Chapter 1
Harry knew he was dying. Felt it in every breath he struggled to draw in and the dulling of his senses.
The summer holidays had not gone well. He had blown up Aunt Marge and run, knowing that if he stayed at Privet Drive that he would be lucky to see sunshine ever again. Unfortunately, Minister Fudge had hauled him back to his aunt and uncle’s, speaking to them quite jovially about how teenagers need a firm hand. He had known then that he was unlikely to see his friends again. He was just thankful that Hedwig had been set free and was not locked in her cage, as he had little doubt that his faithful owl would have been killed by his uncle in a fit of rage.
Uncle Vernon had wasted little time in starting his punishment. Harry had been beaten in the past and was routinely starved, but the brutality shown to him in the coming days was startling, even for him. He knew he looked a mess. Aunt Petunia had taken a look at him after the first beating and ushered Dudley out of the house, making a comment that they were going to go on a short holiday and leaving Harry to the mercy of his uncle.
That was four days ago. Harry now felt that the clock was ticking down. With every second that passed he felt like he was even closer to passing over into whatever waited on the other side. He found solace in the knowledge that at least his parents would be there. Death couldn’t be all bad if he was going to see his mom and dad for the first time. If life at the Dursley’s had taught him anything, it was that life was sometimes worse than death. But even with those thoughts, he was unable to help the small part of him that longed for a normal family that cared about him.
As he faded out of consciousness, his magic responded to his wishes and Harry Potter ceased to exist in the world that had known him as The Boy-Who-Lived.
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Jasper had been a vampire for a long time. He had outlived hundreds of newborns, each turned by Maria to fight never ending battles against other newborns for territory in the south. He had survived the Southern Vampire Wars for approximately 80 years. At times he struggled to comprehend that that much time had passed. At other times he felt much older. His soul was tired. Tired of the constant fighting. The constant death and destruction. His entire existence was centered around slaughter and it wore on him.
And again, he had gone and robbed someone of their mortality. Jasper had never changed anyone. Anytime he had bitten a human it had been done with the intent to feed. But he had stumbled upon the injured and dying child and had not been able to help himself. The boy had not yet had a chance to really live and here he was drowning in his own blood. Jasper had acted before his brain had caught up with him. His emotions had gone from stunned at his own actions to absolutely horrified. As the venom spread through the dark-haired child’s veins, that horror quickly changed to deep concern as the child did not react. No screams passed from his lips and several hours after the initial bite the boy stopped breathing. Part of Jasper hoped that the child did not survive the change, even though he knew he would carry the guilt of adding to the poor boy’s suffering for the rest of his life. But as he watched, the child’s broken skin knit back together. Scars were left behind, which should have cleared with the venom. The change from human to vampire had always left unblemished, polished granite-like skin behind. Yet as the boy changed, his skin remained marred with the clear evidence of the abuse he had faced and his bones still shown prominently through his skin.
When startling green eyes opened on day three after the bite, Jasper knew that nothing was going to be normal about this newborn. Little did he know how true these thoughts were going to turn out to be.
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It had been two weeks since Jasper had bitten the child. In those two weeks, his nerves had become incredibly frayed. The newborn refused to feed. Thanks to his gift, Jasper was able to tell that for some reason the boy felt none of the typical thirst that haunted newborn vampires. Instead, the child felt empty. The only time he had managed to gain a reaction from the child is when he had presented him with a red-haired woman to feed from. The child had jolted away from him and had refused to interact since. Since then, he took no real interest in anything around him and not for the first time Jasper felt that death would have been the kinder option for the little one.
He knew he would be unable to hide his charge from Maria for long. His distraction would be noticed and he would be given an ultimatum. The child would not be allowed to continue existing in his current state. If he could not fight, he would be dispatched. Maria would demand it.
Not for the first-time protectiveness swirled inside of him. He had hidden the child in a small cave, miles away from where the army was stationed, but it was only a matter of time before someone sniffed out the small boy.
