Green & Gold

March 1, 2004

“That’s really unfair.”

Jasper grinned down at Harry, who landed gracelessly on the ground, and offered a hand up.

“So you did purposefully not tell me that would be the single most horrible experience ever in an attempt to see me stumble?” Jasper asked as Harry grasped his hand and got to his feet.

“Would I do that?” Harry’s face was perfectly innocent aside from the mischievous twinkle in his green eyes. Jasper was fairly confident that yes, yes Harry would do exactly that, but he let it go as he looked around where their ‘portkey’ had taken them and realized they were very far away from Washington.

“Where are we?”

“Jasper Whitlock Hale, welcome to-“ Harry dropped Jasper’s hand to wave his arms out theatrically- “The Burrow!”

‘The Burrow’ was a small stone cottage that had been clearly built on over the years. There were wooden additions that made the house look lopsided as it defied gravity. It had five red brick chimneys, which seemed a bit excessive to Jasper, and a yard the size of a professional football field behind it. Jasper spotted two large steel cauldrons sitting beside the faded yellow front door and several brown chickens clucking their way through the yard.

“It’s...” Jasper struggled to find a word for the overwhelming charm that the property had. It was crooked and chaotic and incredible endearing.

“It’s not much, but it’s home,” Harry said. “Or, it’s Ron’s home anyway. But they’re always trying to add a room on for me.” Harry laughed and Jasper’s eyes softened as he saw and felt Harry’s immense affection as he gazed happily at the property.

“C’mon then, I told everyone you were coming and they’re probably going to ask a million questions. Fair warning, Molly’s a hugger.” Harry reclaimed Jasper’s hand, as if it were no big deal, and pulled him along to the door.

“Hey, it’s me!” Harry dropped Jasper’s hand to open the door and Jasper pulled Harry’s joy towards himself to cloak his worry at meeting Harry’s faux-family. He had been surprised, and thrilled, when Harry casually mentioned wanting Jasper to meet the Weasley’s ‘who basically adopted’ him. He hid his stress as he worried over if Harry’s family would approve of him. A vampire with their family member? It could be the worse fate they could imagine for Harry.

Not that he was ‘with’ Harry. They shared a couple of dates, and one amazing kiss, but they hadn’t titled what was between them. Though since they both acknowledged that there was a something between them, that was enough for Jasper.

They stepped inside the Burrow and Jasper’s senses went in to overload as he tried to take in all the obvious magic surrounding him. There was a broom in one corner, sweeping the stone floors on its own, a set of knitting needles clicking away on a pink knitted something, and photos- moving photos- everywhere. They had stepped directly in to a living room and the large fireplace, crackling merrily, and the overstuffed furniture, with throw blankets on every piece, made for a very warm and welcoming entrance.

“Harry!” A middle-aged woman, Mrs Molly Weasley likely, with a large bun of curly red hair came striding towards them. She was short, perhaps coming to just below Jasper’s shoulder, and had the plump figure that was expected of a woman who had as many children as Harry told him about. She was radiating such strong waves of adoration, love, concern, and maternal affection, that Jasper couldn’t help but relax in her presence.

“Oh we’ve missed you dear,” Mrs Weasley wrapped Harry (anxiety.grief.love.) up in a tight hug before pulling back and inspecting him with her hands on his shoulders. “You look wonderful Harry.” She patted Harry fondly on the cheek before turning her friendly smile on Jasper. “And you must be Jasper! Welcome!”

“Hello ma’am,” Jasper smiled. His smile was warmer and more at ease than he would typically feel with strangers, but this woman’s merriment was contagious.

“Oh none of that!” Mrs Weasley gave Jasper a tight hug- Harry mouthed ‘told you so’ over her shoulder- and Jasper was both surprised at her lack of fear of him and relieved that it seemed as if the same magic that made Harry smell so unappetizing also effected her. She didn’t smell the same as Harry, Jasper doubted anyone did, but he could smell the little sparks that burnt his nose when he inhaled. He very much preferred the tingle in his nose when compared to the dry burning heat that humans caused. Idly, in the back of his mind, he wondered if it was a purposeful genetic marker of magic to prevent witches and wizards from smelling like food to predators?

“Call me Molly,” Mrs Weasley Molly said when she let him go. “Any friend of Harry’s is a friend of ours.”

