A story told in parts, which I wrote after being heavily inspired by Colubrina's HP AU entitled Housemates. Please read the magnificence that is all of her works. This is dedicated to her.

CASUAL VACANCY

by Reveri

Part One

Hadn't Alice said this place was in her budget?

Bella balked at the exterior of the brick-walled townhouse, shifting her weight from one leg to another as she contemplated cancelling the appointment altogether. She thought she had made it perfectly clear that her monthly salary was nowhere near Alice's and the girl even assured her it was a sure deal. Evidently, Alice had no idea what a broke grad student's wallet was like, and that possibly meant she'd have to pretend to look around the place all the while knowing she couldn't afford it—all before breakfast, too.

She sighed. She really should've known when her friend sent the address and told her to dress nice.

The Volturi Boarding House was situated in the, er, wealthier side of Volterra. She had surmised that that was a good thing since it meant the neighborhood was generally safer and she wouldn't have to carry her pepper spray all the time, but honestly, Bella just wanted to get away as far as possible from the twenty-two square meter hellhole of a unit she was currently sharing with her cousin Jessica. Now that was a disaster for another story. Anyway, the referred apartment in front of her was a measly twenty-minute walking distance from the campus and a bus ride away from the lounge she worked at part-time. But with its cool industrial exterior, fancy black iron porch railings, and silver-coated windows, the place was so undeniably, unquestionably out of her league that she felt impoverished just by standing next to it.

"You must be Miss Swan." A man's deep voice called out to her from the entrance and she shook out of her reverie. "You're right on time. Come on in."

Sending over a weak smile as she moved up the stairs, Bella greeted back and shook the hand that was offered to her. The man holding the door open for her introduced himself as Aro Volturi. The man was attractive, possibly in his mid- to late twenties, kept his black hair longer than most men she knew, and as early as now, Bella knew that Aro—with his leather shoes and corporate slacks and expensive button-up shirt—either owned the entire apartment complex or the entire apartment complex and the shiny Bentleys parked outside.

She really wanted to punch Alice in the face right now.

Bella stepped into the townhouse anyway and the tall, ornate doors locked automatically behind her with a beep. Aro led her through the mahogany-floored entryway and told her, "There are three floors to this building. The first and second stories are fully occupied at the moment, but the top-floor loft has one vacant room."

And it was beautiful.

The interior of the house was a tasteful, warm-toned vintage. It was old-fashioned and had brick walls. It even had a common room with a hearth and a fireplace, and there was even an actual working elevator, but who would insist on it when polished hardwood stairs warped wonderfully at each level of the building? This entire house was lifted from whatever magazine was Vogue but for loft interior design.

Bella wanted to drop down on her knees and beg to be a governess instead. She could pull it off. She'd read Jane Eyre and Pride & Prejudice for her British lit class in undergrad.

They made it to the topmost floor without her groveling, but when she was greeted by the sight of off-white sofas and brown chairs and emerald green divans on well-placed oriental rugs and a wooden fucking antique Italian baby grand piano next to the high windows that overlooked the neighborhood, she froze on the spot and turned to Aro with what she felt to be glistening eyes.

"I take it you like the apartment," he said with a knowing smirk.

Oh yes, she definitely like.

"Yes, but," she said, struggling to hide her chagrin. "I don't think Alice understood what I meant when I said 'grad-student friendly.' This isn't exactly…" she trailed off.

Aro's brows furrowed, tilting his head very slightly before he said, "Ah, you meant the bedroom. You needn't be so concerned; you'll have your own study table and the walls are thick enough—"

Bella cringed as Aro missed the point and led her to the last mahogany door at the end of the hall. Peering inside, she almost sighed at the homely bedroom awaiting her. It was smaller than the rest of the rooms, but with beige walls, a single bed, a proper desk, a closet, and some shelves, what else could a grad student like her need indeed?

Aro cleared his throat before gesturing her to the white-painted door opposite the room, which turned out to be the bathroom. Bella's eyes almost rolled back into her head when she noted the presence of a tub and a shower heater. The full-length mirror was just a bonus. Aro supplied, "However, the top-floor tenants share a common bath. Water heating is no problem. Although I do suggest purchasing a personal shelf for your toiletries."