Jasper had a decision to make.
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Chapter 2
The decision to run with the child had not come lightly. He did not even know this boy’s name but the bond formed between a sire and his first newborn was much more powerful than he had expected. This child felt like his, and he was unable to bear the thought of someone destroying the small creature. So, he had run. He had nothing to take with them. He had gathered the boy in his arms and started running north, keen to escape the various vampire territories as fast as possible.
The boy barely stirred. Dark eyes had peeked up at him, black circles under them as the child had still refused to feed. He reassured the boy that he was safe but as he expected, no response was given. Since the child’s awakening, the child had been silent. He knew the boy understood English, as he could see and feel that the child understood what was being said to him. And yet, the boy had yet to speak. It was like the small boy’s soul had been snuffed out. All attempts to control the child’s emotions to influence him to feed and out of his shell had been unsuccessful. It was like trying to move a brick wall. Jasper had never encountered a newborn like this and he worried endlessly over the child.
He just hoped that the boy would open up when they found a safe place to stay.
He and his charge were passing through Pennsylvania when something unexpected occurred. Jasper had hidden away the child so that he could find a human to feed off of. Just after entering a small town, he was stopped in his tracks by a scent. There was a vampire here.
Part of him was severely tempted to grab the child and run, but the part of him interested in gathering information about the scent won out, and he found himself stealthily following it, sticking to the alleyways and rooftops.
When the scent led to a small diner and stopped, curiosity continued to win out and he cautiously entered the establishment. Milliseconds later he was face to face with an angelic face. Jasper couldn’t help but stare as the strange vampire approached him without fear. “You’ve kept me waiting, cowboy” she said in a bell like voice.
“I am sorry, darling,” He couldn’t help but respond in a slightly breathless voice.
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The addition of the small pixie-like vampire to their little entourage changed everything. For one, Jasper now had someone he was able to speak to, as the boy was still mute. In addition, the woman had told him of a fantastical future that she had apparently seen them sharing. One where they were a part of a large, peaceful coven. One that supposedly fed exclusively from animals. Jasper had his doubts that such a lifestyle was possible, but he was willing to follow the whims of Alice wherever they should lead them. Alice also had hope that this way of life would benefit the boy, who she said she had seen improving and interacting with members of the family. Jasper was desperate to find help for his child, if that meant searching the Earth for a coven that Alice had seen in a vision, then so be it.
He just hoped it didn’t take too long. The boy still refused to feed.
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Several months passed. Jasper and Alice followed each and every lead that Alice could glean from her visions in order to try and find the family of vampires who hunted animals. In that time, the child’s state continued to deteriorate.
It had come as a shock to realize that the boy could sleep, something that Jasper found slightly fascinating to watch. The boy now spent almost every moment dead to the world, too weak to do much more than sleep.
Jasper was desperate to find the boy help, so they stayed on the move.
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Jasper was on edge. They stood in front of a large white house, deep within a forest in Washington. Alice was vibrating with excitement next him as the door opens and a blond vampire steps out onto the front step, flanked by two other male vampires. Jasper fights the instinct to drop into a crouch to protect the child in his arms. Alice had seen this working out, he needed to trust her.
“Hello,” the blond man said in a cautious voice. “What do we owe the pleasure?”
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Chapter 3
Carlisle looked over the child with a critical eye. It had been a surprise to have three new vampires show up on his doorstep. It had been slightly shocking when the female, Alice, had invited themselves in and claimed a room, kicking Edward out of his room in the process. What was most shocking, however, was the state of the child in Jasper’s arms. For that was what he clearly was. The boy was puny. Obviously not yet in his teenage years. Skin stretched over bones in a fashion that reminded him of the recent images released to the public of concentration camp survivors. His physical state was significantly distressing and Carlisle was shocked that he had survived the change to begin with.