“Molly it is then,” Jasper said politely.

“Come on then boys, Arthur’s still at work, but everyone else is waiting for you in the kitchen. Even Percy came home for the day!”

Jasper and Harry followed behind Molly through the living room. Jasper’s head continuously turned as he tried to absorb all the photographs of red headed children, with an occasional raven haired boy and bushy haired brunette, that were actually moving on the walls.

“You think this is mad, you should see Hogwarts,” Harry murmured.

Jasper would have asked him if that was a possibility one day, as reluctant as Harry was to discuss his time there, but he was caught off guard by the overwhelmingly strong waves of JOY. LOVE. CONTENTMENT. LOVE. AMUSEMENT. LOVE. AFFECTION. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. that struck him when Molly opened the kitchen door.

Jasper hadn’t been drunk in nearly two hundred years. The last time he was even partially intoxicated was in 1940, eight years before he became a vegetarian, and he’d drank the blood of a man stumbling outside of a bar in Philadelphia. But this? This wave of pure love and happiness? It had his head spinning in the same way he thought he remembered drunkenness causing. It was addictive.

And it would have been a delight to wallow in if he was not instantly on alert by the one... two... three... small fires that were suspended in the air above three wooden wands.

“Boys! You quit that right now!” Molly had her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at the men who were happily suspending the fires in the air.

“Aw, mum, don’t worry, we aren’t gonna hurt him,” one of the men said. He had short cropped red hair and muscular arms that Jasper was fairly certain were being flexed as an intentional threat. Jasper also spotted a bit of black ink on his shoulder, barely creeping out beneath his short sleeves.

“Yeah mum, it’s just a warm welcome for Harry’s new friend,” another red-headed fire holder grinned. This one had much longer hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail. He had some type of bone or fang pierced through his ear and long jagged scars down the side of his face. His smell was absolutely repulsive though, a musk that reminded Jasper of dogs.

The third man, a tall and lithe one with twinkling blue eyes, shaggy dark red hair, and... and only one ear (?) laughed and made his fire flash different colors as it spun in the air.

“Hilarious,” Harry said drily to the men holding those wands. “Knock it off.”

“Party pooper,” the one with the multi-colored fire laughed. Jasper’s tense stance relaxed as the three of them lowered their wands, extinguishing the fires.

“This is Bill-“ the long haired man. “Fleur, his wife-“ a woman with long silver hair and soft facial features that would put even Rosalie to shame. “Charlie-“ the one with the tattoo. “Percy-“ another red-headed man with short hair and horn rimmed glasses that gave Jasper a polite nod of greeting. “George-“ the blue eyed one that called Harry a party pooper. “Ginny-“ the spirited girl that Harry had once dated. She had wavy auburn hair and her freckled face was smiling innocently at Jasper. He didn’t feel very at ease with the smile though, her emotions were much too amused. “And you know Ron and Hermione.”

“We’re good friends,” Hermione Granger said primly. She also smiled, but Jasper felt a shiver of unease at the threat in both her tone and her eyes.

“Guys, this is Jasper.”

Jasper inclined his head at them, “Thank you for having me.”

“Any ‘friend’ of Harry’s is a friend of the Weasley’s,” Bill said. He winked at his brother when he added, “Right George?”

“Oh yeah,” George nodded sagely, his eyes twinkling like crazy and his every emotion was heavily laced with mischief. “Harry’s one of us, right Harrikins?”

(guilt. grief. affection. sorrow.)

Why did this man draw such emotions from Harry when he was obviously teasing him?

“I suppose I’ll claim you,” Harry quipped with a roll of his eyes. “Budge up, Ginny. Let us sit.”

Jasper let Harry tug him to a seat at the large square table between Harry and Ginny. He was uncomfortably aware that Bill was directly across from him and was (so strongly it nearly felt purposeful) pushing waves of protective emotions towards him.

“So, Jasper, you’re a vampire?” Ginny asked him, causing her brothers to roar with laughter while Molly and Fleur tutted with disapproval. “What?” Ginny cried. “Everyone already knew!”

“Ask Harry how long it took for him to notice,” Ron smirked at Harry.

“Always a bad time to figure out your friend,” again with the emphasis on ‘friend’, “is a blood-sucker,” Charlie grinned.

