

Again Harry managed to ignore Seth's nudity in favour of the looming trouble.

"Sorry about that. False alarm...my sister surprised me, she has joined the pack." Seth explained sheepishly. Harry smiled at Seth not quite able to muster his usual wide grin.

"Escaping Sam?" Harry asked mildly. Seth looked awkward.

"Yeah, sort of." He mumbled. Harry winced.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry...I was just sad about the imprinting thing it really wasn't fair on any of them." Harry commented quietly. Seth nodded, agreeing, he had seen how it had tormented not only Leah, his sister, but Emily and Sam as well.

"Anyway I gotta be getting back." Seth said already phasing back into a wolf. Harry watched the transformation; it was very different to an animagus transformation.

It almost seemed like the wolf form was ripping through the human whereas an animagus transformation was smooth, one form leading into the other like water flowing over a rock.

Later in the day another howl sounded just as Jacob was going to go and sleep, leaving Bella reluctantly and Jacob bounded away changing into his wolf form mid leap, it was quite awe inspiring to watch, Harry thought.

Harry picked up the tattered remains of Jacob's shorts, that had been his last pair from what Harry had seen and it wasn't like Jacob could go to La Plush and grab another pair. Harry mentally pictured Jacob as a human, Emmett's clothes should fit around the body but even Emmett wasn't as tall as Jacob's near seven feet frame.

Jacob was a foot taller than Harry (at least).

Harry flitted upstairs and riffled through Emmett's clothes picking something he wouldn't mind not wearing (which to be honest was nearly everything), Alice and Rosalie always stocked their clothes to overflowing and they were barely allowed to wear an outfit twice.

Harry placed the clothes outside on the porch before flitting into the kitchen to cook, he was feeling antsy.

Harry caught Jacob just before he could leave from visiting Bella again; the poor boy looked dead on his feet.

"Jacob...I want you to know that you can use this house as though it was yours, there's food in the fridge you are welcome to, showers, clothes, transportation...anything to make your temporary separation from your home easier. This goes for you, Leah and Seth of course. If you need anything just say." Harry said gently. Edward had been reading Jacob's mind when Jacob was talking with a delegate from Sam's pack and Jacob had realised (in his mind, he hadn't said it out loud) that he didn't have a home now he had separated from the pack.

And Harry wanted to thank the three shifters in any way he could. This was the least he could offer.

Jacob looked visibly surprised even as he muffled another yawn.

"Thanks." Jacob muttered before a cracking sound and a pained cry came from inside. Harry's eyes turned bleak.

"It's breaking her bones now." Harry muttered sadly. Just because he thought it should be Bella's choice whether to abort the baby or keep it didn't mean he liked to watch Bella suffer, she was his daughter.

Jacob sank to the ground of the porch and leant against the side of the door frame already half asleep, he hadn't slept in...he didn't actually know.

Harry flitted upstairs to make sure Bella was alright.

It was the early hours of the morning when Seth appeared at the door looking at Jacob's snoring form in amusement.

"Hello." Harry greeted quietly. Seth grinned.

"I've already told Jacob but we have food, showers, clothes, beds if you ever want them, don't hesitate to ask if you do we have more than we need." Harry offered. Seth smiled in thanks.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Harry asked already heading to the kitchen. Seth nodded eagerly and Harry smiled.

Seth hopped up onto a kitchen counter and watched as Harry got out a variety of ingredients mumbling to himself absently, something about omelettes, cinnamon rolls and an English Breakfast.

"You're slightly different to the other vampires." Seth stated astutely. Harry gave a wry little half smile.

"Story of my life." Harry muttered almost too quiet for Seth to catch and far too low for a human to hear. Harry shrugged. "We don't really know why." Harry said frankly. Seth nodded and left it at that.

Seth and Jacob seemed to appreciate the food and clothes but Leah still turned her nose up at vampire stuff.

Jacob let them know when it was safe enough for them to hunt. Harry may have been semi used to not hunting for four weeks on end but the others weren't. They were eyeing the cup of human blood Bella drank from with increasing longing eyes pitch black.

Carlisle and Harry were out when it happened. They were using Carlisle's doctor credentials to buy blood for Bella and the baby. A frantic phone call from Alice later, rushing to speak about the baby ripping itself free from Bella and time rushed forwards.

xxx

Harry frowned; he hoped Bella's remarkable control would last her father visiting. Jacob had shown Charlie his wolf form and was going to let Charlie make his own assumptions when he came to see the new Bella at the house.

Jacob didn't quite realise just how painful and dangerous this would be for both Bella and Charlie.

Charlie looked at their pale skin, eerie grace and odd eyes with new...realisation. He looked visibly pained by the changes to Bella, the pale flawless skin and undeniably beautiful features but that was all forgotten when he laid eyes on his granddaughter, Renesmee.