It was surprising to him that the venom had not totally healed the boy. For the change from human to vampire left no scars or trace of humanity behind. The boy should not look this emaciated and his skin should be unblemished. What worried him the most, however, was his mental state. Jasper indicated that the boy used to at least be awake but withdrawn from his surroundings. Carlisle had yet to see the child awake and several gentle attempts at arousing the boy were unsuccessful. The boy was clearly unwell, made worse by the fact that he had refused to feed since being bitten.
“Emmett,” Carlisle said in a soft voice, knowing his adoptive son would hear him from the other side of the house. “Can you catch the child something to eat, I am afraid that we may need to resort to force feeding him.” The sound of the back door opening and closing was his answer.
After his mate had danced off to claim a room in the house, the new blond vampire had turned to Carlisle in clear desperation and had asked for him to take a look at the boy. They had made their way to a daybed in the parlor and laid the boy down. Carlisle had been stunned speechless at the boy’s state. Rags fell off of him, barely doing anything to hide his dangerously thin body. He had fired many rapid-fire questions at the blond male, attempting to gauge what might be wrong with the child. What he had learned did little to reveal what might be wrong with the boy. The nature of vampires did not allow for deconditioning, meaning that the boy’s physical appearance was a side effect of his physical state leading up to his changing.
This led him to suspect that the boy’s condition may improve if he were to feed. Due to his state of unconsciousness, however, they would likely need to force the blood into him. Unfortunately, due his venom, tube feeding was out of the question. A vampire’s venom would quickly dissolve any tube placed into his stomach to feed him. They would have to attempt syringe feeding.
Emmett was quick to return, a deer slung over one shoulder, still alive but clearly stunned at its situation. At his command, his son was quick to dispatch the poor animal and Carlisle drained blood into a basin before drawing it up into a syringe. Jasper cradled the child in his arms, propping his head up so that gravity could aid in getting the blood into his stomach as Carlisle carefully syringe fed the boy. After receiving approximately one liter of blood, the boy’s color had mildly improved and his eyes fluttered.
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It had been a few weeks since their family had grown by three. They had not been without challenges in that time. Alice was already feeding off of animals when she had met Jasper. Jasper was struggling with the change in diet and had suffered a few setbacks, though these were to be expected. The child was now awake more, but he was near silent. Unfortunately, they still knew very little about him as Edward was unable to read his mind. They still did not know his name or his age. He physically looked around 8 or 9 years old, but Carlisle knew he may be older given the obvious starvation he had suffered while human. Carlisle hoped the child was at least over the age of 12, as a child of 8 or 9 would likely not be allowed to live by the Volturi. Carlisle knew that the destruction of the child would likely destroy Jasper, as the blond-haired man was fiercely protective of his charge.
The boy himself still spent the majority of his time sleeping, but the dark circles under his eyes lightened with every forced feeding and his eyes were now a gorgeous emerald green. Rosalie and Esme were in love. The two had quickly morphed into mother hens, constantly trying to win over the small boy. As of yet, the boy only seemed attached to Jasper, often clinging to him when awake and growing upset if the blond was off hunting.
It would likely take a long time for the child to warm up to everyone. His emotional and mental state somewhat fixed at the time he was changed. Not for the first time, Carlisle stressed over the boy’s ability to survive as a vampire. If he made no progress, it felt like death would have been the kinder alterative.
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Harry watched the people around him warily. Jasper had convinced him that he was allowed to sit on the couch and he was now curled up beside the blond, hands fisted into the man’s jumper. They had lived with the strange family for several weeks now and Harry was still unsure what to think of them. They seemed very nice and the women were constantly trying to get him to warm up to them. Part of him wanted to trust these strange, golden-eyed people, but the other part of him was still terribly unsure and afraid of allowing people in.