“I was a bit busy with...” Harry trailed off and tapped a finger thoughtfully on the table. “Actually I don’t even have an excuse. Probably a good thing I never accepted Kingsleys offer, eh?”

The Weasley men chuckled good-naturedly and thankfully Percy noticed Jasper’s curiosity at the statement.

“Minister Kingsley is our Prime Minister,” he explained in a nasally tone. “He offered Harry a spot with the aurors, even without his NEWTS.”

That... that actually didn’t clear up anything.

“Oh.” Jasper said dumbly, cursing himself for not finding some sort of wizard lingo book before he came.

“Aurors are the equivalent of wizarding police,” Hermione said with an exasperated look at Percy, who simply grimaced apologetically. “It’s a very prestigious job position though and incredibly difficult to be accepted for. And NEWTS are our final testing from Hogwarts, the scores you get determine what jobs you’re eligible for. It’s like...” Hermione pulled on a lock of hair that escaped the ponytail she wore it in while she thought about it. “Like an associates!” she cried eagerly. “NEWTS are like an associates degree from muggle college!”

Jasper tried to puzzle out that much easier to understand analogy. “So your Prime Minister personally asked Harry to join the very prestigious and exclusive police force even though Harry didn’t have the educational requirements?”

“Yup.” Ron grinned at Harry and reached over to ruffle his hair playfully. “Bloody prat (love.).”

“When’s Arthur going to be home?” Harry asked Molly, interrupting Jasper who was about to ask why to the whole scenario Hermione explained.

Why was Harry given an offer he wasn’t qualified for?

Why did the offer come from the highest person in their government?

And why did Harry turn it down?

“Oh it’ll be a bit I’m afraid,” Molly frowned momentarily (concern. love.) “His new assistant is giving him some problems. Why don’t you lot clear out of here for a bit and I’ll get dinner going?”

“Family quidditch match!” Ginny immediately cried with an eager smile. “Who’s in?”

Ron, Bill, Charlie, George all immediately leapt at the nonsensical offer.

“C’mon Harry, one game?” Ginny batted her eyelashes at Harry. “You and Charlie can have that seekers battle you always wanted.”

“Er... (panic. anxiety. guilt. grief.) I’m alright, I’ll just watch,” Harry said.

Ginny opened her mouth to argue with him, but was elbowed lightly by her brother Ron. “Fine.” She pouted for a moment before looking between Fleur, Percy, and Hermione. “We need one more player, who’s it gonna be?”

In the end, after much (loving. adoring. caring.) bickering, Percy finally agreed to participate in ‘Quidditch’ with the others.

“I will ‘elp you Molly,” Fleur smiled prettily at Molly as the others took off to ‘get ready’.

“You just rest your feet dear,” Molly tsk’d at her daughter in law. “Don’t want to be a strain on little Molly Junior, do we?”

Fleur, who was apparently pregnant, looked, and felt, mortified at Molly’s statement, but Jasper felt the fond amusement laced with maternal affection coming from Molly and realized she was just as full of mischief as her children apparently were.

“C’mon Jazz, you can finally see everyone fly on those ‘magical flying brooms’.” Harry laughed and tugged on Jasper’s shirt sleeve to aim him towards the door where the others had sprinted through.

“Who’s flying on brooms?” Jasper asked, entirely bemused and wholly out of his depth as the unfamiliar terms were throwing him off.

“They are.“ Hermione was sitting at a weather worn picnic table that Harry also sat at and pointed up the others who were-

Who were literally, actually, unbelievably flying on magic broomsticks. Jasper had thought that a flying motorcycle had been the height of magic’s ability to impress him, until now.

Magic was truly... well, magical.

“Lord,” Jasper breathed. The six others were all seated on brooms of various shades of brown and were arguing about ‘positions’.

“Quidditch is the main sport in the wizarding world,” Harry explained quietly. “It’s played in the air, on broomsticks, with seven players on each team. A keeper, three chasers, two beaters, and a seeker. The keeper protects the goals, the chasers toss the quaffle, a big red ball, back and forth and try to score. The beaters hit black balls, bludgers, at the players on other teams with bats to try and knock them off their course. And the seeker has to catch a little golden ball called a snitch.”

Jasper had kept his eyes on the flying witch and wizards while Harry explained but finally recognized a magical description.

“Is that what’s on your bookcase?” he asked Harry, turning to look at him. “A snitch?”