Charlie had nearly hyperventilated when he noticed Renesmee's eyes were the exact shade of chocolate brown he sported and Bella used to have before she was turned. He had been struggling to fit the dates, nine months into one. Eventually Charlie seemed to decide to ignore anything...unnatural.

The Cullens as a whole dropped the human act, mostly, just to show Charlie but they kept their speed to a slower more human speed.

Poor, poor Charlie. Harry thought to himself as he cooked lunch for the man. Charlie also noted that none of the Cullens ate any food even though he spent nearly an entire day there. Jacob and Charlie however ate, Harry loved cooking for the wolves because they ate everything and he got to cook a lot more and try out new dishes.

xxx

Harry stood stock still utterly shocked.

The Volturi were going to come and eradicate them because Irina had seen Renesmee and thought she was an immortal child and so had gone to Italy to tell the Volturi. One of the biggest rules for keeping the secret was not creating immortal children and if you broke it, it meant instant death for everyone involved.

The Denali Coven's mother had had an immortal child and the Volturi had killed her along with the child, the three 'sisters' were only spared because they had had no idea and Aro was feeling merciful.

Harry and Carlisle had both seen two immortal children before. Aro was always curious and he had been watching them, he had created them, in Volterra, they were contained by the Volturi.

The two toddlers had been absolutely adorable, the sweetest looking children Harry had ever seen and they could be so endearingly childlike at times too. But when they were angry they were dangerous.

Their temper tantrums could destroy entire villages and towns of humans. They had all the vampire strength and thirst with a young child's underdeveloped emotions and primal ways of expressing them.

The Volturi had ruled them too volatile.

The Volturi had just been waiting for an excuse to cull the Cullens and here was a perfect one, except Renesmee was not an immortal child, she grew (and grew worryingly swift) and she was extremely sweet tempered. If she ever did throw a tantrum there was more than enough vampires to halt her and they kept away from humans (apart from Charlie and she hadn't bitten him).

Alice had had a vision and there wasn't much time, she had seen Irina going to the Volturi and then the Volturi coming to Forks, all of the Volturi.

Carlisle and Harry split up, Carlisle to find vampires that he had met over the years and was friendly with and Harry to find his friends and the others who had been bitten when he was, they owed him a favour and he was coming to collect.

Everyone of the Cullens (apart from Bella, Edward and Renesmee) were out searching for vampires to stand as witness, to halt the Volturi so they would listen to the truth instead of just killing them all.

The tricky bit was convincing people that Renesmee was not an immortal child but one that lived and breathed, had a heart beat and grew. They weren't asking people to fight for them, just stand as witness, if it came to a fight with the Volturi then the Cullens weren't going to force their friends and acquaintances to fight. They were hoping to gather up enough witnesses that the Volturi paused and actually listened to their story instead of just killing them without a trial.

Harry tracked down Severus, Ron and Hermione pretty quickly; all three packed up some clothes and left immediately after feeding.

Apparently Luna had turned up randomly surprising Edward and Bella as she didn't need convincing, she just entered the house like she owned it and pilfered Harry's books. Harry had laughed when Edward phoned him with that particular titbit. Luna always knew more than she realistically should.

Harry sighed, now came the hard part. He had to track down people he hadn't seen in over a 100 years in some cases; he had no idea if they were even still in Britain. At least he had the point-me spell adjusted to point to the person Harry was attempting to find and not North.

Draco was the first Harry found and while Draco's comments were snide he seemed to genuinely want to help to at the very least repay his debt. Harry had a sneaking suspicion Draco would come whether he owed Harry or not. Harry had in his human life made sure Draco and Narcissa didn't go to prison, he had testified at their trial that they had both saved his life and were essential to the war effort. And then as a vampire Luna, Neville and Ginny had spirited all the turning vampires to one of Harry's well warded houses (preventing them from being killed by the ministry before they were turned) and then Harry had worked to get them to control their bloodlust, he had helped them cover for more than a few slips and made sure they didn't kill their families by accident.

Many of the vampires turned at the party for war survivors owed their lives to Harry.

Harry thought nothing of it, he was only helping (and protecting innocent human lives) but to save his family he would call in these debts.

Draco had also promised to contact various vampires he knew that had been turned at a different time to the party.

Harry had proceeded to track down Seamus Finnegan, Dennis Creevey, Anthony Goldstein, Oliver Wood, Susan Bones, Astoria Greengrass, Micheal Corner, Sally-Ann Perks, Elizabeth Flint, Penelope Clearwater and Katie Bell.

He couldn't find Blaise Zabini or one or two others and the others, apart from one, all agreed to stand witness and made their way to Forks.