She'd had enough.

Bella stepped back and met Aro's eyes straight on. "Aro," she said.

He smiled at her. "Yes?"

"I can't possibly afford this place."

"Well of course not," Aro said with a laugh. "You're only here for one room, aren't you?"

Now she wanted to strangle him too. "No, I meant I can't afford this place. I'm a grad student. This is, like, my dream house for when I've won the million-dollar draw, or maybe if I bagged a senile billionaire as a dessert father. Maybe." Aro laughed and she felt small. "I'm really sorry for wasting your morning."

"I don't doubt it," he said. "But I'm perfectly aware of your predicament. Alice is such a dear, she's like a niece to me, and being her 'best friend in the whole world,' it would be rude of me not to offer you a place to stay."

Alice! Redness flooded to her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I don't know what she told you but I really can't—"

The man waved his hand dismissively. "You don't need to think about down payments and drastic monthly dues. As I said, I've been told of your, ah, financial predicament."

Bella cringed. "I'll give you the most I can from my monthly salary, and I'll even do all the housework—"

Aro tutted at her, leaving her trailing after him as he walked back to the sofas. He took a seat and gestured for her to do the same. With a sigh, she plopped down opposite to him and waited as he considered her with a calculating look.

"You haven't asked, you see," Aro said. "Why there's a vacant room in the first place."

Huh. He was right. It wasn't like Volterra was lacking people with funds or businessmen who wanted to throw money around. This place was the Silicon Valley of Finance. Hmm. Did that mean this neighborhood was basically Wall Street? Was Wall Street the actual street's name, or was that what they called the building filled with people who had suitcases and a lot of money? Hell if she knew. She didn't make it ten minutes into that Di Caprio film.

"Okay. Why is there a vacant room in the first place?" she asked dutifully.

"Because the top-floor tenants are a bit… difficult," the man replied. "You'll have to live with three of the most insufferable people, even more insufferable than the rest of the occupants of the building, and you'll have to live through endless moods and bickering, and the occasional housework, but truly I just need another person on this floor to prevent them from killing each other."

"Ah," she smiled serenely at him. "I see." Everything came with a price, and this one cost more than money. "That explains it."

"Yes," Aro chuckled to himself. "The previous occupant was Alice's adoptive father, you see."

"Oh!" Bella's eyes widened. She knew him—he was a great guy. That was a recent development in Alice's life. "Carlisle lived here?"

"Yes, Carlisle," Aro huffed. "But he met Alice's mother recently, as you know, and moved out to a bigger place for their new family."

Did she just hear bitterness in his tone? Shaking the thought away, Bella inquired, "Who's the other three then?"

"Marcus, who is about your age and is taking his masteral in philosophy at the same university as you and Alice; Caius, who co-owns this building with me and badly needs social intervention; and, well, myself." Aro sent her a saintly smile. "They are my partners-in-life. Will that be a problem?"

"Excuse me?" Bella almost choked. She cleared her throat and shook her head. "No, no. I guess not. But, um, didn't you say the tenants were… insufferable…?"

"Yes. Insufferable, and with terrible, terrible moods, endless bickering, and have to be kept from killing each other." Aro listed matter-of-factly, as if he were enumerating the days of the week to a child. "Keep up, dear."

"Well…" Bella paused, thinking of her current bedspread and Jess and that shithole of a shower. She thought of spending one more day coming home to a sock on the doorknob and horrible, horrible noises. With hardened resolve, she peered through her eyelashes and gave her best smile. "When can I move in?"

The glint in Aro's gaze almost made her shiver.

"At your earliest convenience, Miss Swan."

A/N: For Twilight fanfiction readers, writers, and artists alike: I've made a discord server where we can meet each other and hang around. Everyone in the fandom is welcome. Get to know the people behind your favorite fics, the readers cheering you on, or even the artists who breathe life into your characters. The discord server link is discord .gg/qKjcTRb and we're waiting for you to join us!