“Yeah,” Harry pushed his glasses up and smiled crookedly, despite his sorrowful emotions. “I used to be a seeker.”

Jasper had to bite his lip to stop himself from asking why Harry used to be a seeker and why he was sad about a piece of sporting equipment.

He hoped that one day there wouldn’t be so many why’s between him and Harry.

“Harry’s being humble,” Hermione said. “Harry was the youngest seeker in a century. He’s a brilliant flier. He had an offer to go pro, you know.”

Jasper didn’t know. He didn’t know at all.

But now he had another why question: why would Harry refuse two important positions to move to America and attend high school?

“Watch.” Harry gestured up to the sky. “So since they only have six players they’re playing with different rules. Ron and Percy are playing keeper for their teams. Then it’s Gin and George playing for Ron’s team and Charlie and Bill on Percy’s team. Those four are all just playing chaser spots. It’s usually first team to seventy, or whoever was in the lead when someone storms off,” Harry grinned and his emotions lightened to more amused ones.

“Ginny is very good,” Jasper said. He knew he was watching his first ever exhibition of quidditch, but even he could recognize the speed and ease of which the girl flew across the sky, her long red hair trailing behind her like a cape.

“She’s brilliant,” Harry said proudly. “She’s been scouted for two different professional teams after she graduates this year.”

Jasper would have felt jealous as Harry spoke so highly of his ex-girlfriend if he wasn’t entirely aware of the familial sense of love Harry clearly felt towards her.

The three of them sat and watched the others fly, and Jasper was enthralled with the magic that allowed them to do so. It seemed so much more impossible than the motorcycle, though that had been incredible as well. Harry chatted to Hermione, telling her about his classes and some of the things they’d done recently. The score was tied with 30 points each when Hermione groaned.

“Ugh. I left my wand in my bag!” she said. “I was going to practice some of the transfiguration spells that Bill said will be on the NEWTS while they were flying, but...” Hermione looked back at the house and sighed. “Nevermind. I’ll do it later.”

“Want me to go fetch it Mione?” Harry offered to Jasper’s dismay. Hermione’s emotions (anger. protection. care. fury.) did not match her politely weary tone.

“Would you?” Hermione smiled brightly at Harry. “It’s up in Ron’s room. In my beaded bag of course.”

“Of course,” Harry laughed. “I’ll be right back.”

Jasper had a very bad feeling as Hermione’s smile disappeared the second Harry sprinted away.

“You and I need to talk, don’t we?” Hermione pulled her wand from her sweater sleeve and thinned her lips. “We had an agreement Jasper Hale.” She leaned across the picnic table and fearlessly glared right in Jasper’s face. “Did our agreement involve you letting your sister try and bite Harry?!” she hissed.

“No ma’am,” Jasper said immediately. He was not frightened of this young witch, but he did have a healthy level of respect for anyone who could conjure fire with a flick of their wrist. Especially those who could conjure fire so easily and whose eyes were filled with righteous and protective anger.

“No. It didn’t. You said you would never hurt a hair on his head. So why did Harry call me and tell me that you took him to Egypt with the intent of draining his magic?”

“I have no excuse to make,” Jasper said softly. “It was inexcusable and terrible. Both my sister and myself are truly sorry, and I can assure you that it will never happen again.”

“The only reason you’re still alive, ish,” Hermione amended herself, “is because Harry likes you. He forgives easy, I do not. And neither does Ron. Ron wanted to come burn you to ashes the moment Harry told us what happened. He still does. You’re lucky we didn’t tell the others because I wouldn’t be able to stop all of them. Do you understand?”

Jasper did. So he nodded.

“Good.” Hermione gave him a thin lipped smile and her emotions returned to more annoyed concern than the protective fury.

“Hermione? This may be a bad time, but could I ask you something?”

“I get one question in return,” Hermione countered with. “But ask quick so I can ask mine before Harry gets out here.”

Jasper had a million questions that he had wanted to ask a witch or wizard; questions Harry either pretended to not hear or prevaricated his way through a response, but only one that had been consistently twirling in his thoughts.

“Are some witches and wizards immortal?”

Hermione’s immediately baffled expression was a clear enough response, but she spoke anyway.

“They aren’t supposed to be,” she said slowly. “Why? Did Harry tell you about Voldemort?”

“No?”

Jasper added that to his mental list of questions he would one day ask Harry.