The blond-haired male, Carlisle, continued to syringe feed him, which Harry didn’t care for. It required close contact and Harry really only tolerated it if Jasper was holding onto him. Still, if he had it his way he would not be drinking the blood at all. Even though he still had no thirst, even he had to admit that he did feel better after being force fed. It was strange being in a family that ensured that he fed, even if he himself did not want to. The Dursleys never gave his physical health a second thought.
Jasper just have felt his rising stress as he felt a foreign wave of calm being pushed at him and the man ran his fingers through his hair, almost petting him. Harry leaned into the soft touch, unable to help himself from accepting the comfort being provided to him.
From across the room, the blonde woman, Rosalie, sent him a soft look that for some reason held a touch of longing.
Maybe he should give these people a chance.
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Alice and Jasper had left him. Jasper had sat him down and told him that he and Alice were going to be gone for the weekend in order to hunt in Canada. Harry suspected that they just wanted to kiss in privacy. He stared grumpily out the window, willing them to return early. He ignored the attempts of the others to distract him.
He hadn’t realized that he had started to doze off until strong hands lifted him up and he was settled on someone’s hip, head lolling onto their shoulder. Esme, his mind told him distantly as he drifted further into the land of sleep, barely registering being tucked into a bed.
He woke sometime later to find him curled up against Esme, head resting against her chest. The brown-haired woman ran a hand softly down his back. He couldn’t help but snuggle into her, allowing himself to enjoy the physical contact.
The woman was humming to him quietly and for a moment Harry let himself pretend that he had a mum.
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Harry had intended to give Jasper and Alice the cold shoulder when they returned, but he had been unable to stop himself from throwing himself at them. His hands gripped Jasper’s shirt as his legs curled upwards, determined to be held by the blond. He tucked his head under the man’s chin and continued to hold on as he was carried back towards the house.
There were several conversations around him, but he paid no attention, focusing instead on the arms wrapped around him and the sound of the breath whooshing in and out of Jasper’s chest. Eventually, a blanket was tucked around his frame and he started to doze on the broad chest, fingers not completely loosening even as he drifted off into an emotionally exhausted sleep.
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They had lived with the Cullens for a few months and he had yet to provide them his name, some part of him worried that if he told them his name they would ship him off. He knew that this was a ridiculous fear, as he knew he was no longer in his own time or world. There was no way that he was going to be shipped off to the Dursley’s again. Vernon was never going to hit him again. And yet, the fear remained. It gripped him at unexpected times, making him feel almost frantic in his need to hide. Several times this fear had driven him to hide in closets, taking comfort in the enclosed space and knowledge that Uncle Vernon would not be able to reach him.
But it had not been Uncle Vernon to fetch him. Jasper was always there, using his gift to send him waves of calm and reassurance. After he was eventually able to convince Harry to exit the closet and Harry always found himself cradled in the man’s arms or bundled up between him and Alice in their bed.
Slowly but surely, Harry found himself relaxing around his new family. He liked to sit next to Edward as he played the piano and in Carlisle’s office as he worked. Rosalie had introduced him to the family’s cars, which Harry thought looked really cool but Harry knew nothing about. He liked to watch Emmett, Jasper, and Edward throw an American football around outside, sometimes being convinced to play, as well. He had also started helping Esme garden, which brought a massive smile to the woman’s face.
All in all, Harry felt that he was really starting to settle into his new life. He missed Ron, Hermione, and Hedwig, but at least he no longer lived at Privet Drive and there was no Boy-Who-Lived crap. For the first time in his life, he felt like he could just exist.
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Jasper and Harry were laid out on the grass in the back yard, staring up at the sky. It had quickly become part of their routine to watch the sun set and enjoy the stars before Harry was eventually ushered to bed. Or sometimes carried, as he often fell asleep under the night sky.
A rush of courage ran through him, “Harry,” he said in a somewhat hoarse voice.
Jasper turned to him in surprise, “Harry?” he asked in a soft voice.
Harry nodded, “Yes,” he said before his courage could leave him. “Just Harry.” And wasn’t that the only thing he’d ever really wanted.