Soon Harry had to give up and he too returned to Forks, he was the last Cullen back. Alice and Jasper had disappeared before they began to search for vampires and Harry wondered if things were really so bleak that Alice had left to save her and Jasper's lives.

Harry was sorry not to see them but he didn't hold them leaving against them, they didn't have to stay.

Harry was shocked to say the least at the amount of vampires congregating the house.

Despite the imminent threat hanging over their heads Harry couldn't help but be pleased at seeing so many of his old friends again. He spent time flitting from vampire to vampire catching up with them, exchanging banter...the usual.

He had allowed Severus to camp out in his room; the man hated social gatherings of any type and there were a lot of vampires. Severus happily (well as happy as the man could get) lost himself inside some of Harry's rare tomes he hadn't yet got round to reading. He did seem pleased however to chat to Draco, who was his godson, again.

Draco had brought with him two other vampires. One of them was Theodore Nott Jr. the son of the man Harry had been involved with. Theodore Nott Jr. had been in Harry's year at Hogwarts and his father had been eighteen years older than them.

Theodore Jr. seemed to intensely dislike Harry and Harry was sure it was because of his father's death at the hands (or paws) of the shifter a few months ago. Theodore Jr. had never really been keen on Harry, ignoring him when he was in the same room as him when they were human. Harry had been distantly polite to Theodore Jr. when he had been consorting with his father, it was an awkward situation, a year mate in a relationship with your father, so Harry had left Theodore Jr. alone.

Harry kept out of Theodore Jr. way now as much as he could. He hadn't killed Theodore Sr. but he could be partially blamed, seeing as Theodore Sr. had been toying with Harry at the time.

Harry also spent time with his family as well as friends, it could be their last time together alive after all and he loved them dearly.

The shape-shifters had also agreed to help, to stand witness then to fight.

Sam and Jacob's pack had reached an accord when Jacob had imprinted on Renesmee. No shape-shifter would ever harm or think to kill another's imprint as it would destroy the wolf. Jacob had imprinted on Renesmee when Bella was turning into a vampire. Harry found the imprinting a little odd but he supposed it was sweet.

The shape-shifters all had a...soul mate if you will and they were tied irrevocably to them for life when the saw them even once. The shape-shifters could meet their imprint when the other was a small child or when they were old (or even never), it didn't matter but there was nothing sexual about it when they met their imprint if the imprint was underage.

(Edward could read Jacob's thoughts so he was doubly sure of this.)

If like Quil Ateara or Jacob they imprinted when their soul-mate was a child then they are nothing more than brothers, siblings as the child grows, then to friends, then when the child was an adult it could lead to a relationship, lovers. It was rare for the imprintee to refuse the imprinter because they were perfectly matched, why deny someone that completes you?

Jacob's world was now Renesmee, he was tethered to her for their entire life.

Harry found the lack of choice, of control disconcerting but he couldn't deny how happy the imprinted couples seemed. And he supposed it was a little like falling in love, you didn't choose the people you fell in love with; you can't force love.

Harry smiled watching the sun, hidden by the clouds mostly. His smile deepened as he felt a familiar presence at his back, wrapping familiar soothing arms around him. Harry hummed as Carlisle placed a kiss on his neck in greeting before also watching the clouds.

After a while (Harry didn't know how long they stood their doing nothing but basking in the meagre sunlight and each other's presence) Carlisle tugged Harry around placing a firm kiss on his lips.

A derogatory snort had them parting and turning to the maker of the noise.

"So you got tired of being father-dearest's whore." Theodore Jr. sneered. Harry rose an unimpressed eyebrow, he had heard far worse and he could take insults to himself, it was insults to his family and friends he reacted to.

Theodore Jr. snorted again at Harry's lack of reaction and strode away, retreating, when he met the glares from Edward, Jacob, Seth, Bella and Rosalie who were all outside too with Renesmee enjoying the rare sunlight. Carlisle pulled Harry closer.

"He shouldn't have said that." Jacob muttered kicking at the dirt. Harry smiled; he could count Jacob and Seth as his friends now, especially since Nessie was born.

"It was true. Don't bother getting upset with the truth." Harry said softly.

"You're not a whore though, you're really nice." Seth said earnestly. Harry chuckled.

"You can be both, Seth. I might not be now, since I am married happily to Carlisle, but it was true when I consorted with his father. I was Theodore Sr.'s whore, his toy. It was a little more classy than paying a common prostitute, he courted me, brought gifts, took me for meals etcetera I was there because I wanted to be not for payment and now it would be like dating but he was married then and it was the 1800's. I was a whore by technicality." Harry explained quietly.

"I was wealthy enough to get away with it." Harry added, he hadn't been scorned as such, more sniffed at and rather sharp comments sent his way. He was a source of rather scandalous gossip for the higher society, he hadn't cared at the time, he had been happy with Theodore Sr., he had believed he was in love and was loved in return. He had been duped masterfully.