Question 615: What is Voldemort?

Question 616: Why did Harry say some wizards live forever if Hermione says they do not? Harry says she’s the smartest of his friends, but perhaps Harry knows something she doesn’t?

Jasper kept telling himself not to get his hopes up. That every moment with Harry is more than he ever expected, or deserved, but...

But a person couldn’t simply tell themselves not to hope for something, could they?

“Oh.” Hermione chewed her lower lip for a moment. “Well wizards live to be nearly two hundred, the healthy ones with a decent amount of magical power anyway, but not forever. No.”

“Understood,” Jasper tipped his head gratefully. “I can hear Harry running down a staircase, what did you want to ask me?”

“Is Harry still drinking?” she asked bluntly.

“Much less than before,” Jasper answered truthfully.

Hermione sat back and nodded shortly at him, both her threat and concerned question finished as the back door slammed, announcing Harry’s return.

“Oh Harry!” Hermione’s voice was softer and back to its much less curt tone than she used with Jasper. “I’m so sorry! I had it in my pocket!” Hermione laughed as Harry huffed and threw himself back beside Jasper. “It’s all the wedding planning, it’s making me forgetful.”

If Harry was a master of deflection, then Hermione Granger was a talented apprentice.

“Did you guys pick a date yet?” Harry asked as his emotions soared with warm affection, joy, and an amusing bit of jealousy.

If Harry desired to be married one day, Jasper knew of an excellent wedding planner. He also knew of a more than willing groom.

“This summer,” Hermione beamed. “I know it’s rather quick, but I want to do it before I start work in August. I applied to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and they want me to come on as the Head of the departments direct assistant in September!”

“Really?” Harry was practically pulsating with pride as he beamed at his friend. “That’s great! Is Ron still joining the aurors then?”

“No.” Hermione chewed her lip (anxious. worried. concerned.) and twisted her hands in her lap. “He’s helping George reopen the shop this summer.”

(GUILT. GRIEF. SORROW. GRIEF. SELF-LOATHING.)

“Oh.” Harry’s voice was choked as he replied. “That’s- that’s great.”

“If someone throws the quaffle but they slip off their broom, does it still count towards the points?” Jasper asked abruptly.

If everyone else was going to deflect, Jasper could as well.

“What?” Harry blinked over at him and his emotions slowly dimmed down until they were eventually overtaken by bemusement. “Er- yeah. That definitely still counts.”

“What if they get hit by the bludger right as they score?”

“Still counts,” Harry chuckled. “Listen Jazz, if someone can catch the snitch while the other person was unfairly being attacked by dementors, and still win, then it’s anything goes.”

Jasper internally beamed as Harry began explaining the very confusing many ways that fouls happen in quidditch. He had done that. He had, naturally, turned Harry’s emotions away from the crushing grief and guilt that Hermione’s comment drew up.

Even Hermione gave him an approving look as Harry talked.

Which was quite the compliment really.

When the others finished flying, Bill having been the one to throw his broomstick and storm in to the house, ending the match, the rest of them went inside as well. Ron pulled Harry aside with a bashful smile and Jasper pretended not to hear as he asked him to stand beside him at his wedding.

“I flipped Hermione for who got to have you beside them, and I won. There’s nobody else I’d ever ask, you’ll be my best man, right?”

Jasper smiled at Harry’s obvious joy when they returned. It was interesting seeing Harry interact with his family and friends; he was much more at ease than Jasper typically sees from him around others. It was also amusing to note that Harry was so very beloved by these wizards as much as he was Jasper’s family of vampires.

When Molly’s husband, ‘call me Arthur, please’, returned, the large group moved out to the picnic tables in the yard to share a meal that Jasper hadn’t planned on participating in. An assumption that Molly Weasley apparently would not stand for.

“And for you, dear,” Molly smiled and placed a thermos with a stainless steel straw in front of Jasper. Ginny began giggling at the sight of it.

“Mum nearly used a glass cup until we told her it was disgusting looking,” she said cheerfully. “It can’t possibly taste good?”

Jasper looked down at his cup with the bewildered expression he suspects he’s worn since stepping on the property. He took a careful sniff, much to Harry’s amusement, and was oddly touched to realize it was animal blood of some type.

“Thank you,” he told Molly genuinely.

“Of course,” Molly beamed at him.

The Weasley’s, and the faux Weasley’s, all began enthusiastically talking about terms that Jasper had no hope of understanding. Hermione, Fleur, and Molly discussed ‘floral transfiguration charms’, something that Fleur was apparently an expert at. Bill and Percy were politely disagreeing over a new ‘creatures bill’ that was ‘up for vote in the Wizengamot’. Arthur and Ron were asking Harry questions about common ‘muggle’ concepts such as cell phones and automobiles. George talked with Charlie quietly about ‘pygmy puff dragon hybrids’. Jasper was more than happy to be a silent witness to the chatter as he basked in their overwhelmingly happy emotions.

Or, he was, until Charlie abruptly turned to Harry and asked him if he ‘kept up on the Daily Prophet’, which based on the context, Jasper was fairly certain was a newspaper.

“No,” Harry was instantly anxious and wary. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Ginny assured him quickly, the others quieting in the face of Charlie’s question. “It’s just funny, they’re running almost daily articles about you disappearing.”

“Oh.” Harry’s tightened shoulders loosened. “Rita I’m guessing?”

“Obviously,” Hermione rolled her eyes. “And she registered so I can’t even threaten her in to silence.”

Harry and Ron both roared with laughter. Jasper didn’t understand the bit about ‘registering’, he was simply pleased to know he was not the only person that Hermione made a habit of threatening.

“Today it said you ran away to join a pagan nudist colony,” George chuckled.

“Why is the newspaper reporting on you disappearing?” Jasper asked Harry quietly. Not quietly enough, clearly, because the atmosphere at the table thickened and Jasper suddenly felt as if he had made a mistake in asking.

Nobody said anything for a moment before Ginny waved her fork airily. “Well Harry’s terribly famous, isn’t he? Just hundreds of fans trying to write him barmy love notes.”

Ron perked up, and a teasing smile lit up his face. “Barmy like: ‘HIS EYES ARE AS GREEN AS A FRESH PICKLED TOAD!’”

Harry and Ginny both turned bright red as the rest of the table, save a quietly amused Molly, laughed until Jasper spotted tears in Charlie’s eyes.

“I forgot about that,” George sighed. “Merlin Gin, you’re a real romantic aren’t you?”

“Piss off before you lose your other ear,” Ginny said sweetly.

“Language Ginevra!” Molly said scandalized.

Question 617: why is Harry so famous?

Ginny had answered Jasper’s question with a bite of sarcasm that he didn’t believe. He took her response at face value when he coupled it with the offhand comments Harry had made before.

After they finished eating and the conversation died down, Molly and Arthur excused themselves to wash up the kitchen. They cheerfully brushed off any of the many offers to assist them and headed inside hand in hand, radiating such strong contentment that it brought a smile to Jasper’s face. He couldn’t help his glance towards Harry, wondering if they would one day be as perfectly in love as both of their adoptive parents are.

Harry smiled back at Jasper and he looked so relaxed that Jasper nearly couldn’t match this to the angry young man who told a group of human boys to ‘PISS OFF!’ just five months ago.

“You ready?” Harry asked. “I’ve still got that paper for English I need to write tonight.”

“Not so fast little brother.” Bill grinned at Harry, but his emotions shifted to fierce protection when he turned to Jasper. “We-“ he gestured to the rest of his siblings, “-want to know what your intentions are with Harry.”

Harry muttered another phrase he picked up from too much time around Emmett under his breath. Jasper would have laughed, but he was currently being scrutinized closely by all five Weasley brothers, Ginny, Hermione, and even the previously passive Fleur.

“Can we not?” Harry glared at Bill, embarrassment clear in his tone.

“Go tell Mum you’re leaving, your vampire will be in one piece when you get back,” Charlie grinned.

“It’s fine,” Jasper assured him. “They’re your family, of course they’d be concerned that you brought a vampire home.”

“Don’t be mental,” Ron scoffed. “We don’t care that you’re a vampire, not if you’re not killing off a bunch of muggles.”

“What we care about eez your relationship with our ‘Arry,” Fleur said.

“Hermione!” Harry’s face was now a bright red when he pleaded to his friend.

“I’d actually like to know that as well,” Hermione said.

“We love you, get over it,” Ginny told Harry. “So, Dracula, what are your evil intentions here?”