The others looked a little shocked by Harry's words so Harry smiled cheekily.

"Don't worry, Carlisle and I were married before we did anything." Harry said smothering his embarrassment as he attempted to distract them.

"How? I mean...two men couldn't marry in the 1800s, could they?" Seth asked a little awkwardly. Harry scowled and looked at the ground while Carlisle chuckled.

"Meet Harriet, my wife." Carlisle grinned. Harry elbowed him and sniffed.

"I hate dresses and I loathe corsets. I had to pretend to be the woman because Carlisle's shoulders are much too broad." Harry explained. Edward grinned at the pictures from Carlisle's memories and Jacob and Seth burst out laughing. Bella smiled in amusement, Nessie asleep in her arms.

xxx

Harry stood next to Carlisle as they waited with everyone else in the clearing for the Volturi.

The amount of vampires near to the Reservation had caused a boom of shifters transforming.

There were sixteen wolves now, much more than there had ever been. It was both a little awe inspiring a slightly saddening because they didn't have a choice in it, either they shifted or they didn't but the gene in the Quileute's only showed when there were vampires nearby.

Most seemed to actually like the change though, it was only really Sam, Jacob and Leah who hadn't liked it.

Harry's eyes widened as he caught sight of the Volturi and the vampires they had brought with them. It seemed the Volturi too had brought witnesses. The entire Volturi had appeared; even the wives and they never left Volterra!

"Potter?!" A voice called from the Volturi side and Harry looked over before grinning at Blaise Zabini.

"Zabini." Harry nodded.

"I'm not staying over here; Potter's insufferable luck always wins any infraction or battle he enters." Blaise commented walking over to the Cullen side with a female vampire who had silvery blonde hair and who could rival Rosalie with her impossible beauty.

"This is Victorie Weasley, daughter of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour, my wife, Nice to see you again by the way." Blaise said chattily ignoring the tension that filled the clearing.

"Nice to see you again too, Blaise and nice to meet you Mrs Zabini." Harry greeted with a warm smile, it was nice to see a child of Bill's and Fleur's. Bill and Fleur had both passed away more than 100 years ago.

...

It didn't come to a fight, thankfully. Once the Volturi were shown proof that Renesmee was growing and not an immortal child they changed tracks and Aro pointed out that since there had never been a child like Renesmee they didn't know what threat she might pose in the future.

Each side had been ready to fight when Alice entered with Jasper and an unknown male who looked like a vampire but had an odd heart beat and an unknown female vampire.

The unknown male was just like Nessie, he had been born of a vampire man and a human woman and he had stopped aging when he reached the equivalent of eighteen (which took seven years), in a way half vampires were better than vampires, they could fit in with humans far more easily.

The Volturi didn't really have a leg to stand on after that so they left.

Harry felt that they would be back one day to eradicate them for the embarrassment the Cullens caused them. It was not a pleasant thought but at least they had made a lot more friends with vampires they hadn't met before and Nessie was adored by so many that Harry was sure they would come if the Cullens needed them again and fight against the Volturi.

Harry hoped it wouldn't be for many more centuries.

...

Harry settled next to Jasper and Carlisle on a sofa in the house. He had one hand on Jasper the other on Carlisle, he was so happy to see Jasper and Alice again. They had had the hardest job, Alice had had to search for someone she couldn't see in her visions, she couldn't see the shifters or half vampires because she had never been one.

Harry was just glad to have them back although he was incredibly proud of Alice and Jasper, they had saved them today. Bella's shield too had helped. Edward had never been able to read Bella's thoughts (neither could Aro), her mind had been protected and she had managed to learn how to stretch this protection to encompass the entire group of people standing witness for the Cullens.

The Volturi relied on Alec's gift of sending everyone into a daze, where they couldn't see, couldn't smell, couldn't think...Alec's gift could be used against groups and while utterly defenceless the Volturi would kill them all. But Bella had protected them all with her shield so the Volturi couldn't rely on this method. The Volturi had lost their main advantage due to Bella.

Harry leaned against Carlisle as most vampires drifted away; the shifters had already left to return to the Reservation.

Harry's friends had left quite quickly, not many vampires really like socialising with big groups like humans seemed to. Vampires were more insular, liking a select few people and being rather possessive of them.

Harry was a little sad to see them go but he grinned when he realised Luna was going to stay for a visit and that Severus was once again deep in a rare thick tome in Harry's personal library.

Carlisle pressed an absent kiss to his forehead and Harry smiled. He was surrounded by his family, everyone was alive and well, he couldn't be happier in this perfect moment with everyone's emotions in sync, harmonious.