“You- don’t answer her,” Harry told Jasper firmly. “The rest of you- knock it off. We’re going to tell Molly and Arthur we’re leaving.”

“I’ll wait here,” Jasper said easily. “Please tell them that their hospitality was much appreciated.”

Typically Jasper would never be so rude to not tell someone that himself, but he clearly had a much more important interrogation to attend.

Harry squinted at him carefully for a moment before mumbling, “bloody embarrassing,” and heading inside with one last glare towards the others.

“Listen carefully-“ Bill leaned towards Jasper immediately, assaulting him with his scent. “Harry might call himself an orphan, but he’s part of our family. I’ve done this to all of my siblings’ dates, and I don’t plan on skipping Harry just because he could kill you himself.”

“It’s true,” Ginny threw her long red hair over her shoulder and smirked at her oldest brother. “Bill threatened me as well.”

”Thats because I knew Ron would get Harry,” Bill said in a logical voice.

“Plus I think most of us owe Harrikins a life debt now,” George said thoughtfully. “Hands up if Harry personally saved your life.”

Question 618: Why did Ron, Hermione, George, Ginny, and Fleur all raise their hands?

“When did Harry save your life?” Charlie asked his sister-in-law.

“When ze masked man almost blasted me at ze battle and ‘Arry blasted ‘im off me,” Fleur said. “‘E also fought ze merman to save my seester,” she told Jasper.

“That doesn’t count,” Percy said. “Gabrielle was never in real danger.”

“We are getting off track!” Bill said. “Dad can only stall Harry for so long. You-“ he pointed his finger at Jasper’s face, “-talk.”

“I- Im confused,” Jasper said truthfully. “I truly have no idea what most of the things you’re talking about are meant to mean, but I can assure you that I, along with my family, care for Harry deeply. He is just as much a part of our family now as he is yours. He is in safe hands with us, with me. I will never hurt him.”

Hermione and Ron scoffed when Jasper mentioned his family, but they thankfully did it quietly enough that it didn’t draw the attentions of the others.

Bill, the obvious spokesman for the Weasley Interrogation Unit, looked directly into Jasper’s eyes until he seemed satisfied with his reply.

“If you hurt him, and I don’t mean just your vampire nonsense, I mean if you even hurt his feelings, then I will find you and I will kill you.”

“And we’ll have marshmallows at the fire,” George said cheerily.

“Harry would prefer you to cook hot dogs,” Jasper said solemnly. “He’s obsessed with the idea of cooking his meals in a fire.”

George chuckled and gave Jasper an approving slap of the shoulder. “There’s that charm that Harry’s been going on about.”

“We don’t want to scare you away, we know Harry is mad about you,” Hermione told him as the air seemed to clear and return to something more friendly. “It’s just that none of us care how important Harry is, he’s just our friend-“

“Brother,” Percy corrected her with a small nod.

“Our brother,” Hermione said. “We just want him to be happy. He deserves it.”

“He does,” Jasper agreed. He listened carefully towards the house and was sure he had only a minute before Harry was no longer being distracted by Arthur with questions about vacuums. “And when you say ‘how important Harry is’, you mean...?”

“Oh Merlin. Harry hasn’t told you anything, has he?” Charlie laughed.

”He has no idea who he’s dating!” Ginny giggled.

“He doesn’t want to discuss his past much and I don’t care to upset him,” Jasper said. He didn’t care to correct Ginny that he and Harry were not dating, exactly, as he had high hopes that it was heading that way in a natural path. First date, first kiss, meet the family... it was very traditional if it discounted the vampire and wizard aspects.

But just because he wouldn’t upset Harry by pushing for information didn’t mean he wouldn’t shamelessly dig for answers from Harry’s family.

“You seem like a decent bloke, and it’s obvious from your lovesick expression that you’re planning on sticking around, so I’ll tell you something for free-” Bill, who had just moments ago threatened to kill Jasper, smiled as if they were the best of friends. “You’ve heard us say ‘oh Merlin’ like how muggles say ‘oh God’?”

Jasper nodded, he had noticed that these witches and wizards seemed to consider Merlin to be a religious figure.

“Let’s just say, one day I imagine my great-grandkids will be saying ‘oh Harry Potter’.”

Which was incredibly cryptic and not at all helpful of an answer.

Question 619: Why is Harry Potter considered a religious figure in the wizarding community?